Kampakis publishes 2nd book for mothers, daughters

It was while she was on tour with her first book, “10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know,” that Kari Kampakis came up with the idea for her second.

She noticed that mothers and teenage daughters who read her book kept asking the same questions.

“I thought most of their questions would be related to boys or self-esteem, and all their questions — I would say 95 percent — were related to friendships and issues they were having,” Kampakis said.

Kampakis, a Mountain Brook resident since 2002, has been writing since she was pregnant with her fourth daughter, who is now 10. She also has a widely read blog, karikampakis.com, and she writes a monthly faith-related opinion piece for Village Living. Even before she began her first novel, Kampakis said poetry and other writing was always something she did for fun.

“I can look back and see that maybe I should have always been a writer,” she said.

Her second book is “Liked: Whose Approval Are You Living For?” and it comes out later this month.

Kampakis said the book was about a year and a half in the making and covers many of the topics she frequently hears about from the mothers and daughters she meets: social media, friendship, personal identity and developing a deeper Christian faith.

Kampakis said she wants the book to be a bridge for moms and daughters to talk with each other about important things, and she feels one of the most valuable chapters is about insecurity and dealing with negative opinions from other people.

The advice and stories in the book came from her own life lessons as a mother, as well as conversations with other parents she knows. 

“I like to surround myself with smart people,” Kampakis said.

However, she also delved into her own memories of being a teenager and the feelings of jealousy or insecurity that persist even as an adult.

“If I’m feeling it at 44, then these girls are really going to be feeling it at 14, 15, 16,” Kampakis said.

Though she keeps a list of interesting stories, blog topics and other ideas as she comes across them, Kampakis said she’s not sure if she’ll immediately dive into a third book. 

She said she feels like she’s finished, at least for the moment, with topics addressing teen girls and is considering ideas about a book for mothers. However, first she wants to take a break, go to some events with her second book and see if inspiration strikes again from her conversations with readers.

“Liked: Whose Approval Are You Living For?” will be available Nov. 15 at all major book retailers, including Barnes and Noble and Amazon. Kampakis said she hopes to stock the book at Snoozy’s as well, since the store carried her first book. Go to liked-book.com for more information.