Brad Parks is the only writer to to have won the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, top honors in American crime fiction. His books have garnered praise from Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, The Washington Post, and Publisher’s Weekly. And he’s written most of those books from one location: a booth at Hardee’s.
The Virginia author spends hours a day at the Hardee’s locations nearest to his two residences, The Virginia Pilot reports in a story titled Who’s the deranged man in the parking lot? Parks told the paper the free refills on Coke Zero help fuel his writing, which includes multiple well-received crime novels such as the recent thriller Closer Than You Know.
Despite all his accolades, one bit of recognition eluded Parks: Hardee’s had yet to take notice. That all changed this week, when Hardee’s launched a full-scale campaign to get Parks’ new novel to the bestseller list: #BestsellerBrad. Hardee’s bought a full-page ad in a local paper, tweeted a photo of a Lifetime Achievement plaque dedicated to Parks, and even convinced rival fast-food restaurant Sonic to join in.
It’s adorable to watch the love-fest going on between the fast-food chain and the author, especially at a time when the fast-food social media sphere can be so cutthroat. Hardee’s—with 67,600 Twitter followers—is admirably putting its influence to good use (unlike, you know, these guys). They’re not just spotlighting a true fan, they’re encouraging all of us to put down our onion rings for one damn second and pick up a book. We’re on board with this entirely. Go #BestsellerBrad!