Q&a: Laura Gao, Creator Of ‘kirby’s Lessons For Falling (in Love)’

We chat with author and illustrator Laura Gao about Kirby’s Lessons For Falling (In Love), which is an authentic slow-burn romance and coming-of-age story perfect for fans of Heartstopper, lovers of astrology and tarot, and anyone looking for answers on the right way to fall (in love).  PLUS we have a little sneak peek at the end of the interview for you!

Hi, Laura! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hey! I’m the author and illustrator of Kirby’s Lessons for Falling (In Love) and Messy Roots, a comics professor at California College of the Arts, and living proof that doodling on your Geometry homework can indeed get you somewhere in life! Though I grew up in China and Texas, I currently live in San Francisco with my partner, who I fell for (literally) while rock climbing.

When did you first discover your love for stories and illustrating?

I read a ton as a kid—when you’re from a working-class immigrant family, the public library doubles as your second home and daycare. Comics and illustrated books like Peanuts, Geronimo Stilton, and Pokémon manga helped me pick up English. I was obsessed with Pokémon games. But my parents weren’t convinced my future as a “Pokémon Master” was worth the price-tag of a Nintendo DS, so I made my own “choose your own adventure” versions and forced my friends to play. That was probably my first-ever story!

Your latest graphic novel, Kirby’s Lessons for Falling (In Love) is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Rock climbing, astrology, queer chaos.

What can readers expect?

No-nonsense rock climbing star Kirby Tan (aka the Queen of Balance) takes a tumble—off the climbing wall and into an astrology-based love advice column. Cue hijinks, heartbreak, and a whole lot of falling (in more ways than one).

Where did the inspiration for Kirby’s Lessons for Falling (In Love) come from?

This book is inspired by everything I’ve learned—and am still learning—about love and loss.

After Messy Roots came out, readers often asked how I reconciled my queer identity with my conservative, religious immigrant family. The truth was… I hadn’t. My parents feared their Chinese church community would abandon them because of my book—the same people who had housed us when we first arrived in Texas, celebrated our milestones, and cooked us extra stewed pork and nian gao when my mom had cancer. Despite our church family’s unwavering love, my parents were afraid of losing everything.

That’s when it hit me.

For as long as I’d been hiding in my own closet, my parents had also been masquerading as perfect, infallible parents. But we all fall short. What matters most is how we climb back up.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

Kirby and Bex’s dynamic was so fun to write—love is awkward and embarrassing, yet magnetic. You want to both die in a hole yet be around this person 24/7 at the same time.

I also loved writing James. On the outside, he’s this goody-two-shoes PK (Pastor’s Kid). But he’s got plenty of his own expectations and demons to overcome.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing and illustrating? How did you overcome them?

Nope! Everything was perfect! *Eye twitches.*

This was my first time attempting a fiction novel, and I scrapped three completely different drafts before landing on this one. One was a fantasy about child soldiers with powers granted by their zodiac animals. Another had anthropomorphic forest creatures. Yes, you read that correctly.

After Messy Roots, I wanted to do something wildly different. But in the process, I lost the heart of my writing—authentic, personal connections. So, I scrapped everything and went back to my roots. No more gimmicks. No more flying, Emperor-busting teen warriors (though I might revisit that in the future).

I thought about the kinds of stories I was obsessed with growing up. In particular, Saving Face by Alice Wu, was the first movie I ever saw featuring queer Asian female leads. Yes, the main character had a coming out arc. Yes, there were some steamy moments (that kiss scene literally rewired my brain). But what I loved most were the complexities and faults between the mother and daughter relationship. While the daughter was trying to hide her queerness, the mother had a secret of her own that would tear apart their Chinese community. Despite this, both sides tried not to burden the other. It reminded me of my own relationship with my mom.

That’s when I knew I was on the right path.

Can you tell us a bit about your process when it came to illustrating this graphic novel?

There were two things I knew for sure I wanted in this book: 1) I wanted to write a queer romance. 2. I wanted to include astrology and faith since they were a big part of my childhood.

Whenever I script out a graphic novel, I’ll visualize the scenes in my head like a movie. For this book, I saw a mix between Portrait of a Lady on Fire (soft, vintage indie vibes) and Love, Simon (bold, colorful chaos). That inspired the limited palette color scheme.

The accent color is a rosy peach pink—a nod to Kirby (the video game), sapphic love, and also my younger self. Growing up, I hated everything about the color pink. It represented the “girly” box society had tried to force me into. But now? I wear it all the time. Life is too short to deprive myself of a beautiful color simply because I wanted to stick it to gender norms. That’s the energy I wanted for this book. Every character is grappling with how to balance society’s expectations with their own desires.

Like a lyric by a screamo punk band in the book: “There ain’t nothing more metal than loving who you want.”

What’s next for you?

I’m taking a short break from writing to focus on teaching my Writing Comics course at California College of the Arts! But I have a few dystopian murder mysteries brewing in my pocket…

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?

Katabasis by R. F. Kuang!

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