vampires

'Twilight' Author Makes $40 Million Without Writing a Single Book

Despite not having written a single book in the past year, Twilight author Stephenie Meyer raked in an eye-popping $40 million from her sexy vampire tales, Forbes reports. Meyer landed the second place spot on the magazine's new ranking of the world's highest paid authors, easily eclipsing Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling. About $7 million of Meyer's 2009 windfall came from movies adapted from the Twilight series, with most of the balance attributable to previously published works. In June the third Twilight adaptation made $175 million in its first six days. Meyer still has a long way to go to catch up with the world's highest paid author, James Patterson, who snagged the #1 spot with a whopping $70 million paycheck. Unlike Meyer however, Patterson has to keep churning out thrillers; he's contracted to produce another 17 books by the end of 2012. Stephen King placed third on the list with $34 million, while Rowling languishes in last place with a measly $10 million. Of course she's already a billionaire.

Tags: authors, books, Forbes, J.K. Rowling, James Patterson, Stephen King, Twilight, vampires, wealth

Own the Twilight Engagement Ring

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Celebrity Shopping

Twilight Eclipse is set to hit theaters this June and now true fans can have their own little piece if it by buying their very own copy of the engagement ring Edward gives to Bella. Co-designed by Twilight author Stephanie Meyer and Infinite Jewelry Co., the ring appears just as it's described in the book: a domed-oval gold ring with brilliant cut diamonds. Handmade by artisans with an open-work gallery and 13 diamonds totaling approximately 1.06 carats, the ring is available 14k yellow or white gold for $1,979.

Infinite Jewelry Co. also offers two less expensive versions of the engagement ring, "fine" for $479 (CZ instead of diamonds) and "fashion" for $35 (CZ and gold plating), along with other Twilight-inspired jewelry pieces like Bella's bracelet and a necklace representing her broken heart.

Gallery: Jewelry Inspired by The Twilight Saga

Source

Tags: engagement ring, jewelry, ring, twilight, twilight eclipse, twilight movie, vampires

True Blood Jewelry Designer Wants to be a Vampire - Exclusive Interview

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Udi Behr at the launch of his True Blood collection

The hit HBO vampire series True Blood has a terrific new collection of modern goth jewelry designed by Udi Behr (right), the Chief Designer for Love Peace and Hope. We attended the launch party for the fierce new True Blood line and chatted with Behr himself about all things jewelry and vampires. Read the interview to find out why Udi Behr wants to be a vampire, and then check out the gallery of the sexy bling True Blood inspired.

Luxist: Do you like True Blood?

Udi Behr: I love True Blood! I don't do anything I don't love.

L: What's your background? Where are you from?

UB: My background is very confusing. My father is Dutch, my mother is English, and they met in Israel, so I was born and raised in Israel. I moved to New York 26 years ago on Halloween Day.

L: Perfect.

UB: My first night in New York was the Village on Halloween night.

L: How old were you?

UB: I was 23.

L: Oh my gosh, that must have been the best night of your life.

UB: Exactly -- if you ask me what happened, this is all because of that first night in New York. I blame it all on the first night in New York! I live near the village today, and I still remember what I saw 26 years ago, but I don't remember what I saw last year.

L: So your True Blood designs are based around the infinity symbol?

UB: The infinity symbol and two fangs that link into it. If you look at my line, a couple of the specific iconic shapes are teardrops of blood with rubies, I'm doing the 8, eternity, and the chains. I use either leather or stainless steel, because vampires get very damaged if they wear silver, so, just in case Louisiana vampires or Texas vampires want to buy jewelry, tada! They can!

L: So, there's no silver in the collection?

UB: The rings are silver, and the earrings are silver.

L: So the vampires should shy away from those.

UB: Yes -- but there are people who want to protect themselves from vampires, too. Not all vampires are great. But, on a serious note, it's hard to manipulate stainless steel in rings, so all the rings and earrings are silver, and all the chains are stainless steel or leather.

L: So, who's your favorite True Blood character?

UB: That's a good question. Let's see, everybody likes Eric. Everybody wants to be Eric, he's the coolest vampire. He's so cool, you know? He's not in love, he doesn't want a girlfriend, and Tara, I like Tara very much, she's a really cool girl.

L: What do you think of her boyfriend?

UB: Well, for me, he just pisses me off every time I go to the gym. It's hard for guys to compete, you know?

L: I would imagine!

UB: I want to be a vampire. That's why I'm doing this. You sleep all day and you party all night! And you live forever! Only one thing: I like to go to the beach.

You can shop for Udi Behr's hot new True Blood collection at TrueBloodJewelry.com.

Gallery: Udi Behr's True Blood Collection

Sandblasted Silver Double Ring with Two Rubies in the Center

Seven Layer Stainless Steel Chain with Rubies

Seven Layer Stainless Steel Chain with Rubies (Clasp)

Silver Infinity Hoop Earrings with Rubies

Stainless Steel Double Chain Bracelet with Silver Accent

Tags: designer interview, DesignerInterview, discount code, DiscountCode, HBO, jewlery, True Blood, TrueBlood, Udi Behr, UdiBehr, vampires

Blue Bloods Meets Burlesque at Book Bash

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Books, Wealth

There are those who think all rich people are bloodsuckers. The ones in author Melissa de la Cruz's Blue Bloods books certainly are. The bestselling series centers on a secret society of socialites within New York City's most elite families, whose ancestors sailed on the Mayflower - and who happen to be vampires living in luxury on the Upper East Side. De la Cruz (right) celebrated the publication of the fourth installment in the series, The Van Alen Legacy, due to be released today, with a book bash at Meet at the Apartment in Soho the other night. Sexy burlesque star Veronica Varlow (left), who has been featured on MTV and hailed as the next Dita Von Teese, performed a vampire-themed routine at the event, as guests sipped cocktails, enjoyed hors d'oeuvres and indulged in mini-cupcakes from Crumbs Bake Shop. The Blue Bloods series, which has over a million copies in print, has topped the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists.

Tags: burlesque, Crumbs Bake Shop, CrumbsBakeShop, Melissa de la Cruz, MelissaDeLaCruz, New York, NewYork, party, Upper East Side, UpperEastSide, vampires, Veronica Varlow, VeronicaVarlow