Kimberly Ann Harrison is no stranger to the television world, with credits on Criminal Minds, Law & Order: Organized Crime and the upcoming Hulu series Washington Black starring Sterling K. Brown. The book-adapted television series highlights adventure, challenges and understanding love, family and freedom.

“Black Boy Joy and this Peter Pan like experience that Washington Black takes you on was what definitely attracted me to the project,” the executive producer tells The Hollywood Reporter of the series. “I want audiences to really just dream because [George Washington Black] dreamed beyond what his eyes could see and it took him on an adventure around the world, something that is unheard of.”

Now Harrison is stepping into the role of an author with her debut novel, Beyond the Paddock, available now. To craft the novel, Harris uses themes of found family and mentorship to tell the story of two teenagers who become equestrians.

“We all come from a place where we all kind of have that coming of age and we’re questioning our identity” she says. “We’re trying to find ourselves and how our friends sometimes play a bigger role than our blood family.”

The story centers on brothers Julian and Cameron, adrenaline junkies who have stints of being moved around in the foster care system. Originally set in Inglewood, California, as the story unfolds, the duo are moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where their love for street race car driving turns into a passion for riding horses.

Brotherly love is existential to Julian and Cameron’s story, who evolve from experiences that shape their identity through challenges in new environments. “I really wanted Julian and Cameron to embrace this change and understand that it is okay to think outside of the box,” she says. “It’s okay to take a step in this direction and let’s see where it takes you.”

THR caught up with the EP and author to discuss her debut novel, bucking the status quo, embracing change and how music played a big role in telling the story.

I really enjoyed Beyond the Paddock. It brought me into this world of equestrians and it was so cool to see Black people in this space.

Exactly. It’s a space we wanted to really explore. Given my boys [Julian and Cameron] are getting into the sport, I just wanted to kind of ease the world into a way of seeing this sport through a different lens.

The book is a coming-of-age story that highlights the importance of mentorship, found family and second chances. Why was that important for you to tell a story with those themes?

I had a great time with Beyond the Paddock, and those themes are really important themes that we all deal with. We all come from a place where we all kind of have that coming of age and we’re questioning our identity. We’re trying to find ourselves and how our friends sometimes play a bigger role than our blood family, so I just really wanted to explore those really profound themes that we kind of all go through growing up in life.

It’s so interesting to see how each person deals with those themes and notice the difference in Julian and Cameron’s personalities. They are opposites, but they work so well together. Why did you want to show this specific familial dynamic?

Absolutely, they’re completely different folks. Completely different personalities and completely different reasons that really drive them, and I felt like it was really important to stay true to these personalities because that’s what makes it so unique. You have these two boys that are so different, yet bringing their own self to this sport and keeping with their personalities and not afraid to wear mismatch socks, not afraid to just bring a piece of themselves. I really wanted to carry that through with the music, with the way that they dressed and the way that their personalities were.

The original setting in the book was Inglewood, California. Are there any personal ties to the setting of it all?

The foster system is very important to my family and I really wanted to platform that and just really show folks the inner workings of that. And I’m [also] really familiar with the Los Angeles foster system, so giving folks a behind the scenes view of that is really important. But also to see these boys where they grew up in their element and [offer] this fish out of water type [story] by dropping them into Kentucky, I think where they started from and then ultimately where we end up seeing them land at the end of the book is really important to this journey. [It was important] really seeing and believing outside of what is the norm and what we think other people want us to do, or what we are supposed to do.

What message do you hope gets across to your audience by highlighting the foster care system?

That you’re always writing. You write your own story. Don’t ever let anyone write your story for you and I think that’s what I really wanted Julian and Cameron to carry through. It’s like we’re here and getting a front row seat to these two teenage boys, writing their own story, writing their own future.

Julian and Cameron got plucked out of Inglewood and into Lexington, and transformed as a result. Can you speak to that journey?

