Thanks so much for the positive response to my last author interview. I'm back with another one! This one is with the lovely Liara Tamani. If you don't already follow her then you need to! She is @liaratamani on both Twitter and IG.
If you're looking for a cute teen romance read for the summer or know any Black teens who need one I suggest you pre-order her book All the Things We Never Knew. It's already getting amazing reviews. And if you pre-order through West Houston's favorite bookship you get cool swag
And yes I will be reading her book and giving you my review in time for the release date. In the mean time she was kind enough to answer a few questions.
What has it been like releasing a book during a pandemic?
I can’t say it’s been great. All the book conferences and events leading up to my release have been cancelled as well as my in-person book tour events. But with that being said, so many people are suffering in these times. People are sick and dying. People are losing their jobs and homes and struggling to feed their families. Not being able to properly promote my book is nothing in comparison. Plus I’m just happy All the Things We Never Knew will be out in the world. I’m sure it will find its audience.
In your own words what is All the Things We Never Knew about?
It’s the love story between two Houston-area high school basketball players who fall for each other hard and fast, but experience lots of ups and downs as they navigate their own family issues and secrets.
Rex craves love. He might be a superstar basketball player (everyone calls him the next LeBron), but he’s incredibly lonely. An only child, his mother died giving birth to him and his father rarely talks to him. He’s carried the blame of his mother’s death with him his whole life. When he meets Carli, he feels all the love he’s ever wanted to feel; but years of being hurt don’t disappear overnight.
Carli is a fierce, artistic girl, who’s very curious about the world. Most of her life has been idyllic: two parents who love her and a brother who’s one of her closest friends. But her parents are suddenly getting divorced and she and her brother must decide who to live with. To make matters worse, she secretly wants to quit basketball, and has no idea what dream to replace it with. She feels completely lost and looks for signs from the Universe for answers. But the only sign she’s gotten lately is the one that points to Rex. But of course a boy is never the only answer.
All the Things We Never Knew is a story about first love⎯it’s messiness, tenderness, and bliss. But it’s also a book about family secrets and pain, and two teenagers getting to know and love themselves despite it.
I’m seeing more Black romance stories in YA than I’ve ever seen before. How important was it for you to tell a story featuring Black teens? Have you read any of the other ones being released this year?
I’m happy that Carli and Rex and their families are in the world as examples of some of the billions (and ever-expanding) ways of being Black in this world. And I’m happy that their story is one of love. All Black stories are important. The media often likes to focus on our pain. But of course Black people, like all people, experience the full spectrum of what it means to be human, including love. Love is a huge part of the human experience. I’d argue the most important part. Not just romantic love, but familial love, love between friends, love of work, and of course love of self. All those loves are woven into All the Things We Never Knew.
I haven’t read a teen romance by a Black author released this year, but Nicola Yoon’s The Sun is Also A Star is one of my favorites and I’m looking forward to Now That I’ve Found You, by Kristina Forest. I think it releases August 25th so only a couple more months to wait.
How does your Houston background inspire your writing?
I’m definitely an H-town girl. I’ve lived all over the country as an adult (and I think California would actually be my favorite place to live because of its free-spirited culture). But I was raised here, and Houston will always be my home. It’s been the setting of my first two books, and I’ve taken pride in representing this city and its culture. A lot of writers are from the east or west coast. So Los Angeles and New York both get a lot of play in terms of setting. But Houston definitely has its own flavor, a flavor worth highlighting and exploring, and I’ve been happy to give people a little taste. Haha…I couldn’t resist that line.
Does having a daughter influence the stories you want to write?
I wrote All the Things We Never Knew for my daughter, but she won’t know it until she’s much, much older. Or maybe not at all. I don’t think every book I write will be like that, though. I’ve written my first two books to heal parts of myself that were in need of healing. And in the case of All the Things We Never Knew, some of those parts in need of healing just so happen to line up with things I want her to know about life and love.
But I think that alignment will be rare. I also write to explore new things and to be in places and with characters I want to spend time learning about. While I hope my daughter can pick of any of my books one day and be proud of my work, maybe even inspired or entertained, it would be hard for me to cater my artistic pursuits to her. I have to write what moves me, what will keep me coming to the page day after day.
That being said, I’m happy my books are in the world for her.
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