Stella Tarakson

Like many Greek Australians, I grew up on a steady diet of Greek mythology. Herakles and Theseus were as familiar to me as Cinderella and Snow White. That’s why I’m so excited to add my voice to the stories that have been told and retold over the millennia. Of course, I had to give them my own little twist … well, rather a big twist …

I’m keen on history and have always been fascinated by the idea of time travel. I’m also a lifelong fan of quirky kids’ books like Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland. Why not mash it all together?

First I had to find the right main character. I didn’t want some cool, tough little dude hurtling around in time and space. I wanted an ordinary boy, down on his luck. Someone who never once expected that he carried the seeds of greatness within himself. Enter Tim Baker.

So how could he meet a Greek hero? I decided to borrow from the Arabian Nights – well, they borrowed baklava from us – and use the idea of the genie in a bottle. Except it wouldn’t be a genie, but the hero Hercules. And it wouldn’t be a bottle, but a Greek amphora (which in later books gives Tim the ability to travel to Ancient Greece).

In this first book, Hercules tries to help Tim with his problems – but although he’s super-strong, he’s not exactly super smart. His attempts to recreate some of his twelve labours in the modern world lead to comic chaos. How do you convince a hero you don’t need his help?

Sweet Cherry Publishing has done a great job and I’m delighted they took the series on. I’m also thrilled with the illustrations by Nick Roberts. I went into a lather of excitement when I saw him depict Hercules the way he’s shown on Greek pottery, complete with heroic poses. Here the hero is wrestling a tiger skin rug … as one does …

I hope kids love reading the book as much as I loved writing it 🙂

Available from Amazon UK, Amazon US, Book Depository, The Nile, Waterstones  and probably some more too!