Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Griggs.
Hi Hannah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My writing journey has had a lot of twists and turns, and I’ve definitely seen God’s hand at work as He has used other people to have a tremendous impact on me as a writer.
I think I was somewhere between the age of six and eight when I started writing my first story, and ever since then I’ve always had stories that I’m working on.
When I was in my teens, I began dreaming of publication. Of course I knew that would be years and years down the road, since my writing was nowhere near good enough to publish. But I definitely dreamed of the day when I would be a published author.
I read a couple of booklets on creative writing, eagerly implementing what I had learned so my writing would improve. I was also studying English in school, and though I hated it, I’m so glad my mom (I was homeschooled) didn’t listen to me when I said I thought I would never need it. Back then, I just didn’t realize how important having a good grasp of English was for being a good writer.
In college, a lot of things happened that cemented my love for writing and my desire to be published. For the first few years, the main time I wrote (other than on college assignments) was when my brain needed a break from studying…or when I was procrastinating studying.
I had two required English/writing courses, and during those classes, I received a lot of constructive feedback from my professor. She told me that I had potential as a writer and encouraged me to seriously pursue writing.
While publication had long been a dream of mine, I now began viewing it as a serious possibility. My parents encouraged me to go for it, suggesting that I take more writing classes for my electives. I think I ended up taking every English and Creative Writing class that the college offered, and I received a lot of help from my professor.
My senior year, I started a new routine, writing for thirty or so minutes in bed every night, consistently working on the same story. Shortly before graduating, I finished the story I had been writing: a middle-grade story destined to become my first ever published book.
After graduating college, I hoped to publish in the not-too-distant future, but I wasn’t sure how to go about publishing. I had heard a little about self-publishing, but I didn’t know much about it or what it involved.
About a year and a half after finishing college, God brought an online writing community into my life. Here, I became acquainted with published authors as well as aspiring authors. I was introduced to the world of self-publishing, and I was able to get input on my writing from experienced authors.
After getting my book beta-read and editing it according to the feedback I received, I sent it off to an editor. My English professor very kindly agreed to edit it for me, which was special for me since she had been instrumental in my writing journey.
There were around four years from the time when I started writing my first book to when I actually published it. As I dipped my toes into the world of self-publishing, I learned there is much more to publishing a book than I realized. Writing a book is just one small step down the road to publication.
My first book was Tornado Tragedy, a contemporary middle-grade story, and the first book in the H.E.L.P. series. It was a story that God gave to me, and it will always hold a special place in my heart as the first book I ever published.
I’m now a published author three times over, and at the time of writing this, my fourth book will soon be releasing. The title of that one is Remember My Royalty, and it is a novel about the Texas Revolution. It also incorporates some of my own Scottish heritage. It will be releasing on March 6, 2026, the 190th anniversary of the fall of the Alamo.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to becoming an author has not been completely smooth. There have definitely been bumps along the way. At one point, I thought a small publishing house would be publishing my books for me. But then that fell through and I was not sure where to turn. I was also battling severe chronic health conditions, and the thought of self-publishing was daunting with as little energy as I had at the time. But God gave me the strength to navigate the new territory of learning to self-publish.
My various health conditions have also been a struggle on their own. I’ve had to learn, and am still learning, the art of balancing taking care of myself while still staying on track with writing deadlines and publishing books. It has definitely been a learning process.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in writing faith-building stories for readers in the 10-14 age category. When I was that age, I was an avid reader, and it was sometimes challenging finding enough books to satisfy my voracious appetite. So now that I am an author, I write the books that my younger self would have loved and read again and again.
One thing that I feel sets me apart from many other middle-grade authors is that my books are written to appeal to readers of all ages. In fact, some of my biggest fans are adults.
What does success mean to you?
My definition of success is fulfilling God’s will for my life. If I write the books that He wants me to write and follow Him in all areas of my life, then I will be successful, even if I never have a large following of readers or win an award for my books.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hannahegriggs.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/hannahegriggs.author/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094697512917
