草榴社区

 

 

 

On Tuesday 29th April, a group of Year 9 students at 草榴社区 had the incredible opportunity to take part in a live virtual author event with none other than Lauren Roberts – the internationally bestselling author of the Powerless romantasy series. The special schools-only event was hosted by Waterstones to celebrate the eagerly awaited release of Fearless, the final book in the Powerless trilogy.

 

Broadcast live via Zoom, the 45-minute webinar gave students the chance to hear directly from Lauren about her writing journey, the development of her characters, and the immersive magical world she has created. From her inspiration behind Paedyn Gray – an ordinary mortal forced to blend in among dangerous Elites – to her process for writing high-stakes fantasy romance, Lauren offered fascinating insight into the world of publishing and creative writing.

 

The Powerless series has taken the YA fantasy world by storm since the release of the first book in 2023. The trilogy follows Paedyn as she hides her lack of powers in a kingdom where the powerless are hunted, all while navigating complex relationships, deadly politics, and her own growing strength. With the release of Powerful, a novella, and Reckless, the action-packed second instalment, fans have been eagerly awaiting the concluding chapter, Fearless, which sees Paedyn and love interest Kai face their final – and most dangerous – adventure yet.

 

Lauren, speaking from her home in Michigan, spoke openly about her love of fantasy worlds and the joy she finds in storytelling. She also shared how her writing has evolved over time, her experience of publishing her debut novel, and the surreal journey of seeing her work rise to international success. The event was fully interactive, giving students a chance to ask questions live – an opportunity many of our pupils made the most of!

 

Our students were full of praise following the session:

“Lauren was so lovely, she was so good at explaining her books and answering questions. The talk was amazing.”

“It was a great experience, hearing Lauren Roberts talk about the Powerless Trilogy.”

“The video call was fun and inspiring, hearing Lauren talk about the methods and how she wrote the books and created the characters.”

“I loved the video call with Lauren Roberts. It was so fun. I love the Powerless series of books. It was so surreal having a video call with her and to hear about how the characters were created.”

 

Staff members were equally impressed by the level of engagement and enthusiasm shown by the Year 9 attendees. Events like this are a powerful way to bring literature to life, helping young people connect with the stories they love and find inspiration for their own creative writing. It was especially exciting to see how motivated the students were to pick up the books after the event – many even spoke about rereading the series now that they had heard the author’s insights into its development.

 

Waterstones has also offered participating schools a generous discount on books in the series, to help encourage further reading and support students’ literary development.

 

We’re extremely grateful to Waterstones and Miss Clemson for organising such an inspiring and accessible event, and to Lauren Roberts for being so generous with her time and insight. It was a fantastic experience for our students, and one that will no doubt have a lasting impact on their enthusiasm for reading and storytelling.