Thanks to encouragement from her elementary school teacher, Calanda began. her writing journey. Each year she was selected to represent her elementary school, at the " Young Authors Conference" at the University of Alabama. Calanda joined forces with one of her middle school classmates, Jaquelyn. Together they created many short stories. Calanda continued her passion for writing and developed several short stories, a play, and a script. Recently published her book, 'A Southern Family's Secret'. She enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her family in her spare time.