Gaia Banks: Woman of the Hour Interview

I am running a series of  interviews with inspiring women I have met who are my Women of the Hour.
Please meet Gaia Banks who is my Literary Agent and the best champion a writer could ask for. 

Gaia Banks has worked in publishing for 17 years: in translation rights at John Murray Publishers, joining Sheil Land as an agent in 2004. She looks after the agency’s translation rights as well as representing her own authors as a primary agent. She is a great believer in reading slowly.

Q: Your favourite book as a child?

Little Grey Rabbit’s Christmas by Alison Uttley.

Gaia's copy with her toddler handwriting on title page

Q: One thing you would put in Room 101?

Impoliteness. So much damage stems from it – intended and unintended.

Q: Do you have a favourite place to go (in the UK or abroad) that restores you?

The Greek island of Spetses, but the V&A works as a handier destination for regular pick-me-ups.

Q: Greek Myths or Grimm’s Fairy Tales and why?

Greek Myths – naturally, with a name like mine! Origin stories intrigue me and so much of Greek myth has permeated culture in other ways.

Q: What is your greatest fear now?

Compassion fatigue. There are so many tragedies unfolding around the world that I fear in the West we risk collectively losing the ability to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes.

Q: Do you collect anything?

Books (obviously!) Antique buttons; old post cards of the area in which I live.

Gaia's box of antique buttons

Q: Did you have a mentor?

I have several. My parents, my aunt, my first boss. All wonderfully decent, supportive and creative people.

Q: Westerns or RomComs and why?

Westerns. The lone champion, who sets things right and leaves just when others would stay for adulation. Honour and self-sacrifice above personal gain.

Q: Who are your heroes?

My dad’s a (retired) comprehensive school teacher, as are several of my friends, but I’m going to widen this to people working in the public sector in general: in the NHS, social services, education, police, fire service, etc. From personal experience it’s only when you need their help that you realise how lost we’d be without them.  

Q: What do you consider the bravest thing you’ve done?

Having all four of my wisdom teeth removed in one sitting. It was gruesome and I’d never do it again – but then, now I don’t have to. There’s a moral in there somewhere.

Thank you very much for answering my questions.

Woman of the Hour is published by Head of Zeus.