Interview - Tom Vaughan, Best-Selling Children's Author
- Imagining History
- Jun 10
- 5 min read
Hercules set the bar for heroes pretty gosh darn high. Completing impossible labours, owning a pair of biceps that would make a pro-wrestler envious, and looking cool in what can best be described as a lion hat; Hercules could do it all. But what if Hercules was a child at school? Could he really complete impossible homework? Could he fend of bullies with regular puny kid strength? Could he make enforced wearing of a school tie look cool? Could anyone?!
It's these questions, and their answers, that make the Hercules books by Tom Vaughn so very awesomely interesting. These series of book plonk Hercules (Braver) into a Secondary school, one in which he has to, "live up to his name, fast. He needs to become strong and tanned and popular, like a Greek hero. Not weak and pale and unpopular, like a Greek yoghurt. But his bid for popularity ends up saddling him with a set of impossible tasks... like cleaning out the monster-riddled school pond, facing up to the school bully and finding the headmaster's missing cat."
What makes the Hercules Braver series so brilliant is, of course, that they are hilariously funny. They also take the Greek Myths, plop them into a fun setting and, in the process, make these ancient stories eminently accessible to middle-grade students and their grown-ups alike.
We were so impressed with Hercules: the Diary of a (Sort of) Hero that we just had to chat with it's author, Tom Vaughan, to find out more about the Greek Gods and how they are like the X-Men, Toxic Zeus, and a mythological dude who managed to eat himself for dinner.
Imagining History - Hi Tom, thanks for taking the time to answer our questions! Before we dive in, could you tell our readers a little about your brilliant series of children’s books following the adventures of Hercules Braver?
Tom Vaughan - Of course, I can. The Hercules series follows the misadventures of 11-year-old secondary-school pupil Hercules Braver, a boy with titanic levels of self-confidence but tragic levels of self-perception, who finds out that his dad may (or may not) be Zeus himself. As Hercules’s plans to attain legendary-status clash with the world of the Ancient Greek gods, he finds himself in all sorts of trouble, and ends up saddled with a set of impossible tasks in order to save his spiralling reputation.
How did the idea for writing a children’s book inspired by the Greek myths come about?
I had the Hercules character’s voice floating in my head for years – a kid with delusional dreams of grandeur but total incompetence. When the idea of writing a Greek-myth book came to me, I realised it would be the perfect home for him. I wanted to give my Hercules all the self-confidence and willing of his Greek namesake, but none of the aptitude.
Did you research the original myths of Hercules to help you in writing the book?
I revisited them, having read and re-read them many times over the years. When I was a kid, I thought the Greek gods were like X-Men - they could throw lightning bolts, command the weather, control the oceans. Re-reading them as an adult, I found a set of much more complicated characters. As well as being awe-inspiring, they were also vain, petty, selfish, and spiteful. That got me thinking about one of the fundamental questions of the book – if Zeus came back to Earth today would you think he was awesome, or would you think he was actually pretty toxic?
We're not sure he'd be winning any 'Dad of the Year' awards, that's for certain... During your research, what is the weirdest/funniest/grossest thing that you learned?
I’ve always loved the story of Erysichthon, who insulted Athena by chopping down her favourite tree, so she gave him insatiable hunger. He was so hungry that he eventually ate himself. The story briefly appears in the opening pages of book 1 and, as Hercules’s best friend Hatty points out: he should have just gone to an all-you-can-eat buffet. They can’t throw you out however many times you go back for more.
Brilliant! That story shows how the Greek myths can get pretty nasty, how have you adapted what can be some very grown-up content to be suitable for all ages?
Yeah – the Greek gods could be savage! For the Ancient Greeks, I guess it helped make sense of a world that could be majestic, but also cruel and unfair, just like their gods. Throughout the books, Hercules’s best friend Pav has a fondness for retelling some of these myths and he never shies away from the gods’ bad behaviour – but relays it in a very kid-appropriate manner.
Did you ever consider basing your story around any other Greek heroes? Was Atalanta ever in contention? Or Theseus?
Hercules was always my number one choice. Atalanta and the Golden Apples and Theseus and the Minotaur are both great myths but the 12 Labours of Hercules is simply one of the best stories ever told – an epic saga of man battling against injustice and impossible odds. Plus, look at the guy’s muscles! I tell kids that he was like Dwayne Johnson but 1,000,0000 times more awesome (e.g. I bet Hercules would never have said yes to a Jumanji remake).
Who's your favourite character, and why, from the Greek Myths?
I’ve always held a candle for Hermes. Most of the Greek gods (and heroes) were motivated by selfish, vain or vengeful reasons. Hermes was the only one motivated by wanting to have a laugh. That’s the kind of deity I can get behind.
And who do you love to hate from the Greek Myths?
Zeus. He’s the keystone that holds the cosmos together; that holds chaos at bay. But absolute power corrupts, and the guy has a long list of toxic behaviour.
What next for Hercules Braver? Does he have more adventures on the way?
Yes! I can’t say too much more but there is more Hercules on the way. I’m writing it now and it’ll most likely be Hercules’s swansong, so it’s going to be heart-breaking to say goodbye to a set of characters that I’ve come to love having spent almost every day with them for the last three years.
Thanks for your time Tom and for your brilliant answers, it's been great!
