Behind the Scenes with Laura Rede: Author, Mother, Animal Lover

by Hannah Crawford

Laura Rede, author of stories and novels for teens with LGBT parents, shares about her writing and family this month in Behind the Scenes. Laura is a Minneapolis resident and winner of the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest. She has written the stories Zoo Magic and Angel Fish for Rainbow Rumpus.

What’s your history with Rainbow Rumpus?

I was one of the first members of the board at Rainbow Rumpus, and have had the fun of writing several stories for the magazine, including Zoo Magic and Angel Fish. I'm also a loyal reader of Rainbow Rumpus and look forward to every issue!

Tell us about your family.

My partner, Marcy, and I have been together for over 20 years now, and we have three amazing kids. Our daughter, Shanika, is 16 years old. She joined our family by adoption when she was four years old. She has Down syndrome and autism and isn't able to talk very much, but she certainly gets her point across! She loves swimming and listening to music. Our son, Harrison, is seven years old. He is into Star Wars, solving mysteries, science experiments, and anything that goes fast! Our daughter, Miranda, is four years old. She loves all animals—especially ponies—and likes to spend time playing with our pets, doing puzzles, and playing with toy trains.

The stories you’ve written for Rainbow Rumpus contain elements of magic. Why do you like to add magic to your stories?

I love anything that jolts us out of our everyday reality, whether it's seeing an art car driving down the street or seeing chickens running around in an inner-city backyard like ours. I love fantasy stories because they open our minds and imaginations and make us feel like anything is possible!

The family in your story Angel Fish has several pets. Do you have pets of your own? Do any of your pets make an appearance in your stories?

Our family loves pets! We have a huge Great Dane named Zeus, a very old dachshund named Magic who was born blind, a demanding cat named Lillah, and four very cute pet chickens who live in a coop in our backyard. So far, none of our pets have made their way into my stories, but they are still an inspiration to me. I started writing a story about my dog Magic once. In the story, he was a magical seeing-eye dog, and anyone who was touching him could see fairies! I thought it was funny to have a blind seeing-eye dog. I hope to finish that story some day.

In your story Zoo Magic, every kid gets an animal spirit on his or her fourteenth birthday. If you had an animal spirit, what would it be?

I love all animals, but if I had an animal spirit I hope it would be a horse. I started taking riding lessons when I was eight years old and kept taking them through high school. Now that I live in the city, I miss riding. My daughter, Shanika, took therapeutic riding lessons for years, and I have seen firsthand the powerful effect horses can have on kids with disabilities. I would love to have some of that gentle strength.

Do you draw inspiration for your stories from your own family and children?

I am pretty much always thinking about whatever story I am working on at the time, and little pieces of my family life definitely sneak onto the page. I also pay a lot of attention to what my kids like to read and what kinds of stories grab their attention. I'm fortunate that my kids love to read and be read to, so I have an excuse to surround myself with wonderful books.

Your stories feature families with LGBT parents. Why do you think it’s important to write stories like this? 

Recently, I was writing about a vampire who wasn't able to see herself in mirrors. I suddenly realized that I could really identify with her because, as a lesbian, I often feel like straight people can see themselves reflected in the media all the time, but LGBT people like me, and families like mine, are invisible. We can't see ourselves reflected in most of the TV we watch, or the music we listen to, or the books we read. I write about families like ours because I want my kids and other kids of LGBT parents to have that validating, affirming experience of seeing art that mirrors their lives.

What was the first thing you remember writing?

The first story I was really proud of was one I wrote in the sixth grade. It was about a prince who was very vain. He was on a sinking boat and had to make the hard choice to throw his big, gilded mirror overboard so it wouldn't weigh the boat down. I think that was the first time I really thought, "Writing is my thing. I want to be a writer someday."
 
Tell us about what you’re writing now, or what you plan to write next.

I am very excited that my first novel, Darkride, will be available as an e-book this December! It's a young adult, paranormal romance. One of the main characters, Ander, used to be the favorite son of a great monster-hunting family—until he was bitten by a werewolf and had to run away from home before his family started hunting him! Now he's being raised by a gay couple, one of whom is a three-hundred-year-old vampire. They are a truly alternative family! Anyone who is interested can read a full description of the book and a sample chapter at www.darkridethenovel.com. I'm busy working on the second book in the Darkride Chronicles and will hopefully be working on some new stories to submit to Rainbow Riot, too!