Hello, everyone! I am very excited to be here today as part of the launch tour for Hannah E. Griggs’ soon-releasing novel, Remember My Royalty! Today I will be sharing a book spotlight and author interview with Hannah.

About Remember My Royalty

Their race is royal. But will they remember?

     When Hamish McGregor and his sisters are forced to leave their home in the highlands of Scotland, they prepare to join their uncle in faraway Texas. Before leaving, they make an agreement to always remember that ‘s rioghal mo dhream, my race is royal.

    However, they soon discover that remembering is not easy. For Hamish, forgetting his heritage lands him in the middle of a desperate revolution as the Texians fight for independence.

     Catriona, proud and responsible, has no patience for her brother’s shortcomings until she too needs grace. And Ealasaid, an invalid facing the hardships of frontier life, struggles to live up to a still more important title: daughter of the King of kings.

     As fighting surrounds and comes between them, will the McGregors fall or will they turn to the King for victory? Will they remember their royalty as well as the sacrifice of the brave men at the Alamo?

Remember My Royalty, a middle grade Christian historical fiction novel, contains no romance, no language, and minimal violence. It officially releases on March 6th!

About the Author

Hannah E. Griggs is a homeschool grad, teacher, and author, primarily of middle-grade Christian fiction, from Texas. She loves music and history. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her building her education business, reading classics, Christian fiction, and biographies, or improving her guitar skills. You can connect with her at hannahegriggs.com.

Where to Purchase

• Paperback: https://shop.hannahegriggs.com/product/remember-my-royalty-paperback/ 
• Hardback: https://shop.hannahegriggs.com/product/remember-my-royalty-hardcover/ 
• E-book: https://books2read.com/u/bWDKLY

If you pre-order the book (print or e-book) before the March 6th release date, you will get some special pre-order goodies!

You can also add Remember My Royalty on Goodreads!

Author Interview!

I had the privilege to interview Hannah about her upcoming release. Here are my questions and her answers!

1. What did your writing process look like for Remember My Royalty?

The writing process was different for this book than for any other I have written so far. Before beginning to write, I researched at some of the various sites included in the story. Then, as I wrote the first draft, I primarily wrote the historical aspects of the story, the battles, the marches, the waiting periods, etc. I wanted to be sure I had these nailed into place so that I did not have a lot of rewriting later on if the timeline of the history and the timeline of the story did not match up.

During this phase, I also spent many, many hours researching, learning as much as I could about the events I was writing about. I read biographical accounts of various people involved in the revolution, studied maps, read military dispatches, and even created an account on Ancestry so I could better research some of the people used in my story.

While I did write some fictitious parts during the first draft, I primarily wrote those scenes during the second draft. I now knew exactly where everyone needed to be at any point throughout the story, so I could work out all the plot details that had been set aside.

After the two drafts came beta readers, developmental edits, and then round after round of edits trying to fine-tune every little detail and catch any historical discrepancies. It’s been a big job with many long days of work!

2. Which character do you relate to most, and why?

Hmm, this is a hard one. I relate quite a bit to both Catriona and Ealasaid. I have some of Catriona’s spunky side, though hopefully I’m not as stubborn as she is. And I relate to Ealasaid in the areas of struggling to share my deepest thoughts as well as having several chronic illnesses.

3. What was your favorite scene to write?

Well, it’s not just one scene, but I absolutely loved writing the siege of the Alamo. I loved pouring my heart into writing the highs and lows during the siege. I put myself into the men’s shoes, immersing myself in the feelings they must have felt as they watched the powerful Mexican army move in closer and closer, preparing for the inevitable attack, or watching the various couriers leaving for help, wondering if this time they would receive reinforcements.

It was not always easy to write, and it was tricky to research since there were so few survivors. I came close to crying, if not actually cried, over parts of it. But it was such a meaningful part of the book to write. As a Texan, I’ve always greatly appreciated the sacrifice of the men of the Alamo. But I saw it in a new way while writing. Learning about the men, I saw them as individuals, as fathers, husbands, sons, and friends. I realized what a tremendous impact their deaths had on so many. And now, those lists of names of the men who died at the Alamo mean so much more to me than they did before. For now, I know who these men were.

4. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what were your favorite songs to listen to while writing Remember My Royalty?

Yes, I often listen to music while writing, primarily music that doesn’t have words or that I don’t know the words to, since otherwise the lyrics will distract me even if the track is instrumental. I also enjoy listening to film scores of movies that I haven’t seen.

The main music that I listened to while writing Remember My Royalty was the soundtrack for Braveheart. The Celtic style and the mixture of emotional parts and rousing battle music made it perfect for immersing myself in the world of my story.

5. What is an interesting fact you learned while researching for Remember My Royalty?

One of the many that I learned was about a young man who went to the war in pink stockings. His step-mother told him he couldn’t go fight unless he got some shoes and stockings. So he made himself a pair of moccasins, and a neighbor girl loaned him her new pink stockings. This young man is one of the more prominent of the historical characters in Remember My Royalty.

6. What is a piece of advice you would give to aspiring authors?

Consistency is key. When I started really growing as a writer was when I made it a habit to write for about thirty minutes before bed every night. That was when I finished my first book. If you want to excel as an author, you need to prioritize writing. Make writing happen. No, that doesn’t mean you have to write all day every day, but you should have a writing schedule and stick with it. Even if it’s only fifteen minutes twice a week, if you stick to it, the writing progress will add up quickly.

Thank you for the interview, Hannah! I enjoyed learning more about Remember My Royalty and your writing process!

I hope you all enjoyed reading about Remember My Royalty! Be sure to go check it out, and visit Hannah’s blog at hannahegriggs.com to learn more about the launch tour and Remember My Royalty!

I will be back again on Saturday with a recap of my February!