Recently I had talked to Danai Christopoulou, author of Vile Lady Villains, out next April from Penguin Michael Joseph, about retelling, rebelling, and the recipe for a great vile lady villain (spoilers: a great fashion sense and a taste for vengeance).
Danai has been writing professionally since 19 years old, first as a journalist in various lifestyle magazines and then making the jump to non-fiction and fiction books as a ghostwriter—before finally finding the courage to write their own fiction. Danai’s writing has appeared in Glamour, Marie Claire, khōréō, Fusion Fragment, Flame Tree Press, Writer’s Digest and more, nominated for a Pushcart Prize and for a Best of Small Fictions, and featured on the Nebula and Stoker recommended reading lists. Danai’s debut novel, Vile Lady Villains, comes out with Penguin Michael Joseph in April 2026 (UK) and with Union Square & Co (US/CAN) summer 2026. When not writing, Danai is an editor for Hugo-nominated khōréō magazine and an assistant literary agent at The Tobias Literary Agency.
What inspired Vile Lady Villains?
My mother. Not in the sense that she is one (*stares at the camera* yeah she is), but in the sense that she made me memorize monologues from Greek drama and Shakespearean plays when I was probably way too young. Both my parents were actors, and my mother has also been a theater coach and director for most of her life. So ever since I was a kid, I could appreciate all the ways in which the rage of these women, their ability to be calculating and ruthless resonated and ‘fit’ together. And around 2021, while I was still querying my first book and was convinced trad publishing would never give me a chance, I thought, what would be the most “me” thing I could write, the thing that is so unapologetically an ode to my own special interests that I don’t have to care if anyone will want to publish it because I’ll have tremendous fun writing it? Jokes on me: turns out this unhinged, ‘unpublishable’ thing I wrote would end up being my debut.
Which villainess would you team up with if you were on the run across realms?
Probably someone as efficient, physically capable and fearless as my version of Klytemnestra in Vile Lady Villains. I tend to be in my head and can be impractical and a klutz, so I’d need all the help to survive—if I could trust them not to off me first!
Other than Lady Macbeth and Klytemnestra, who are your favorite vile lady villains?
I thoroughly enjoy Katherina in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew—up to the point where she is, sadly, tamed. I’d love to see a version where she gets twice as feral in the end and perhaps even eats Petruchio. Hmm, is there such a version out there? Should I write one? In terms of other media, Natasha O’Keeffe’s depiction of Lanfear in the unjustly canceled The Wheel of Time show (hashtag #SaveWot) has been an absolute delight to watch, as has been Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness in Agatha All Along and Michelle Gomez’s Missy in Doctor Who. Perhaps I’m partial to lady villains with a sense of style, a sense of humor … and a sense for murder.
Could you talk about the importance of having Greek voices retell Greek stories?
How much time have you got? I have an upcoming essay in khōréō magazine that discusses that very issue, but for me the TLDR is: stories do and SHOULD belong to everyone, AND we need more BIPOC retellings across the board, AND Greek voices need to be featured and included in the Greek retellings conversation. A quick search on Goodreads tells me that there’s approx. 300 Greek myth retellings published, only 3 of which are written by Greek authors. Myself included. I’m number three. That’s not a great stat, no matter how you slice it. Because the talent is out there: if you read short fiction, you’ll see how many brilliant Greek authors are creating imaginative stories. It’s about adding more voices, not about taking away anything from anyone.
Could you recommend other retellings with sapphic romance and morally gray characters like Vile Lady Villains?
I’m really excited for Bea Fitzgerald’s The End Crowns All, a sapphic re-imagining of the Trojan War with a romance between Cassandra and Helene, that comes out this July. Saint Gibson’s take on the Dracula mythos with A Dowry of Blood has had a chokehold on me ever since it was first indie published. Also while the following are not retellings, I absolutely loved the morally gray sapphics in Meredith Mooring’s sci-fi fantasy Redsight, the morally gray sapphics in the sci-fi masterpiece that is Micaiah Johnson’s The Space Between Worlds, and Red and Blue in This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (pure poetry, that book).