I think for the boys, leaving LA forced them to just take a look at their identity and that’s where they started to grow with that Kentucky bluegrass. They just really started to grow with this found family around them and I think that was really important and something that they might have lacked here in Los Angeles but in Kentucky it was something that they were really open to. I think a lot of times we tend to resist stuff that is unknown [because] we are not too familiar with it and it turns into fear. I really wanted Julian and Cameron to embrace this change and understand that it is okay to think outside of the box. It’s okay to take a step in this direction and let’s see where it takes you. And for them it took them straight to the Olympics.

There is a juxtaposition of race cars and race horses where the boys are still drawn to things that were similar in some way, but different or more elevated. Why did you choose to use those two things as a growth point but also tension for them?

They are adrenaline junkies. In Los Angeles that is how they got that out and it was kind of wild and uncaged. But when they get to Kentucky, they learn how to control that. Walter really takes them under his wings and really shows them how to control that horsepower. So it’s about them evolving. It’s not about them putting that need for that adrenaline away, it’s about knowing how to use it. And I think that’s the growth that they really take away from their experience with Walter.

I think originally the boys resisted Walter’s mentorship and guidance a little bit. What is the importance of showing that it’s okay to receive help through mentorship?

They are teens and so there is that resistance, but they saw that someone cared. They saw someone was there to listen. They saw how much Reign just risked it all to bring them to Kentucky and how Walter is investing his time and sees the potential in them. I really wanted to show what it looks like when you have a village that really believes in you and how far that village, no matter how big or small, can take you and how that can change someone’s lives. And that’s what it does for Julian and Cameron.

Why did you want Reign to be very impromptu with her decision of “I’ll take them, I’ll keep them temporarily” and wind up keeping them long term?

[It was] about keeping family together. I think Reign got into this type of work because of her heart. It’s about keeping families together and no matter how you feel about what families need to be together, she wanted these boys to remain together. If they’re going to remain in the system, she wanted them to remain together. And even if that means her having to step in and that’s what she did. So I think for her, and for many of us, family is extremely important and keeping us all together, does matter.

Why did you want to name each chapter after a song?

Each chapter is meant to be a mix tape. Every song is an emotion that the boys are going through in this particular chapter and moment. So in the beginning of the book, it’s a lot of West Coast and that evolves just like they’re evolving. Their love life is evolving [and] their first heartbreak. There’s so many different emotions and what better way to do that and tell that story to accompany it than through music? Each one of those song choices definitely thematically ties to the boys and what they’re kind of going through at that time.

When it comes to music specifically, why do you think we’re so drawn to it even if it’s subconsciously?

I think there’s the motivation, but also it feels like home. For Julian and Cameron, music connected them back to LA, connected them back to their friends and just back to the world that they miss, even though they are finding their new home in Kentucky, they do miss it.

There was a quote in the book that read, “You couldn’t talk about cowboys without mentioning Black folks.” Can you explain the history behind that statement?

Now we’re hearing about the Black boys being part of the conversation where before that wasn’t even something that we really spoke about. I wanted to be able to infuse our history in there where it is due. And I think that is able to be spoken through Walter because he is walking history and understanding our history as we’re kind of digging deeper and searching into African-Americans or our Black folks and cowboys and our connection to horses. We’re just constantly revealing another layer of this whole community that once was so profound, especially in the horse racing world. I just love to be able to dig that up and kind of bring that to folks’ attention, to let them know we play a big part in this whole sport.

I thought it was kind of like a passing of the baton with Walter being the elder and then bringing the boys in and helping them become a part of this world. Was that intentional or did you just want it to be a new hobby for them in the sake of doing something different?

It was definitely intentional. I think Walter, from the moment he kind of saw the boys, saw an opportunity that if you are prepared, you can prepare them the proper way, give them the right guidance. There’s no reason why they cannot compete like everyone else in this sport. So I think for Walter, it was an opportunity to really kind of get it right where he might have fumbled a little bit with Reign [and] these boys. For him, the Boys and Reign, it’s all about second chances for the boys, a second chance at life for Walter, a second chance to kind of get things right and, for Reign, a second chance to have a relationship with her father.

