One of my classmates at Vermont College of Fine Arts when we were enrolled in the MFA program was Adi Rule. She’s a superb writer and very funny, kind, and warm person, and a talented vocalist, and I’m happy to have been able to keep in touch the way that social media allows since our graduation (too many years ago now to mention).
But recently I saw a social post from Adi, and was reminded that Adi’s mother, Rebecca Rule, is also a published author. This sparked a desire to hear from the two of them, as recently my son (also a writer) and I have formed a personal publishing company and we collaborate often.
It’s not unusual for parents and children to share careers, especially in the arts, so I asked Adi if she and her mom would share their experience in the interest of those of you out there who either do or don’t have this special relationship.
Our Interview
Welcome Adi and Rebecca!
I feel like we are kindred spirits in that you two, mother and daughter, are both writers, and my son and I are both writers.
Rebecca, it appears you’ve been writing and storytelling for a long time. Please tell readers how you started in storytelling, and a bit about your journey to this point.
RR: At first I was a writer. When my first collection of short stories was published, I got out from behind my desk to promote it with readings. And discovered that I loved hearing laughter from audiences. So . . . I started writing funnier. And, over time, moved away from reading my work to looking up from the page and speaking directly to audiences. I told little stories. They told me stories in return. They put their stories on my head to carry (as Akan tellers say). And I have.
Adi, right after we met at Vermont College of Fine Arts you published STRANGE SWEET SONG, which I still remember, as it was a book I loved. How has your writing grown and changed since then?
AR: Yes, I was adoring your book FAITHFUL around the same time! I’d love to be able to say I’m a more efficient writer now, but I don’t think I can. I find the process still feels new for every book. Maybe that’s a good thing. Right now, I’m in my zany farm animal era.
Rebecca, did you hope that Adi would become a writer as well? How did it feel when she did?
RR: Nope. I hoped she’d be an engineer like her dad and have a steady income. It didn’t work out. Should have seen it coming. She’s been a writer since before she could read. Don’t tell her this, but she’s a lot like me.
And Adi, how did you feel about your mom’s work as you were growing up?
AR: I feel lucky that I got to grow up in a writing household, and amongst working writers. It instilled in me that writing is a job, worthy of dedicated time and practice. That it can belong at the top of the to-do list, not as an afterthought. I also appreciate how much my mom supported other writers; we were always going to readings. And when her first book came out—it was a party!
I know you both have books coming out this spring. Please tell readers what they are about, and when they’ll be out.
RR: My book is a picture book called Who Loves Blueberries? [illustrated by Arpita Choudhury].It’s about blueberries and the critters who love them. We have a camp near a blueberry barren in Downeast Maine. I pick a lot of blueberries, sometimes in extreme heat. One day, picking and very hot, the jingle for Nair depilatory came into my head. (Those of a certain age will remember it.) “Who loves short shorts? We love short shorts. If you dare wear short shorts, Nair for short shorts.” It morphed into “Who love blueberries?” I went back to camp and started writing.
AR: Ghost Chickens: Omelet from the Other Side [illustrated by Joelle Dreidemy] comes out September 1. It’s the first book in a very silly new middle grade series, and I’ve been having an absolute blast. It’s about a girl who eats a mysterious glowing egg that she finds in abandoned chicken coop in the dead of night, which enables her to see the unruly flock of ghost chickens that has invaded her house. She gets up to all kinds of shenanigans to try to convince her stubborn parents the house is infested with poultrygeists, and must eventually enlist the aid of the strange, sequin-wearing old lady who lives next door.
[Interviewer’s note: Adi raises chickens and her funny post about them was the one that caught my eye.] Do you plan to do any joint events and/or joint celebrations?
RR: Plans are formulating.
AR: We did a joint keynote at the Derry Author Fest in our home state of New Hampshire this spring. Nobody fell asleep or threw any tomatoes, so yeah, we’re going to take the act on the road!
Have the two of you ever collaborated on a book? If so, how was that? And if not, do you ever hope to?
RR: We’ve written plays together. No books. Yet.
AR: We wrote a murder mystery play, Murder Most Tasty, for a local theater group. It was dinner theater—very ridiculous and very fun. We may also have a book in the works. A folder with a label exists on Mum’s desk. So that’s step one.
Any last words about your family connection – how it has helped your careers to be able to share your art?
RR: It’s affirming to have another writer in the house. Also, Adi’s a great editor. She helps me see what it is I’m saying and how that might be different from what I want to say. Sometimes just sending her a draft helps me move forward.
AR: As an editor, my mom gets to the heart of things really fast. If I’m working out a sentence or a plot point, it helps me to imagine her reaction. I don’t think my career would exist without my mom.
Family Works
I love that closing bit because I feel the same way about working with my now adult son. That kind of collaboration is so fulfilling - as well as making for better art.
Any readers out there with similar relationships, or hope to?
Please keep writing those books, people.