PopSugar: Fifty Shades of Grey - 5 Need-to-Know Facts

1. It Originated as Twilight Fanfiction
"I was completely inspired by Twilight."
The story about a sexy relationship between college grad Anastasia and her billionaire boyfriend Christian Grey, who has a passion for S&M, started off as a work of fanfiction based on the Twilight saga. Back then, it was called "Master of the Universe."
"I was inspired by Stephenie Meyer she just flipped the switch and then I sat down and wrote a novel."

2. It's a Trilogy
While Fifty Shades of Grey is getting all the attention right now, there are two more books in the series that have already been released — Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Free. The author wrote all three at once and is already working on another love story right now!

3. It's a Mom's Midlife Crisis
"This is my midlife crisis, write large, all my fantasies, out there."
Author E.L. James, whose real name is Erika Leonard, says writing the erotic adventure was like her own midlife crisis. She's actually a married mother of two who is based in London and used to be a TV executive. E.L. recently made the Time's list of the most influential people in the world even though she says she is not a great writer.
"I'm stunned by it's popularity."

4. It's Got a Soundtrack
The books have even got their own soundtracks. E.L. has created playlists on her site and on YouTube based on the music she references in the books, which include songs by Britney Spears and Frank Sinatra and everything in between.

5. It's Coming to the Big Screen
Universal Pictures won the movie rights to the story and so far, Shailene Woodley and Dakota Fanning's names have surfaced in very early casting buzz.

Fifty Shades of Grey is currently number one on the New York Times best sellers list, with the two other books in the series placing in the number two and four spots.