If you haven’t picked out your Valentine’s Day gift to yourself yet, we’ve got you covered. Beautiful Bastard, a new novel by Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings that launches on February 12th, started out as online Twilight fan fiction. The authors then edited and reworked their piece for publication. The book is about Chloe Mills, an ambitious intern who falls for her domineering boss, Bennett Ryan. Of course, in the original fan fiction Chloe was named Bella, and Bennett was her Edward Cullen. Simon & Schuster, who will be publishing this novel as well as its slated sequel, are no doubt making this literary appeal to vaginas worldwide based on the success of Fifty Shades of Grey, which was also originally fan fiction. If you haven’t heard of Fifty Shades, it’s the Twilight-inspired best seller that has sold upwards of sixty million copies, and exposed the universal appeal of word porn.
The authors, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings
The rising popularity and general mainstreaming of Twilight fan fiction leads me to wonder how far down the kinky rabbit hole the publishing industry will dare to venture. I’m picturing a brave new world where Draco/Harry slash fiction tops The New York Times Bestseller List, BDSM is standard water cooler conversation, and grandmothers everywhere attempt to connect with their grandchildren over their favorite Downton Abbey-inspired smut scenes. A girl can dream. So here’s to Edward, Bella, and a very merry Valentine’s Day.
Cheer up, KStew! It’s a fan fiction revolution!
And be on the lookout for BUST’s “Thinking Girl’s Guide to Erotica” in the February/March issue, which hits stands in late January!
Photos via amazon.com, celebitchy.com, and hollywoodreporter.com
