Liara Tamani, debut author of CALLING MY NAME, on getting out of the cycle of ruthless academic achievement to find her passion, shedding old belief systems, fighting against the guilt and shame instilled in girls at very young ages, and the importance of numbers to her creative life.

Liara Tamani Show Notes

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Girlfriends (TV show)

Courtney Summers (listen to her First Draft episode here or read the transcript)

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks

SOLD by Patricia McCormick

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (listen to her First Draft interview here)

Alone with All That Could Happen: Rethinking Conventional Wisdom about the Craft of Fiction by David Jauss (writing craft)

The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White