London, Aug 21 : Twilight author Stephenie Meyer has been accused of plagiarism by an American woman.

Jordan Scott has alleged that the 2008 novel Breaking Dawn has a "striking and substantial similarity" to her 2006 fantasy The Nocturne.

She has now sent a cease and desist letter to the publishers of the fourth book in the hit Twilight series.

Scott has also filed a lawsuit to stop the sale of the novel and seek damages, reports the Daily Express.

According to TMZ. com, Scott notes in legal document that the two texts "show striking, articulable and substantial similarities in the... plot lines, themes, dialogue, mood, setting, pace, characters, sequence of events (and) ideas."

Another argument is that the new book is a "significant literary departure from (Meyer''s) early books" and appears to be "written by a teenager" - just as Jordan’s novel does, as she started writing it when she was just 15.

However, Meyer insists that the charges are "completely without merit."

This is not just the first time that Meyer has been accused of plagiarism.

Her former college roommate Heidi Stanton had filed a lawsuit earlier this year claiming that the hit series was based on a short story she wrote while both of them studied at Brigham Young University, Utah. (ANI)