Interview with Lauren Lee Merewether, Author of Warrior King

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Warrior King (Egypt’s Golden Age Chronicles, Book I)?

I love Ancient Egyptian history. I had already written a saga surrounding the lost pharaohs of the Amarna period and so I decided to go back to the start of the 18th Dynasty to see how Egypt rose to such a dominating world power after being ruled by foreign kings. I knew of King Ahmose, the king who expelled the Hekka Khasut, as they were called, but I didn’t realize how much of a role his mother, wife, and grandmother played in that expulsion.

I was inspired when I came across a National Geographic premium article about the rebel queens of Egypt and read about these three amazing women. I crafted their own tales from many sources and the struggles I thought they might have endured and overcome as they had to step in when Ahmose was a boy king in the middle of war. Though the book is titled, “Warrior King,” it is truly an ode to the three women, especially to Ahhotep, Ahmose’s mother, who raised him to become one of the well-known pharaohs and bringer of one of Egypt’s golden ages.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Warrior King (Egypt’s Golden Age Chronicles, Book I), what would they be?

This is a fun question. I have four main characters in this book—it’s a family saga, so it follows three generations. Ahhotep – “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” by Whitney Houston; Ahmose-Nefertari – “Never Give Up” by Sia; Ahmose – “Win” by Brian McKnight; Tetisheri (she is a main character but does not have any chapters in her POV) – “Unstoppable” by Sia.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I read everything short of erotic fiction and straight up horror. Sorry Stephen King.

I write historical dramas that combine a multitude of genres because that’s what I love and honestly, I think it represents life better. I write real and raw emotion, questions and answers that I may ask one day or have already been asked. I want stories that remind us of our humanity; so that’s what I write all wrapped up in neat little historical dramas.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

What’s not in my TBR pile? I think I have 200 TBR books on Goodreads. You are welcome to follow me and find out.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

I always love writing the first scene and the last scene. I’m a circular storyline author, so I always try to make my first scene and last scene relate to each other and show the growth or the change from the journey.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I write with Brain.fm Cinematic Music Focus blaring in my SkullCrushers and keep a cup of tea or coffee in one of my “author mugs” nearby. My mom and husband say I need to quit collecting them, but I hate to tell them, that’s probably not going to happen.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

I do. It’s “Be the Example.” What I mean by that is if I want people to be kind, then I need to be kind. If I want my kids to grow up a certain way, then I need to be a certain way, etc. I need to be accountable for my goals, my setbacks, my actions, and my life. Because at the end of the day, at the end of my life, I will be the only person responsible for what I did and did not do and how it impacted those around me. Be the example.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

I wrote the book with this theme in mind: Be strong. Be brave. Don’t forget to be human.

Lauren Lee Merewether is the author of the new book Warrior King (Egypt’s Golden Age Chronicles, Book I)

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