Ferdia Lennon Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Interview

The author shares the Plutarch passage that inspired Glorious Exploits

What was your writing process like? Did you have a writing routine or any regular rituals?

Ideally, I'm a morning writer and like to start first thing when I get up, before email or really anything else. Often, during the writing Glorious Exploits and my writing life in general, that wasn't always possible, and I would just write whenever I could. Ultimately, it doesn't matter when, as long as you're writing.

How did you first come up with the idea for the book?

The inspiration was from a passage in Plutarch's Lives where we learn that Athenian prisoners of war, who had tried and failed to conquer the Sicilian city of Syracuse, survived because their captors would give food and wine in exchange for quotes from Euripides' plays. My novel uses this as its starting point and follows two unemployed, theatre-obsessed Syracusan potters who decide to put on Medea with an all-star cast of Athenian prisoners.

If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be and why?

Maybe Wilkins Micawber from David Copperfield. I'm guessing I would have to pick up the bill, but it would be a very entertaining meal.

If you were a character in a novel, what would be your signature quirk or catchphrase?

I think, 'Buy my book.' has a nice ring ...