What is one unexpected, out-of-context detail about Vile Lady Villains that would get readers excited?
I don’t know if it’s out-of-context or unexpected, but Agamemnon dies A LOT in Vile Lady Villains. Once just wasn’t enough for me. I really hope readers will be excited to witness his demise! It was one of the main reasons I’ve enjoyed writing this book so much.
How has being an editor for khōréō magazine and an assistant literary agent at The Tobias Literary Agency influenced your author journey?
The author thing came first, and then I got so intrigued by the whole process of submitting one’s work to agents and magazines that I wanted to learn everything I could about it (aka my neurodivergent brain found a new thing to obsess over: the publishing industry). I also wanted to put my editorial skills to work, and slushing for SFF magazines is one of the few roles you can apply for from everywhere in the world. So I did that, and it taught me so much about writing taut storylines, about appreciating how much talent there is out there, not taking rejections (so) personally, but also about what kind of teams I want to be a part of. So when khōréō was looking for a proofreader in 2022 I applied because I was so impressed by their process and how they treat their authors, and I’ve been with them since—moving to an editor position in 2024. khōréō’s mission of platforming diaspora and immigrant authors is more important now than ever. As for the agenting, it also came in a roundabout way: I had such a good experience with my own agent, who is so collaborative and supportive, that I realized I also want to be that for other authors. So I started as an intern at The Tobias Literary Agency, and have been slowly and steadily working my way to building my own client list.
Could you talk about your experiences with your publisher so far?
I got insanely lucky with my UK editor, Jorgie Bain, who absolutely gets my weirdness and can coax even more out of it on the page. The whole editing process has been such a breeze, the Penguin Michael Joseph team are superheroes, so we’re already so far ahead of schedule that I’ve already finished proof pages and the book doesn’t come out until April 2026! I’m crossing my fingers that my good luck will continue as the publication day nears, and with my US team as well (which I’m super excited to meet).
What myths desperately need retelling or reimagining?
I don’t think that there are specific myths that need to be retold, as much as that there are specific authors who need to retell some stories because they speak to their hearts. And that’s why you can see several books about the same mythological character that are still unique and fresh and make you get to know these mythological figures through a new prism. Like Vile Lady Villains say a lot, “To retell is to rebel.” Granted, I have trunked a re-imagining of Pasiphae, the queen of Minoan Crete, that I hope will find its home one day. And on a broader scale, I want to see more myths from cultures from all over the world. Asian myths, Mesoamerican myths (Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Certain Dark Things was so good!), Norse myths… I’ve studied the last here in Sweden, and it’s so fascinating to see the intersection of myth and folklore in cultural artefacts, buildings etc. Yoruba myths are also so fascinating, and I’m super excited for Marvellous Michael Anson’s Firstborn of the Sun, coming out this October.
Can you tell me a little about your next project?
I’m currently in that phase where I’m dipping my toes into several projects, trying to decide—and hopefully convince my editor too—which one will be my next one. I can tell you one of these projects involves Norse myths, a kickass female warrior (not a Viking, she only kills locally on her own shores), and a very perplexing butterfly.
Where can we find you to follow your work?
I’m on all social media as @danaiwrites but because you never know which billionaire will throw a tantrum, please subscribe to my newsletter to stay in touch: https://danai- writes.beehiiv.com/subscribe.
Last question, what are you enjoying right now?
I enjoy Apple TV’s adaptation of Murderbot more than I thought I would! I’m also reading several books at the same time, among which Rachel Gillig’s The Knight and the Moth, John Wiswell’s Wearing the Lion and V. E. Schwab’s Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. In terms of music, I will listen to anything Florence Welch creates, she is king.
Vile Lady Villains is on Goodreads and available to preorder.