It’s often said that a tiny spark can start a large fire. In the case of Arlington author Shawn Warner, this proverbial spark was a TikTok video taken by a stranger that went viral.
Jerrad Swearenjin and a friend spotted Warner at a Kroger in Fort Worth. Warner was seated at a table looking “super defeated,” as Swearenjin later described in a post, behind the stacks of his debut young adult novel.
The encounter between the three men was filmed and posted on TikTok on July 3. It ended up getting millions of views in a matter of days.
@internetfamouslol I was just shopping when i noticed this man trying to promote his new book. I honestly dont even read books nowadays. But something just told me to get a couple. #booksoftiktok #booktok #newauthor #showlovenothate #fyp #newbook #murdermystery #murdermysterybook #bookgiveaway
Upon being asked about the book, Warner explained in the video that Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor is a murder mystery in which a teenage girl teams up with a ghost who has multiple personalities to find her parents’ murderer.
Swearenjin later buys two copies, one that he told Warner he would gift on TikTok to help promote his work as an act of kindness for a local author.
The public response to the video was massive. Warner’s book shot up Amazon’s best seller list, where it remained at No.1 as of July 10.
“[The response to the book] hasn’t stopped!” Swearenjin told ABC 8 WFAA. “I can barely open the app without it freezing and crashing because it’s getting so much love.”
Warner posted two videos on his own TikTok account reacting to his sudden fame, demonstrating a mixture of gratitude and disbelief.
@shawnwwrites #stitch with @Red I set out to write books that are fun to read. What’s happened has been beyond my imagination. I’m so grateful. #booktok #booksoftiktok #viral #grateful
@shawnwwrites I have no words aside from Thank You supporting Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor! @internetfamouslol, @giwarnertamuedu. #booktok #booksoftiktok #newauthor #newtotok #yabooks
“Just to be nice to some guy sitting alone selling books … the generosity that poured out of that was just amazing, I get choked up,” Warner told WFAA. “They gave me a chance. And that’s just beautiful.”
Warner, an Army veteran, lost his job years ago due to corporate downsizing but refused to surrender.
“That whole demeanor it’s so admirable of someone who just stays on that path and keeps believing,” Warner’s wife Lizette told WFAA.
This tale of a small kindness from one stranger to another catapulting a struggling author to stardom has tugged at the public’s heartstrings.
“I cannot stop crying every time i see an update,” commented one TikTok user on Warner’s video.
“My book arrived here in the U.K. today! Can’t wait to get stuck in,” wrote another user.
A similar episode in which the public stepped up for a stranger happened last month. Responding to a Facebook post, people around North America sent World War II vet Carl Reid of Big Spring, Texas, 4,500 birthday cards in honor of his 100th birthday, as The Dallas Express reported.
Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor currently has five stars and has received approximately 1,400 reviews on Amazon.
Warner is currently trying to organize his next book signing event in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and will announce it on TikTok.