Twilight Is More Than A Love Story

Mother-daughter duo Bonnie Newkirk and Karen Pryor share more than identical smiles. They both know the pain of being widowed. And they both rediscovered passion in the pages of a vampire romance novel.

Newkirk, 78, and Pryor, 55, both lost their husbands in the past five years. But after reading Stephenie Meyer's Twilight book series about affection between a vampire and a mortal, they have newfound hope for their own love lives.

"We were both really sad because we lost our husbands, until we read the Twilight books," said Pryor, whose husband died two years ago of lung cancer. "We just got kind of caught up in the story. It sparked us up, gave us a little jolt."

Pryor, from Hurst, and Newkirk are two of about 3,000 Twilight fans who attended TwiCon, a Twilight convention at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel over the weekend. The event included workshops, vendors selling Twilight paraphernalia, and a Q&A with some of the movies' cast members. Attendees of all ages donned extravagant ball gowns, masks, goth gear and medieval attire for the Volturi Masque Ball on Saturday night. Tickets for the sold-out convention went for $255.

Among the actors in attendance was Peter Facinelli, who plays the patriarch of the vampire family in Twilight. Kellan Lutz, who plays his adoptive son, also attended the event organized by three women: an undergraduate student at Pennsylvania State University, a freelance publicist and a video blogger. Two more TwiCons, which will take place in Las Vegas and Toronto, are planned for 2010.

The age range of convention-goers is a testament to the phenomenon. Twilight, originally billed as a young-adult book, has far transcended its intended audience. The series of four books has sold 53 million copies nationwide since Twilight's release in 2005. The first book's movie adaptation made $375 million at the box office. There are more than 350 Internet fan sites dedicated to the series.

The story is an otherworldly take on Romeo and Juliet. Bella, with all the awkwardness of adolescence, is immersed in a high-cost courtship with Edward, an eternally teenaged vampire.

And theirs isn't the only relationship of its kind in popular culture. Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the '90s and HBO's True Blood, based on the Sookie Stackhouse series of novels, depict the same kind of conflicted love between the living and undead. The Vampire Diaries, also a book-inspired drama, is set to premiere on the CW in September.

Jeri Cox, 29, a single mother of three, came from Ardmore, Okla., to attend the conference. Everyone can relate to Bella's human weaknesses, she said. But people also long for the otherworldly, undying dedication of Edward Cullen.

"It's commitment beyond commitment, because it's forever," she said.

Ali Parker, 32, from Moore, Okla., attended the conference with fellow Twilight Moms. Reading the series has been good for her 14-year marriage, she said. Through Bella's eyes, she has relived the excitement of new love.

"Edward is so selfless. He's very giving, and he's been through it all," Parker said. "It makes you more appreciative of the love you do have."

Plus, he's all-knowing. "If you were getting annoyed with him, he'd know, and he'd back off."

Brenna Groom, 15, said the story is interesting because it deviates from the fairy-tale love stories commonly told in books and movies. "It's a different kind of love story than the kind we're used to," said the Ovilla resident. "We grew up with the happily-ever-after."

Pryor and her mother, Newkirk, used the conference to network for their group-in-the-making: Twilight Widows, for other women who have lost their husbands and found hope in the series.

"You're never too old for romance," Newkirk said.

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