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Viral author who sold two books becomes bestseller

George King/BBC A woman with shoulder-length hair sitting on a brown sofa while holding two copies of her book Powerless. She is looking into the cameraGeorge King/BBC
Vicky Ball's novel Powerless became a bestseller on Amazon after her social media post went viral

An aspiring author said seeing her novel become a bestseller after she went viral on social media was "a bit overwhelming" but "very exciting".

Vicky Ball, a former Suffolk school teacher who lives in Colchester, Essex, proudly posted on X after selling two of her books at an event in Chelmsford.

Since then the post has garnered more than 24 million views, been shared 31,000 times and received over 740,000 likes from people across the globe.

As a result of the extra attention, one of the 48-year-old's books, Powerless, shot up Amazon's teen and young adult fiction chart – much to her surprise.

George King/BBC Two copies of an author's books laid on top of each other on a brown sofa George King/BBC
Mrs Ball published Powerless before writing and releasing follow-up Abandoned

Mrs Ball, who works at the University of Essex, said: "I sold two books, which I was really happy about, because sometimes I've had book events where I don't sell any.

"So, I just posted it on X and thought nothing of it and left it. But then a few days later I woke up and checked my phone and it was going a bit crazy.

"I was completely surprised really and it was all a bit overwhelming - I was just amazed and couldn't believe it."

Mrs Ball, who has always enjoyed writing and "loves creating new stories", finished her first novel during lockdown before landing a small publishing deal.

Powerless is a thriller filled with "lots of twists" about a missing girl who returns home, while her second book Abandoned centres on an alcoholic mum with a dark secret.

George King/BBC An open book being held in the hands of a woman who is out of shotGeorge King/BBC
Powerless features "lots of twists" and follows the story of a missing girl who returns home after seven years

Since becoming a viral sensation, copies of her debut offering have been purchased by book-lovers from all over the world, including America, Belgium and Columbia.

"It's been so lovely reading all the messages of support and it's been generally very positive, the majority of the people have been really happy for me," she added.

"Social media can be a really positive place, especially on X because there's a big writing community and we are very supportive of each other.

"I am quite happy at the moment doing a master's in creative writing and working at the university, but I have some ideas for some other books in the pipeline."

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