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Stone Maidens, a novel by Lloyd Devereux Richards, became a bestseller after his daughter shared a TikTok video on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, that went viral.
Richards, a lawyer by profession, took up writing his 343-page novel while juggling his job and raising three children. The book was released in 2012, but its sales over the past decade were modest at best.
According to the TikTok video posted by his daughter, Marguerite, it took him around fourteen years to complete the book. The clip showed him engrossed in paperwork, stating:
" He’s so happy even though sales aren’t great. I’d love for him to get some sales."
The whodunit thriller follows FBI chief forensic anthropologist Christine Prusik, who investigates a series of murders involving strangled bodies left with eerie-looking stone figures resembling spirit stones native to tribes in Papua New Guinea.
Stone Maidens makes it to Amazon's bestseller list
Marguerite created a separate account for Richards under his name, Lloyd, with the user name, @stonemaidens.
Just a week after posting the clip about the novel, it was viewed over 43.3 million times, with over 9.5 million likes and 39k comments. Additionally, within the first 24 hours, the book was sold out. It currently sits at the number four spot on Amazon.
The Amazon profile for Lloyd Devereux Richards states that he is working on a sequel for Stone Maidens. It mentions that the writer has traveled across Europe, Africa, and Central America while bird-watching and journalling his adventures. He also enjoys hiking, sketching, and writing poetry.
It also describes the process behind Stone Maidens. While working as a Senior Law Clerk with an Indiana judge, he:
"research(ed) and wrote drafts for dozens of published opinions, including the appeal of a serial killer sentenced to death and subsequently electrocuted."
Marguerite shared an update on February 9, a day after posting the original video which featured her father getting emotional after seeing the lovely and kind comments on TikTok supporting him and Stone Maidens. In another video, he stated that he "felt blessed."
Internet users react to Stone Maidens
As the video promoting the novel went viral, netizens responded to it, with many commenting that they purchased the book and loved it. Others commented that their book was sold out already and that they are waiting for it to be restocked so they can order it:
TikTok has become instrumental in promoting books. The hashtag #booktok has helped several bestselling authors, including A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.
