His 11-year-old mystery novel was a flop, until his daughter turned it into a bestseller

It took Lloyd Devereux Richards 14 years to write his first novel. But it was her daughter’s 12-second TikTok video that ended up being a hit.

Richards, 74, wrote Virgin stone on evenings and weekends, in between working full-time as a corporate attorney for a Vermont insurance company, and taking care of her children. When it was finally published in 2012, only a few dozen copies were sold here.

Now, more than a decade later, the mystery/thriller is No. 1 on Amazon’s best-seller lists in Canada and the US, beating out several powerhouses, including Prince Harry’s memoir, spare.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Richards said As it happens hosted by Nil Köksal. “I’m so excited. It’s just incredible. I owe this all to my daughter.”

He takes care of me and I want to take care of him.– Marguerite Richards

Marguerite Richards, 40, got the idea to promote the book on TikTok a few months ago, after her father finished his second novel.

“I feel very lucky because I have a friend who doesn’t have a father. And I don’t just have a father; I have a supportive, kind, sensitive father who makes me love him,” she told Köksal. “That’s what made me do this. He took care of me and I wanted to take care of him.”

Little memories

Growing up, Marguerite remembers that she and her brother would watch their father at a small desk in the attic, working on his labor. He admired that he never gave up.

The video, he says, is a “micro-memoir”, as it reflects those childhood memories. He filmed his father from a distance as he sat at his desk, typing into a vintage computer with a huge beige monitor. John Lennon Beautiful child playing in the background.

“My father waited 14 years to write a book,” the video caption says. “She works full time and her children come first. However [he] make time for his book. They are very happy even if the sales are not good. I’d love to see them get more sales. They don’t even know what TikTok is.”

As of Thursday afternoon, the post had more than 9.7 million likes.

There’s no formula for a viral video, but Marguerite attributes the post’s success to her father’s natural charm and authenticity.

“Instead of coming out and saying, like, ‘Oh, you should read my dad’s book if you like thrillers,’ and making a video that focuses on the book, I think the human story comes first,” Marguerite said.

“Just by appearance, you can see a good person. So I think that combination…

Lloyd and his daughter said they were not sure of the number of copies Virgin stone has sold since the TikTok video. They hope to get that number from Amazon soon.

Writing in the cold attic

Princess Stone – whodunit in Michael Connolly’s novel oeuvre – follows an FBI agent as he tries to unmask a serial killer in Indiana.

Lloyd began to dabble in 1998, after spending several years investigating crime and the legal system, and learning the craft of writing.

He would work on his passion project if he had free time in an uninsulated attic, where the temperature inside reflected the weather outside.

“I’ll wear a sweater and a hat and fingerless gloves, and I can see my breath as I type,” she said. “In the summer, in the same way, it will be very hot. But I have a fan in me and a fan in the computer, because the old computer, you know, they heat up and can break.”

He completed the first draft in 2009, and – after many, many rejections – found a publisher in 2011 with Thomas & Mercer, a subsidiary of Amazon. When it finally came out in 2012, only a few copies were sold.

“It’s disappointing. But I just felt that I accomplished something by sticking to it and getting an agent and getting the book published,” Lloyd said. “I accept that I can’t sell too many. That’s the way of life, you know?”

But he didn’t let that stop him. He kept writing, and it just wrapped up Virgin stone continue, which is with the current agent.

“You just have to have confidence in yourself,” he said. “I know I’ll make mistakes. I’ve never written a novel, a book, before I had to learn how to do it. I’m still learning.”

‘I like my father’

Until her daughter shared her response to her TikTok video, Lloyd didn’t realize she was doing this outreach for him.

In fact, they don’t even know what TikTok is. During an interview with CBC Radio, he repeatedly referred to it as “Tick Tack” before correcting himself.

But the thousands of supportive comments on the app brought him to tears.

“I was just overwhelmed by how nice and supportive the people were,” he said. “It’s just incredible to me.”

Much of the commentary focused on the apparent relationship between Lloyd and his daughter. Some of them told stories about how they lost their fathers. Others admitted that they did not have a good relationship with their father.

“My favorite comment was … ‘I feel like my dad now’ … and it was like, ‘Thank you for sharing your dad with us,'” Marguerite said.

“Great. I’d love to share my dad with TikTok and anyone.”