Kami Kinard Talks About Her 'Boy Project'

Kami Kinard started 2012 in style. The young adult author's first book, "The Boy Project" was published on January 1. The story follows one Kara McAllister, a seventh-grader who goes about getting a boyfriend in the same way one might complete a science assignment. But, Kara soons finds that her endeavor will prove a bit more complicated than her biology homework.

Kinard, a Camden native, has been touring since the book was published, and she'll be appearing at tomorrow morning and then she'll be at Fiction Addiction on Woodruff Road from 3:30-5:30 p.m. "The Boy Project" has been reviewed in Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus, among other publications.

Kinard spent some time talking with Mauldin Patch about her book and what inspired it.

MP: How did you arrive at the theme and plot elements for "The Boy Project?"

KK: I arrived at the theme by reading my old diaries. It was kind of hard to miss the I wish I had a boyfriend theme when I said it on every page! But the plot was harder. Novels require action, not just characters pining for something. So I had to think of a framework for Kara to work within. Because science fairs are almost universal to middle schools, this seemed like a good framework for the plot.

MP: What prompted you to save your old diaries?  

KK: I saved my old diaries because I have the unfortunate tendency to never throw anything away!

MP: How cringe-worthy was it to read those diaries so many years later?

KK: It was actually pretty funny to read them later. You'll notice my book is catagorized as humor. They were full of poems, drawings, lists, and extreme exaggerations. So I kind of laughed my way through them.

MP: What was the hardest part of writing the book?

KK: The hardest part was doing a revision where I changed the book’s format. Originally every page was set up as a boy-observation page, but I changed this to a more diary-like format and inserted notecards. Redoing the whole book took about six months. The easiest? The easiest part was the first draft! Once I got the idea, the words just poured out.

MP: How did you research the book?

KK: I just gave a talk about this! Here are some of the ways I researched:

• Reading my old diaries
• Listening to what kids said in my car while carpooling
• Talking to middle school students
• Reading teen magaziness like Tiger Beat
• Using the internet to learn more about track meets

MP: What writers and authors influenced you?

KK: Honestly, I think every good author I’ve ever read has influenced me, because they all made me want to write, and to write well. For humor writing I love Carl Hiaasen. Now that’s a writer who knows how to think outside of the box! I also love Jeff Kinney. I think he influenced me because he brought attention to the fact that we need to learn to laugh at those difficult middle school years.

MP: What do you hope readers will take away from the book?

KK: I hope that the readers will be able to identify with Kara, who finds confidence in herself, and I hope they will find that confidence too.