Stephenie Meyer

For a once-struggling mother of three, Stephenie Meyer literally had a dream come true. Inspired by a dream she had one night about a human girl falling in love with a vampire, the author wrote the 2005 novel Twilight, which earned monumental success for its relatable characters, dangerous and exciting plot line, and a dashing vampire named Edward Cullen. The star-crossed lovers of Twilight struck a chord with millions of young adult readers while Meyer's success resonated with mothers everywhere. The author wrote three more books in the saga - the heartbreaking New Moon, the action-packed Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn, a novel that completed the series with pages and pages full of romance, plot twists, and even the birth of a vampire. Feature film versions of Meyer's work breathed new life into her novels and turned its star Robert Pattinson into a wanted leading man. Often compared to another successful mother-turned-author J.K. Rowling, Meyer's Twilight saga may have been the product of a dream, but her ability to capture readers worldwide with her writing made her one of the most celebrated authors of all time.