At age 19, Michigan writer Lauren Roberts self-published her debut young adult novel Powerless. She wasn't sure how many people would read it. Turns out the answer was: millions.
The book was so popular, it got picked up by Simon and Schuster. Since then, millions of copies have been sold worldwide, and the book has spent nearly 30 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.
The Powerless trilogy's much anticipated final installment — titled Fearless — was released Tuesday. The series features a street kid named Paedyn, a Prince named Kai, and a world torn by social division and class warfare.
Roberts said she is still adjusting to life since the series took off in popularity.
“I’m so excited, a little bit terrified,” Roberts said. “I’m all over the place, doing so much laundry for tour.”
Roberts began writing the series when she was just 18 years old. She shared her story ideas on TikTok, and followers would often weigh in with ideas of their own. At 19 years old, Roberts said, her mother agreed to let her come home for a semester to explore avenues for self-publishing. By January 2023, she successfully self-published Powerless.
“I could not believe how many people wanted to read this book. I was mind blown,” Roberts said. “My mom then was like, ‘Wow, I made a good choice letting you come home from school!’”
The world in which Powerless takes place, while fictional, draws on some particularly timely real-world elements. The main characters are navigating life after a devastating plague and facing oppression from “elites” – plague survivors who have developed superhuman abilities.
“I think on the first draft through, it was kind of just a story to me,” Roberts said. “I hadn't really thought too much about how it might relate to real world, or how it might come off on the page to certain readers. But as I went through and I was working with an editor, it became very clear that these were like, big issues”
Roberts said she’s taken inspiration from some of her favorite books, including The Hunger Games, Peter Pan, and Dance of Thieves, with Kazi, the female protagonist of Dance of Thieves, inspiring Paedyn.
“I really looked up to [Kazi] growing up and I've read the books multiple times,” Roberts said. “I would say she is the first that comes to mind, because I think she relates a lot to Payden as well.”
Starting off from the cliffhanger at the end of Reckless, the second book in the series, Fearless promises a whirlwind adventure full of high stakes and some in-world sightseeing.
“I can promise by the end of the series, the reader will have visited every single landmark on the map,” Roberts said.
As for the intense longing between her characters that she’s maintained for three books and a novela, according to Roberts, it’s what keeps her focused and engaged as an author.
“What makes [sustaining the characters’ longing] easy is that I'm always looking for ways to put it in there so that I can giggle and have a good time because that's the most fun for me is when I write a scene between the two of them that is just like sparks on the page,” Roberts said. “That's my favorite thing.”
Hear the full conversation with Lauren Roberts on the Stateside podcast.
