Stone Maidens
 | |
| Author | Lloyd Devereux Richards |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Thomas & Mercer |
Publication date | November 6, 2012 |
Stone Maidens is a 2013 thriller novel by Lloyd Devereux Richards. In February 2023, it reached #1 on the Amazon best seller list 10 years after its release - after Richards' daughter made a viral TikTok video promoting the book.[1][2][3][4][5]
The novel features a forensic anthropologist at the FBI trying to solve the murders of several women in southern Indiana and discover the suspected serial killer behind their deaths.[1]
Development
[edit]Richards began writing the novel in 1998.[1] He was inspired by unsolved crimes he had heard about while attending law school at Indiana University.[1] The final draft of the book was finished in 2009, but Richards was turned down by 80 literary agents before he was published by Thomas & Mercer in 2012.[1][4]
Viral video
[edit]Richards' daughter, Marguerite, posted a TikTok promoting the book in early February 2023. The video gained 700,000 views overnight and had 42 million views a week later.[3][4] By February 14 the novel had risen to the #1 spot on the Amazon best seller list.[4]
Adaptations
[edit]In February 2023 Richards shared that he had been working on a sequel to Stone Maidens for four and a half years, and hoped to publish it at some point.[1]
That same month, USA Today reported that his agent was in negotiations for a potential film adaptation.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Melnick, Kyle (February 15, 2023). "10 years after he finished a book, his daughter's TikTok made it a bestseller". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ a b Myers, Amanda Lee (February 19, 2023). "Unlikely book hits No. 1 on Amazon after daughter's TikTok showed dad's toil, low sales". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ a b "Daughter's 17-second TikTok attracts millions to her dad's mystery 'Stone Maidens'". NPR. February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Michallon, Clémence (February 14, 2023). "Novel becomes top-selling book on Amazon after viral TikTok by author's daughter". The Independent. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ Silverman, Sam (February 14, 2023). "'Stone Maidens' Sales Reach Best Seller List, Thanks to TikTok". Entrepreneur. Retrieved March 13, 2023.