Q&A with Liara Tamani

Liara Tamani is the author of the new young adult novel All the Things We Never Knew. She also has written the YA novel Calling My Name. She lives in Houston.

 

Q: How did you come up with the idea for All the Things We Never Knew, and for your characters Carli and Rex?

A: The idea for All the Things We Never Knew came from my own life. Things that I’ve felt and experienced ended up on the page in reimagined, reconstructed ways.

I spotted my first love at a high school basketball tournament, where we shared a very intense moment of attraction. A couple of weeks later, I had my gallbladder removed. The day after surgery, I snuck out of the house to see the boy I’d eye-locked with play a game at my school. Painful, but totally worth it because that night was the beginning of our three-year romance.

But Carli and Rex’s story is not mine. Their story came to me over time. I was more than halfway through writing the book before I got to know either one of them completely. So I had to go back and add a lot to fill them out and connect their journeys with the larger themes developing in the book.

Themes like self-healing, self-discovery, and creating your own destiny. Even when two people feel a strong, instant connection like Carli and Rex do, it doesn’t mean their relationship will automatically work out. So much more goes into a relationship than the initial spark. Family histories go into it. People’s relationships with themselves go into it. And the actions of both lovers will determine where they end up.

Q: The book alternates between Carli's and Rex's perspectives. Did you write the novel in the order in which it appears, or did you focus more on one character before turning to the other?

A: Yes, I wrote the book in chronological order. I inhabited both characters pretty easily and found it quite emotional going back and forth. I felt like I was living through the ups and downs of their relationship right along with them. The highs of falling in love and sharing yourself with another person. And the lows of confusion and betrayal. I cried many times while writing. Happy tears and sad tears.

Q: Why did you choose basketball as a big part of your characters' lives?

A: Basketball is the backdrop because it has been a big part of my life. I played basketball throughout high school (even though, like Carli, I didn’t want to). And I come from a basketball family. My father and brother played in college. My sister and all my cousins played in high school.

I’ve also given this story a basketball backdrop because it provides a good access point into the deeper elements of the story. There are many student athletes out there who will easily relate to Carli and Rex. But once they get into the book, they’ll soon realize Carli and Rex’s story is about so much more than basketball. Even readers who have absolutely no interest in sports will be able to enjoy the love story.

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

A: The power of love. Not just romantic love, but the love of family and friends (inherited or created), the love of our work, the love we give to the world, and most importantly the love we have for ourselves. All of the love we experience has the power to shape our lives. Each decision we make in these relationships (with others and ourselves) will help determine our destinies.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: It’s a little early to talk about in detail, but I’m working on another YA novel that centers on a girl from Texas who’s reimagining herself and her place in the world. Love plays a big role in her journey, too.

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: My debut novel, Calling My Name, is very different from All the Things We Never Knew but shares a poetic style.

Written in a series of vignettes and short stories(similar in style to The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros), Calling My Name is the story of a girl from Houston, Texas, growing up in a very religious home, trying to find her own sense of spirituality. Her name is Taja and she’s one of the bravest girls I know.

Also, if you are a librarian or educator, I am currently doing Zoom visits. You can reach me at www.liaratamani.com.

--Interview with Deborah Kalb