How did your sons inspire you to make this book?

It was spot on as far as personalities for sure. My boys got into horse jumping back in 2020 and it was a way to kind of help them with their ADHD and wanting to get them off of the medication. I call it the 1500 pound pill that ended up being what got them off their medication and being the driving force in their lives now. Now five years in and they’re the only African-American boys that you really see in the show ring. For me, this book is not just a dedication to them, but I want it to be a bridge to people of all communities that if there’s a fear, [this book will] unlock it. Read the book and you’ll be introduced to this whole other world that we all belong to and is ever evolving.

The descriptions of the sport in the book were very thorough. Were those actual equestrian terminologies and different play by plays?

Absolutely, down to the T. It’s really important to be authentic because I want people to be able to learn as well. I’m learning still. The boys and I had never been around horses prior to them back in 2020, so now that we are there at the show ring, I really wanted people to be able to read the book and be able to walk away and have some type of terminology and be able to watch these shows and say,” I know what they’re doing, I know what that means.”

I think having a proper escape could really help people who are battling any disorders or specifically ADHD like your sons. How do you recommend going about pursuing that?

I would recommend just reading up a bit and get some foundations because normally when you jump into a sport that is a lot more very exclusive, people don’t really want to talk about it, don’t want to share, have a little bit of information and then just go to the local barn or local pool and just ask to walk a horse. Just being near them will change your life.

A part two of Beyond the Paddock has been teased. Is there anything that you can share? The tease says it’s going to be set in 2028 Olympics and that’s quickly approaching.

I can tease and say that the boys will leave Kentucky to Florida. That’s what I will give you. The bigger circuit. The show is not over.

We are in the era of book adaptations where people are creating movies and TV series. Would you like to see this story adapted for screen?

I would love it. It would be such an honor and I just feel like the world would love it. I think seeing this Black Boy Joy displayed on a horse is beautiful and fun and such a vibe. I think it’s a vibe that really hasn’t been explored.

Would you have your sons directly involved in that in any capacity?

For sure. They ride every day. Absolutely.

What are you hoping to achieve from audience reception of the Washington Black series that you executive produced?

Selwyn Hinds was the creator that adapted the book, but the connection to Black Boy Joy and this Peter Pan like experience that Washington Black takes you on was what definitely attracted me to the project.

I’m hoping the audiences understand what Black Boy Joy means when we say it and just allow themselves to go on this magical adventure where Washington Black is learning stuff from these adults and these adults are learning stuff from him. I want audiences to really just dream because this boy dreamed beyond what his eyes could see and it took him on an adventure around the world, something that is unheard of. I would love for audiences to leave after seeing Washington Black and just dream bigger than what they’re already dreaming.

I think creating that space in media starts the conversation of little Black boys horse riding, as seen in your book, and in the STEM field having these vivid imaginations in Washington Black. Why do you think as it stands now, it’s not highlighted as much?

I think it’s not highlighted as much because we haven’t seen it. We need to see it more and I think shows like Washington Black, you’re going to look at this show and you’re going to definitely crave more. And I think us as creators have to just keep bringing our stories to the screen.

How closely do you stick to the book for this series? What can viewers expect?

I think viewers will feel satisfied. We stuck to the book very closely. We do have some turns in there, but we did take some creative liberty. But the spine, the heart of the book is definitely in the series.

What was that process like being on set having your executive producer hat on and bringing this to life? How closely did you work with actor and fellow EP Sterling K. Brown?

It was fantastic to work with Sterling. I think this is the first time that I was able to work with talent as an executive producer and it was priceless. It was a learning experience for me to be able to partner with Sterling like that, just the way that he was able to talk to the cast and just really step up as a producer. It was fantastic and it was a great partnership and it was a great experience.

Why should readers read Beyond the Paddock?

It is definitely a vibe. It is an amazing summer read and it will definitely introduce you to a world that you’ve never seen before through the lens of two Black boys and you’ll get to experience a slice of Black Boy Joy.

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Beyond the Paddock is available now.