Sixteen-year-old Lauren Hudson has published her first book of fiction — and I say first because more are sure to come.
As a junior in high school, she has written “The Ascension,” a story about three siblings — triplets — with magical powers.
It’s not just doing well. It is doing very well.
Sales in the first few weeks of release were sufficient enough to launch her into several top 10 categories on Amazon, and the book placed Runner Up in its first festival, the Northern California Book Festival.
Her appearances at Joseph Beth gave her perhaps the most successful first time local author signing in Joseph Beth history.
She’s been highlighted in multiple news articles, including a feature at the NKyTribune, and she’s been interviewed on television a number of times. She now regularly attends book signings.
One crazy part of this story is that this isn’t Lauren’s first book. It’s her second. At age 13, as an eighth grader, she co-authored a book (nonfiction), “Our Best Tomorrow: Students Teaching Capitalism to America,” with her dad.
Lauren is the daughter of Rob Hudson, local attorney at Frost Brown Todd and former board chair of the NKY Chamber and the Covington Business Council.
Our Best Tomorrow received national attention, including several interviews on Fox News.
But perhaps the most amazing part of the story is the way the community has supported her efforts.
According to her father, Rob Hudson, “The Northern Kentucky community got behind her completely. Joseph Beth placed a sizeable order of books, sold them all, and had to re-order because the NKY Chamber (on social media), her church group, and her school backed her.”
But that wasn’t all.
The Kenton County Library invited her to appear with a New York Times Bestselling Author at the NK-YA Fest. Three Cincinnati television stations invited her on air.
As part of her Crackin’ the Cover initiative, the book is now in all high school libraries in Northern Kentucky. She’s been invited into a Northern Kentucky high school and a middle school to guest lecture to creative writing/English students.
She’s signing soon at the Covington Business Council, the Carnegie, Behringer-Crawford, and at the Chamber for Regional Youth Leadership. The Villa Hills Civic Club even extended a standing invitation to her to sign books at the club whenever she has free time.
Hudson told me about his daughter’s success, “As you know, we don’t succeed alone, and when we try to succeed, people do help. It’s part of our community’s spirit. We get behind anyone who tries.”
For me, that’s what makes this story so special. So many in our community have helped this 16 year old first time novelist get her start.
It shouldn’t be a surprise. That’s what we do in Northern Kentucky, right?
Well, Lauren is giving right back.
Her Father told me she has decided to donate profits from her book signings at charitable events to charities.
So spread the word. This young author of “The Ascension” is on the rise.
Brent Cooper is president of C-Forward.
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You may be interest in the NKyTribune’s story about Lauren Hudson’s Ascension here.