Tim Grove's Blog

I'm excited to announce here for the first time that my next book is coming in Spring 2026 - It doesn't have a title yet, but it's about George Washington and officially sanctioned by George Washington's Mount Vernon. If you think everything possible has been written about George, you will be pleasantly surprised. In the coming year I will be telling more about what topics it covers, but I'll just say it will introduce many of the different people who George interacted with during his life, who influenced his thinking, and made him the person he was. It will be the perfect read for America's 250th birthday year. Target audience is middle grade, 10-14, but as with all of my books, adults will enjoy it, too.

240 years ago today the world turned upside down. Exaggeration? The British forces at Yorktown, Virginia, surrendered to the American and French armies. No doubt this helped to end the American Revolution. You can soon read all about this fascinating turn of events in my new book The World Turned Upside Down: The Yorktown Victory that Won America's Independence. Publication date is April 12. The books begins with the teenager Marquis de Lafayette leaving his circle of French nobility and defying his king's orders by coming to America. He has developed a burning passion for the cause of liberty. Congress gives him the rank of Major General, though he has no battle experience. While most think it's honorary, he eventually proves himself and becomes one of America's beloved war heroes. Along the way he recruits an enslaved man, James, to serve as one of his spies and he helps to save Virginia. The book also includes French and British perspectives of this important event in US history. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it.

I've been working on my next book for several years now. A small group of people help out, my editor, his assistant, my alpha readers, and more recently, the designer. I'm never told when the book will appear on goodreads and Amazon and other sites. It just suddenly appears. Yesterday I was checking if there were any new reviews of my books on goodreads, and there it was. The World Turned Upside Down. It feels official when this happens. It's like a public debut. While the pub date is not until April 12, 2022, the end is in sight. I may be in the third round of design review, and still securing the final high-res images, and reviewing flap copy for the ARC (advanced review copies), but it's happening.

What's World about? It's targeted to ages 10-14 like 3 of my previous books. It is an account of the siege of Yorktown, the final major conflict that brought the end of the American Revolution. It includes multiple perspectives and interesting characters. How is my story different from other books? I am excited to tell the story of an enslaved man named James (he later took the surname Lafayette) who served as a spy for Major General Lafayette around the time of Yorktown. His is a fascinating story, at least what we know of it. Enslaved people and spies did not usually leave much evidence behind. Yet, his story adds so much depth to the broader narrative about the siege. I think my readers are really going to enjoy meeting James!

Less than one month to go ... Star-Spangled: The Story of a Flag, a Battle, and the American Anthem is finally out on May 26. I'm so excited to share this story with readers. It is a different take on the "typical" story, with new characters and perspectives. Who has heard of Thomas Kemp? Anyone? Mary Pickersgill? I learned much in the process, as I always do. The book emphasizes that history is complicated, but always fascinating, and relevant. I was happy that, due to its patriotic theme, the book was going to be published during baseball season, in an Olympics year, and an election year. And now the world looks different. Despite our new world, my hope is that this story will resonate with readers. I can pretty much guarantee that if you read this book, you will gain a whole new appreciation for the story behind our anthem.

I'm happy to announce that I'm at work on my 6th book (my 4th for young readers ages 10-14) -- "World Turned Upside Down: The Story of Yorktown." America's destiny was very uncertain in the beginning of 1781 and no one could have anticipated the stunning event at Yorktown in October which changed the course of world history forever, and truly turned the world upside down. This book will follow 5 characters (2 Americans, 2 French, and 1 British) as they pursue freedom during the American Revolution. One of the Americans is an enslaved man named James (he takes the surname Lafayette after he gains his freedom). He agrees to serve as a spy for the Marquis de Lafayette. It's a fascinating story that needs to be told. In many ways the American victory at Yorktown came about because of France. Without the French navy and artillery, it would have been a different story. Stay tuned here as I will offer occasional updates on my progress from time to time. I'm excited to tell this amazing story.

Yes, no surprise , the publishing process is glacial. I'm happy to report that my next book has been making a steady march toward publication and now has a publication date of May 2020. And, the ARC is now available from Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Star-Spangled: The Story of a Flag, a Battle, and the American Anthem tells the story of the Battle of Baltimore from multiple perspectives with six main characters (5 American, 2 British). Most readers will never have heard of them, except for Francis Scott Key. I can guarantee that readers will gain a totally new appreciation for the words of the national anthem and an understanding of what it is they're singing about.

The book features more than sixty historical images.

Keep a lookout for much more about the book in the near future. It's getting there. It is really coming.
Tim