Geri Halliwell-Horner Feels That Redheads Live in ’Their Own Lane’ (Exclusive)

Geri Halliwell-Horner, a.k.a. Spice Girls' Ginger Spice and the mastermind of the iconic '90s pop group's "girl power" slogan, thinks redheads are some of the greatest heroes in our history and fiction — and she's hoping her new redhead heroine, Rosie Frost, will become one too.

"You know, being a redhead is actually very interesting because you’re in your own lane," Halliwell-Horner (née Halliwell) explained. "20 years ago, you could have maybe been marginalized for it! But, actually, if you look at the greatest heroes of our time — Annie, Queen Elizabeth the First, Merida from Brave, Ariel — it goes on. All redheads! Sure, there’s a stereotype or two about being a redhead, but honestly, you just have to list out our heroes and then get on with it."

Halliwell is a redhead role model herself and has been for countless women of all ages since her breakthrough in the best-selling female group of all time, The Spice Girls, and later during the heyday of her solo music career in the late '90s and early aughts. Halliwell has worn numerous crowns throughout her career — she hasn't only been Ginger Spice or Geri, the singer. Halliwell has used her platform and own experiences to shine light on bulimia and mental health, and has been an advocate for the wellbeing of animals (she's an ambassador of the London Zoo) and literacy, promoting it via working with the Royal Commonwealth Society.

In addition to being a steward for numerous causes, Halliwell has been diversifying her portfolio as an X Factor UK and Australia's Got Talent judge, a swimwear designer, a children's book author, an actress — with her latest on-screen appearance in Gran Turismo — and now she's embarked on her most ambitious and challenging project yet: creating a heroine for a new generation (that, yes, just happens to be a redhead).

Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen, published by Penguin Random House, is described as "a sweeping adventure filled with a hidden island, family secrets, shocking betrayals, amazing music and girl power," about an orphan named Rosie Frost who gets sent to a school for extraordinary teens and a sanctuary for endangered species.

In an exclusive interview, The Messenger spoke with forever Spice Girl and now fantasy author Geri Halliwell-Horner about her pivot from pop songwriting to prose catered to young adults, who the "Girl Power" inspirations are behind the main character of her latest novel, what she has in store for the future in terms of making music (solo or with the rest of the Spice Girls) and helming a potential book-to-screen adaptation of "Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen."

The Messenger: This isn’t your first rodeo as a fiction author. You’ve already written a successful children’s book series— Ugenia Lavender. So, what made you want to switch gears and write a new story tailored to an audience of older kids and teens?

Geri Halliwell: [Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen] is for you, too! It’s for everyone. Even my husband read it, actually. But anyway, I did think, "Oh, shall I just age the other one [Ugenia Lavender] up?" And I showed it to my agent, who discovered Harry Potter, and he said, "No, start again." And I just felt like the world needs a new hero, someone ordinary that we can relate to. And I think a new hero is vulnerable. [Rosie Frost] is about finding the courage you never knew you had. She’s not an "alpha," you know? She has all sorts of vulnerable issues that we — anyone — can face.

In the book’s dedication, you mentioned how the world needs another hero — so what were some of your “girl power” inspirations for the character of Rosie Frost?

GH: I’ve always looked to other people — other women, other men, other people, anyone — for inspiration. Whether it was Maya Angelou… I mean, to me, she’s a "Falcon Queen." She’s amazing. But the actual character itself, I just thought, wouldn’t it be nice if we could find that [“girl power”] as we’re growing up? You know, there’s always going to be challenges, but here’s a hero who finds a strength that she never knew she had. Because I’ve always looked to movies or books for inspiration, sometimes you can’t find “girl power” outside, so you have to find it inside a book.

You mentioned that your husband has read Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen. I wondered if your eldest daughter has read it (since they’d be around the same age as the protagonist) and what her thoughts were.

