We chat with debut author Phoenicia Rogerson about Herc, which is a queer revisionist retelling of the story of Hercules, for fans of The Song of Achilles, A Thousand Ships and Ariadne.
Hi, Phoenicia! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello readers! I’m a lifelong bookworm and mythology nerd, so it should come as a surprise to no-one that I grew up to write a book about Hercules. When I’m not reading and writing, I can normally be found knitting, jumping into cold water, or playing RPGs (though I haven’t yet managed to do all three at once!). I live in London, I’ve never met a pun I didn’t like, and if I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, it would be potatoes.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
My childhood best friend and I used to play a game that was, in retrospect, just acting out Jumanji fanfiction (which made it very weird when I first saw Jumanji as an adult). That’s the first time I can remember telling stories – putting them on paper took a few more years!
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
The first book I remember reading: the actual first book I remember described Italy as being boot-shaped, and that’s all that really stuck with me. The first one I remember in any detail was called Vernon Bright and the Magnetic Banana. It involved a boy magnetising a banana, then accidentally magnetising himself.
The book that made me want to become an author: My Family and Other Animals. It made me realise real people write books, and there’s no secret special selection committee like there is for spies and astronauts. I’ve wanted to write my own since I worked that out.
The book I can’t stop thinking about: A Monster Calls. Reading it is like having your heart gouged out with a spoon, so I recommend it to anyone who asks.
Your debut novel, Herc, is out September 3rd! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Many adventures. No impulse control.
What can readers expect?
Lots of characters explaining their experiences with Herc in almost an interview style, which means seeing all sides of the man himself, without ever hearing from him directly. Some of them are funny, some of them are tragic, and all of them are insistent they get to tell their story this time.
Where did the inspiration for Herc come from?
I’ve been wanting to read a book with all of Herc’s stories in one place for a really, really long time. I started writing it because I was sick of listening to myself complain!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I had so much fun writing the letters between Eurystheus and Augeas. If I could justify writing a whole book from their points of view, I absolutely would. Otherwise, I always enjoyed writing an Iolaus chapter. He doesn’t really think before he speaks, which makes for a fun ride. It’s not quite right to say I enjoyed writing Megara’s chapter, but I found her point of view both eye-opening and really important. It’s one of my favourite parts of the book.
This is your debut novel! Can you tell us a bit about what the road to becoming a published author was like for you?
Yes! I’m so excited! I’ve taken a pretty traditional path here in terms of getting an agent first and then my agent sending the manuscript out to publishers, though Herc is far from the first manuscript I’ve written. My most interesting detour was definitely having an RPG published!
Are you working on anything else at the moment?
Yes, but the details are still a secret…
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
About a million of them, but I will attempt to restrain myself:
- A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
- The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
- All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
- Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
- A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
- Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li
