The soon-to-be-released futuristic dystopian young adult novel Daughter 4254 started out as an ebook on Wattpad that received over ******1 million****** views. Impressed by the attention it had received, the publishers at Owl Hollow Press invited Leigh Statham to publish Daughter 4254 as a series of novels. The original story has been revised and enhanced, and the first novel in the trilogy releases on November 7th!
Goodreads | Amazon | Kindle | iBooks Coming soon to Barnes and Noble and Indiebound!
Daughter4254 used to think life in a community where art, music, and names are outlawed would suffocate her creative spirit—until she is left to rot in prison and realizes there is far worse.
When she meets Thomas, a fellow inmate, who tells stories of the mythical mountain colonies where people have names and the arts thrive, she finds a shred of hope. Together they plot an escape, knowing they’ll die if they fail. Or worse, their consciousness will be taken by the MindWipe, leaving their bodies free for government use.
When nothing goes as planned, Daughter4254 must choose between using her mother’s secrets of the rebellion to better the world she hates and following her heart to the quiet life of freedom she has always craved.
We are thrilled to talk with young adult author Leigh Statham about Daughter4254 and her Wattpad success.
Hi Leigh! Welcome to The Winged Pen! Tell us about the inspiration for Daughter4254.
Leigh: My inspiration came from a lot of different sources. I’m a big fan of classic dystopian literature, especially Fahrenheit 451, and Chinese history. The Chinese Cultural Revolution was a period when the government, or more specifically Mao Zedong, decided that all art should “serve the people” which quickly translated into “serve the state.” Many great artists were ridiculed and great works of art and literature were gathered and destroyed. It’s a crushing story and one that China openly regrets now.
As a creative person, I’ve often wondered what it would be like to have your life’s work be illegal. Fast forward to American culture today, with the educational budget cuts that force public schools in the poorest areas to cut funding for the arts at all levels of childhood development, and we’ve got a quieter yet equally nefarious situation on our hands. I think it’s important to express how important the arts are not only to our children but to humans in general. Daughter 4254 takes place in a futurist society where artistic expression is illegal.
What the plans are for the series?
I never planned on writing a series. I love how Lowry ends The Giver, and I know she didn’t plan on writing more books after that one, but I had so many amazing kids asking for more when I posted the book on Wattpad. I decided to go ahead and see where Daughter 4254 might take me. Writing the second book was a really fun process. I got a lot of input from readers and wrote and published it serially on Wattpad. You just don’t find that kind of interaction anywhere else as a writer. Yes, the results are pretty rough around the edges, no final edits, just writing, quick edits, then posts with comments from readers. The good news is that the series is now in the capable hands of the editing team at Owl Hollow Press, so the final product will be a shining star.
So let’s talk about Wattpad a bit. First off, why did you choose to first post this novel there?
When I first finished the novel, I was querying on the heels of The Hunger Games and Divergent mania. The market was overloaded with dystopian books. A friend told me about this “cool new” website I should try out. I’m a pretty big risk taker, so I threw it up there to see what would happen and worked on another book.
Over 1 million views! That blows my mind. Why you think it was so popular?
I got a lot of views because I participated in the community. I would read for people who asked me to. I would leave comments and return compliments. I answered every email I got for several years. Finally, someone nominated my book to be “featured.” This means Wattpad puts it on the front page and anyone bored and surfing for something new to read will see it and hopefully get sucked in. A year or so later, it was nominated for the Wattpad top ten dystopian novels in conjunction with the release of the Insurgent movie and then it made the Wattpad top ten list when The Fifth Wave movie came out. Wattpad is big on book/movie crossovers and even has its own studios now. They surf the books there, looking for screenplay potential. Anyway, the rest is history. My reads, votes, and followers skyrocketed. I’m having a hard time keeping up with requests and replies, but I’m still working on it. Wattpad readers, please don’t give up on me!
Any words of wisdom for authors who might want to try using Wattpad?
Jump in with both feet! It’s mostly an adult and YA audience. Romance does great there. Most of all, be a part of the community. That’s what it’s all about. Some people think you post a book there and if it’s good enough it will get noticed. Not so. You have to participate. Go make friends. Get out of your writerly cave and interact. Scary, I know, but you can do it!
Very interesting, Leigh! Buckle up for the lightning round! *Hands Leigh a piece of cheesecake, made by her lovely 11-year-old baking-master daughter.
If you had a superpower, what would it be? I would love to be able to talk to animals, or maybe be invisible, but I’d have to be able to take my clothes with me. None of this running around naked nonsense!
Wooden pencil or mechanical? Wood
Coffee or tea? Herbal tea
Sweet or salty? Both!
Dog, cat, or other? All the above, plus chickens
Plotter or pantser? Pantser, although I’m getting to be more of a plotter every day.
Any advice for all those aspiring authors out there? Read everything. Write often. Be kind. Go out and support a creative person today! Even if that creative person is just yourself— it’s important to nurture and grow our talents. Our future is in our hands.
Thank you so much, Leigh, for taking the time to talk to us. And best wishes for Daughter 4254 and the next books in the series!
This was fantastic! Thank you, Michelle!!
Leigh Statham was raised in the wilds of rural Idaho, but found her heart in New York City. She worked at many interesting jobs before settling in as a mother and writer.
She now resides in North Carolina with her husband, four children, five chickens, and two suspected serial killer cats.
Leigh is currently working on an MFA, has written countless short stories, and is the author of two published novels: The Perilous Journey of the Not-So-Innocuous Girl and The Perilous Journey of the Much-Too-Spontaneous Girl. She is also the winner of the 2016 Southeast Review Nonfiction Prize for her short story “The Ditch Bank and the Fenceline.”
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MICHELLE LEONARD is a math and science nerd, an Indie children/teens bookseller, and a SCBWI member who writes middle-grade and young adult fiction. Her young adult sci-fi short story IN A WHOLE NEW LIGHT , about a teen girl who uses technology to fight racism, is in the BRAVE NEW GIRLS ANTHOLOGY: STORIES OF GIRLS WHO SCIENCE AND SCHEME. Proceeds from the anthology go towards scholarships for the Society of Women Engineers! Connect with Michelle on Twitter.
