Interview: Daniel Haack of PRINCE & KNIGHT, TALE OF THE SHADOW KING, MAIDEN & PRINCESS

Daniel Haack is an award-winning children's book author, theatre lover, and media creator. We chat about the books he's written, his favorite theatre works, and his visit to Minnesota!

What inspired you to write children's books featuring LGBTQ+ characters?

It started with me thinking about these classic fairy tale tropes of prince charming and the knight in shining armor and how fun and interesting it would be if they ended up with each other for once. At the time, there were barely any picture books that had LGTBQ+ characters, yet I knew more and more kids were growing up with two dads or two moms or who had gay family members or friends. 

Making sure kids can see themselves and their families in the books they read and the shows and movies they watch has always been important to me. I think people who do see themselves regularly reflected in media don’t always understand how meaningful that kind of authentic representation can be when it is rare. For me personally, I just thought it was cool to have these dashing heroes both save the day and get the guy, too.

My publisher Little Bee Books partnered with GLAAD on the release of my first book, which ended up creating this whole ongoing series of picture books from all different authors. Now there are so many more great kids’ books featuring all different types of LGBTQ+ characters available for families. 

What do you hope readers take away from your stories?

My hope above all is that they are entertained and really enjoy the stories. Beyond that, though, with both the Prince & Knight books and Maiden & Princess, I want readers to see that gay and queer people are just as capable of being the brave heroes and just as worthy of love as anyone else. I’ve had so many adults tell me how much they wished they had books like these when they were growing up, so I’m hoping it really does make a difference to today’s kids and future generations.

What message would you like to share with the LGBTQ+ community?

Keep being dope! It bums me out that there’s still so much discrimination and hatred against our community, but the rate of progress we’ve seen in the last few decades especially is nothing short of incredible. It may sometimes seem dire, but our community has faced way worse, and we owe so much to our LBGTQ+ ancestors and their bravery throughout history. Now it’s our turn to stand up and stand out. 

I think humans right now are really evolving to a more expansive understanding of these things, and it’s cool to see more people, both within and outside the LBGTQ+ community, breaking out of boxes and labels and expectations and just being the singular and authentic version of themselves.

For younger folks or those in more difficult environments, personal safety should be the most important thing above all, but I want those people to know that there are billions of people around the world who love and accept them as they are.

Do you have a personal favorite moment in your stories?

In both Prince & Knight and its sequel, I really love how both the prince and the knight each have their own hero moment. It was also intentional in Prince & Knight and Maiden & Princess that despite it being initially expected that the prince or princess will marry someone of a different gender, their families and communities have no issues when they end up falling in love with someone of the same gender instead. Having a difficult or traumatic coming out experience should never be given, and I wanted the narrative that this is the appropriate response and there’s no reason there should be anything but full acceptance and joy.

Do you have a favorite musical or theatrical piece?

I did a lot of acting in school plays as a kid. I was the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, the huntsman in Snow White, Duke Orsino in The Twelfth Night, Mr. Boddy in Clue and a bunch more. I was also always writing scripts and forcing my friends or cousins to be in my plays or little movies that I would write and direct when I was growing up.

This might be a bit basic, but I love shows like Grease, Les Miserables and Hamilton, and I think there’s a reason they’re each so popular. Danny Zuko and Javert are probably my dream roles if I was a better singer. In terms of straight plays, I really like domestic ensembles like August Osage County, Carnage and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Hopefully this doesn’t offend The Vikings fans reading this, but Lombardi was also one of my favorite shows I’ve ever seen.

I’m in Los Angeles now and still try to see a lot of stage productions, but when I lived in New York I was constantly going to everything from Broadway to tiny black box theaters. I loved seeing stuff at 54 Below, Ars Nova, Joe’s Pub and The 52nd Street Project. I was also a huge fan of the Joe Iconis & Friends shows. “The Goodbye Song” and “Anymore” were my jams back then.

Right now, I’m dying to see The Outsiders and Oh Mary. I’d also love to see a Prince & Knight stage show. How fun would that be?

Have you been to Minnesota before? If so, do you have any favorite places here? If not, are there any places you’d love to visit on your next trip?

I grew up as a farm boy right outside of Madison, Wisconsin, so I’m in the Midwest through and through and have a lot of Minnesota connections. A lot of my friends and family went to places like the University of Minnesota or Macalester for school, and I’ve been to the Twin Cities particularly a few times. Two of my good friends recently moved to Stillwater so I’m really looking forward to visiting sometime soon. I’ve heard the food scene there is great. I’d also really love to go to Paisley Park at some point.

Thank you Daniel for your time! We look forward to having you here! 

For more information on Daniel and his work, please visit his website.

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