Felicia Day: Greek Mythology, Women’s Power, and her new Graphic Novel
The legendary genre actress shares how reading to her own little girl led to The Lost Daughter Of Sparta.
“The youngest sister of Helen of Troy had one line on her and that was it. And I was like, I want to tell a story. I had an idea—and it was very personal to me.”
To genre fans, Felicia Day is a famous actress. Whether we’re talking Mystery Science Theater 3000 or Eureka or web series The Guild—or lots of other options—you’ve probably seen her somewhere. (More than once.)
Also a New York Times bestselling author, Day returns to book shelves with a feminist graphic novel The Lost Daughter of Sparta. Co-created with illustrator Rowan MacColl, the book is about the lost mythical character of Philonoe—Helen of Troy’s sister.
In this article:
What inspired the new book The Lost Daughter of Sparta
Interesting angle with the audiobook version
Cool endorsements for the book
Find The Lost Daughter of Sparta online
Book Tour: Is The Lost Daughter Of Sparta book tour coming to you?
About creators Felicia Day and Rowan MacColl
What inspired the new book
The whole idea for The Lost Daughter Of Sparta started with a puzzle from mythological history: See, there are three sisters that are well known. Infamously cursed by the goddess Aphrodite. To betray their husbands.
But few people seem to remember the fourth sister—Philonoe. Lost to historical record, ancient texts say she had a different fate than her sisters. But why and how did this happen?
Day and MacColl chose to wrestle with those questions about Philonoe in The Lost Daughter of Sparta. A magnificent hero’s journey with a feminist twist, theyfill in history’s missing pieces with wit and pathos, thrilling adventure, and an empowering love story that won’t soon be forgotten.
In a personal livestream, Day shares that she has always been a fan of Greek mythology. And then started reading these ancient stories to her daughter:
“And I read about this character named Philonoe, who was the youngest sister of Helen of Troy,” Day said. “We all know Helen of Troy, but Philonoe had one line on her and that was literally it. I did all this research and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s really interesting.’”
The author couldn’t shake her curiosity about this character lost to time.
“Was there another story,” Day asked. “Obviously, there had to be—and I just was like, I want to tell a story. I had an idea about it. And it was very personal to me.”
The heart of The Lost Daughter of Sparta is being true to who you are—and following the path you need to follow.
“Even if it’s not what other people want from you,” Day says. “Not letting people use you for what they need you to be. Being faithful to yourself.”
Interesting angle when she made the audiobook version
During the livestream, Day also talked about the unique challenges of creating an audiobook edition of a comic book.
“It was actually quite a lot of work to adapt from graphic novel form to audio form,” Day said, “because you’re going from one extreme to the other—all visuals to no visuals. When I agreed to do it, I was like, Wait, what? But it became a really fun exercise in what little can I add to actually convey what’s going on. Because I wanted to be immersive.”
She noted how if one gets the graphic novel and also the audio book, the two essentially share the same dialogue.
“But I had to add a lot of things to just guide people to what was happening, scene changes, but also interior dialogue.”
Some cool endorsements for The Lost Daughter of Sparta
The Lost Daughter of Sparta has already inspired a number of endorsements. Here are the few we want to share with you now:
“Quite simply one of the best things I’ve read in years,” says comic book writer Gail Simone (Wonder Woman, X-Men), who also wrote the bestselling novel Red Sonja: Consumed. “It evokes yearning passions, heartbreaking injustices, and the willingness to pursue your true self, regardless of the cost. I was already pretty certain Felicia Day could do anything, and this book simply proves it. Wonderful art by Rowand MacColl ices a glorious mythological cake.”
“For anyone who loves the epics of Hercules, Theseus, or Jason and the Argonauts,” notes Wil Wheaton, Star Trek: TNG actor and host of audiobook podcast It’s Storytime with Wil Wheaton. “But it is especially meaningful for all of us who have struggled to fit in, without letting someone else define us.”
"A great modern love story with the power of an ancient myth,” remarks Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians. “Thrilling, funny, and gorgeous.”
“Philnoe’s remarkable story of love, duty and discovery was lost only so long as it took for the right storytellers to come along,” says John Scalzi, author of When the Moon Hits Your Eye. “How lucky we are that Felica Day and Rowan MacColl are here to tell it to us.”
Find The Lost Daughter of Sparta online:
Bookshop.org (which also supports your local bookstore!)
Libro.fm (audiobooks which also supports your local bookstore!)
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Book Tour: Is The Lost Daughter Of Sparta book tour coming to you?
3.18 | The Strand | New York, NY 10003 (Details here)
3.19 | Oriental Theatre | Milwaukee, WI 53202 (Details here)
3.20 | Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing | Beaverton, OR 97005 (Details here)
3.21 | Changing Hands Bookstore | Tempe, AZ 85283 (Details here)
3.24 | Diesel Bookstore | Santa Monica, CA 90401 (Details here)
3.27 | Wondercon | Anaheim, CA 92802 (Details here)
4.1 | Barnes & Noble University District | Seattle, WA 98105 (Details here)
About the creators
Felicia Day has appeared as an actress in numerous television shows and films. We’re personally fond of her starring roles in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and Mystery Science Theater 3000. She’s also worked for notable shows like Eureka, Supernatural, The Magicians, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (And more.) The creator and star of web series The Guild, Day’s also the New York Times bestselling author of three books. Find more about her online at Felicia.Day, YouTube, and Instagram.
Rowan MacColl is a comic artist and illustrator for such books as Nightmare in Savannah and Who Was Accused in the Salem Witch Trials?: Tituba: A Who HQ Graphic Novel. She loves drawing the strange and fantastical—even better if it’s with scary women in beautiful historical outfits. Find more about her online at RowanMacColl.com, Instagram, and Bluesky.
The actress shares how reading to her little girl led to The Lost Daughter Of Sparta. “The youngest sister of Helen of Troy had one line on her and that was it. I had an idea—and it was very personal to me.”