About Alyssa

I'm so glad you're here. 
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Growing up, I read every book I could get my hands on and somehow talked my mom into letting me ride my bike to the local second-hand bookstore. I spent all of my allowance on paperbacks with yellowed pages. My favorite book was (and remains) Quest for A Maid by Frances Mary Hendry (also published by FSG Books for Young Readers).
 
It never occurred to me that I could be an author. I assumed everyone who wrote books was either old, dead, or both. My greatest ambition was to be in the Sea Lion and Otter Show at Sea World. Alas, I loathed the smell of dead fish, so I had to look for other career options. 
 
It wasn’t until I moved to Los Angeles as an adult that I started writing books. I took some classes at UCLA Extension and wrote my first novel which will no-way-never-ever be published. It taught me a lot though and I tried again. That second novel turned out to be The Gilded Girl. Then I wrote The Tarnished Garden and another book that I love but probably won’t be published. That’s the way it goes sometimes. But I kept writing and my latest novel, Where Only Storms Grow, will be published on August 18th, 2025.
 
I now live in Virginia with my husband, two daughters, and our dog, Daisy. When I’m not writing or thinking about books, I enjoy trying new recipes and attempting to build things around the house with moderately-scary power tools. When I’m lucky enough to travel, I love learning about history around the world. Stories really are everywhere. Thank you for reading mine. 
 
I use she/her pronouns.
Above Photo credit: Christina Gandolfo
​Photos and marketing information may be reprinted for publicity purposes.
​Short Bio for Promo/Events:
Alyssa Colman is the author of Where Only Storms Grow (2025), The Tarnished Garden, and The Gilded Girl, which won the 2021 Northern Lights Book Award for middle grade fantasy and was a Bank Street Best Book of the Year. Publishers Weekly called the story “a thoughtful and imaginative exploration of friendship, internal change, and perseverance” in a starred review. Alyssa lives in northern Virginia with her family. 
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Fun Facts About Alyssa

  •  Alyssa is left handed.
  • She has lived in five states: California (three times), North Carolina (twice), New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. She also briefly lived in Washington, DC, but that is technically not a state.
  • Her favorite foods are apricots and raspberries.
  • Alyssa has had many odd jobs before becoming an author. Notably, she worked as a caretaker for a flying squirrel colony, a waitress in a tie-dye friendly seafood restaurant, a golf pro shop attendant, a camp counselor, and a house manager for an off-Broadway theater. 
  • She loves pie of any type except banana. Key lime is probably her favorite but apple is pretty great too. 
  • When she's not writing, Alyssa is usually walking with her dog, Daisy.
    • Daisy is a Mini-Australian Shepherd mixed with something else. Probably Spaniel or Retriever, but it might also be a Swiffer because everything sticks to her coat.​
Downloadable Author Headshot for Publicity Purposes
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Downloadable THE GILDED GIRL Cover
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Downloadable THE TARNISHED GARDEN Cover
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