GH: We know that our children can be our greatest critics. So, she’s only just read it because she told me that she’d only read it when it was completely finished. She wanted to get the whole overview. She’s actually studying English Literature at the moment, and she helped me write a joke in there about Guatemala and guacamole — but, you know what, I won’t get into that because I don’t want to spoil it! But anyway, she’s incredibly proud of me. She’s been very supportive of Rosie.

Speaking of English Literature… Tell us how writing a fantasy novel geared towards young adults differs from writing a pop song. And how is the process similar?

GH: I think writing is a beautiful thing because you can connect with other people through words, and you can be a voice for the voiceless, and you can empower them — whether it’s a song or a story. And then you can also transport people with stories, you can just transport people to another world, and people can live vicariously through those stories, which is lovely. A song can do that, too. Honestly, the similarity is like when you’re cooking someone an amazing meal, and they go, "Mmmm!" That’s the most comparable thing— it’s just a wonderful feeling to be able to do that through stories and songs.

I mean, they both have their challenges, but oh my God, with a story… I did struggle. I learned actually, as I write the second [book], that I’m doing structure first because you have to remember what was happening at the beginning all the way through 400 pages later. You must consistently check yourself because you’re planting seeds for the future. In that way, stories are such a different medium from songs. It was challenging but satisfying when you know you’ve planted something and know that the readers are not expecting what’s coming, and you’ve got the readers page-turning and page-turning and page-turning… Even the reluctant reader.

And have the rest of the Spice Girls read Rosie Frost and The Falcon Queen? Emma Bunton revealed earlier this year that you and the rest of the Girls have a WhatsApp dedicated to discussing work and the kids. So I’m curious if Rosie has ever been brought up.

GH: I’ve sent it to them. You’ll have to ask them.

Throughout your career, you’ve had the opportunity to take on many different roles in the entertainment industry beyond being a Spice Girl. Would you like to adapt Rosie Frost as a film or a TV series?

GH: Ah- yeah. Yes.

How did writing Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen reignite some of your passion for solo songwriting? How open are you to releasing more music, either solo or with the Spice Girls?

GH: You get two songs at the back of the book about Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen. There’s a barcode. So you’re gonna get two songs as a gift from me.

What made you decide to do that and incorporate music in such a unique way into the storyline?

GH: I actually got inspired by another author who had done it. I don’t know if the book is out in America, but it was for a much, much younger audience. And the author put a song with a barcode at the back. And I thought as I was reading the book to my very young son, "Oh, that’s a good idea. I wonder if you could do that for older readers? Why can’t you!?" I just emulated that strategy. So, if you want some music at the same time as you’re reading Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen, one song is for when she gets locked up in the Falcon Queen Gallery at 3:00 AM, and it’s called “Ghost in the House.” It’s quite crunchy and full-on, and then there’s another one called “Beautiful Life,” and it’s the more grown-up song, it’s the reflective song that says, "Do you know what? It’s been hard. But it’s good. I’m still here."

Back to Rosie — redhead representation in pop culture was a hot topic this year with the release of the Little Mermaid live-action reboot, and your protagonist is a ginger. Was that a cheeky nod to your Ginger Spice persona? Or do you agree that redheads sometimes feel excluded from literature and other forms of media?

GH: You know, being a redhead is actually very interesting because you’re in your own lane. 20 years ago, you could have maybe been marginalized for it! But, actually, if you look at the greatest heroes of our time — Annie, Queen Elizabeth the First, Merida from Brave, Ariel — it goes on. All redheads! Sure, there’s a stereotype or two about being a redhead, but honestly, you just have to list out our heroes and then get on with it.

Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen can be purchased wherever books are sold in-person and online — including Amazon, Target, Barnes and Noble and Walmart. The novel is currently available in hardcover, ebook or audiobook format.

You can stay up to date with news about the budding Rosie Frost franchise online at RosieFrostBooks.com or follow the author, Geri Halliwell-Horner, on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. For details on Halliwell's upcoming book tour, click here.