What Comes After ‘Happily Ever After’?

By Leah Aulisio-Sharpe ’22, June 14, 2021

Daniel Haack ’10 releases sequel to his LGBTQ+ children's book.

Cover of the Prince & Knight book showing two men standing

Daniel Haack ‘10 has released his second book in the ‘Prince & Knight’ series.

(Photo Submitted)

When Daniel Haack ’10 released his first book ‘Prince & Knight’ in 2018, it quickly earned praise for telling the groundbreaking fairy tale of two men slaying a dragon and then falling in love.

And along with accolades for the way Haack’s book spun the traditional tropes of fairy tales to reflect and validate the LGBTQ community, came repeated questions about what happens next.

While it might not have been surprising, given the success of the book, the requests did catch Haack slightly off-guard.

“I never wrote the first book with the idea that there would be a sequel,” he said. “After it came out, I was hearing from both readers and my publisher that there was interest in exploring more with these characters, which was exciting for me.”

“There are very few LGBTQ children's stories to begin with, and to have one that's continued over multiple books is pretty exciting.”

Daniel Haack ’10

This April, that exploration continues when the highly anticipated sequel, “Prince & Knight: Tale of the Shadow King,” was released. In the story, which Haack described on Twitter as being about “community,” the two lead characters continue to follow their hearts while working together to stop a new enemy: the mysterious Shadow King.

In addition to the two books in the “Prince & Knight” series, Haack also co-authored “Maiden & Princess” with Isabel Galupo ’14

“There are very few LGBTQ children's stories to begin with, and to have one that's continued over multiple books is pretty exciting,” he said.

The book is the third Haack story published through Little Bee Books — in 2019 he co-authored “Maiden & Princess” with fellow Park Scholar Isabel Galupo ’14. The publishing company, through a partnership with GLAAD, aims to increase LGBTQ representation in children’s media.

And although the reception to his books have been mostly positive, there has been some pushback. In April 2020, “Prince & Knight” was added to the American Library Association’s list of most challenged books. But that hasn’t deterred him.

“When people try to ban or censor my books, their argument is usually that these stories are somehow not appropriate for kids or family-friendly, but this just ignores the millions of kids in this country, in the world, who have gay parents and family members or who may identify as queer themselves,” he said. “It’s so important that they see their families and identities reflected in the media that they consume. It is also equally important for the kids who never have had exposure to this kind of representation, so we all become more loving and accepting.”

Currently a creative executive of kids and family programming for YouTube Originals, Haack previously received a Daytime Emmy Award for his production work with the StoryBots platform.

“Ithaca College really gave me a strong foundation to create stories that have impact. I was able to push the envelope, and I owe so much of that to the professors, faculty, and staff, and student peers at Ithaca. I'm excited to continue to be part of the Ithaca College community and help however I can.”

Daniel Haack ‘10

Haack, who received the IC’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 2019, was an integrated marketing communications major at Ithaca. He credits his time at IC with fostering his passion for inclusivity in children's media, thanks to several internships and programs.

Since graduating, Haack has stayed connected with the IC community as a member of the Blue and Gold Society and serving on the Ithaca College Annual Fund Young Alumni Committee. In this way, he supports the dreams of future students the same way the college supported his own.

“Ithaca College really gave me a strong foundation to create stories that have impact,” he said. “I was able to push the envelope, and I owe so much of that to the professors, faculty, and staff, and student peers at Ithaca. I'm excited to continue to be part of the Ithaca College community and help however I can.”

As for the pair of heroes at the center of his book, Haack believes that their tale isn’t over yet.

“I think that there are so many adventures that they can go on together in the future,” he said.