Alyssa Colman: Author & Speaker
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    • The Gilded Girl
    • The Tarnished Garden
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News

2/23/2021

 

Exciting Review from Publisher's Weekly

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"Colman’s class-interested debut offers both homage to and a fanciful spin on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess. In a world in which only the wealthy wield magic and those who can’t afford the hefty registration price must snuff theirs, 12-year-old Emma Harris is so close to her Kindling—full control of her magic—that she can taste it. Her magical education, however, is sorely lacking, prompting her magical architect father to enroll her at the elite New York City boarding school for young ladies. While she finds her studies difficult, introverted Emma quickly makes friends, thanks to her father’s fame and fortune. Izzy, the school’s only maid, is of Kindling age as well; though her magic must lawfully be snuffed, she has other plans. The girls’ worlds collide when Emma’s father dies and the school’s headmistress indentures her to pay her outstanding tuition. What follows is a thoughtful and imaginative exploration of friendship, internal change, and perseverance told in alternating voices and anchored in an enticingly crafted alternate turn-of-the-century New York.  Ages 8–12."

https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-374-31393-7

News

2/19/2021

 

Announcing BOOK 2: THE TARNISHED GARDEN

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I’m very excited to announce the title of my second middle grade novel: THE TARNISHED GARDEN.

This companion novel to THE GILDED GIRL is a loose retelling of The Secret Garden. It follows a character who will be familiar to Gilded Girl readers. I’ll tell you more about the plot soon and I look forward to sharing it with all of you on April 5, 2022!

News

2/10/2021

 

A Lovely Review from Kirkus Books

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​I'm thrilled to share that THE GILDED GIRL received its first review. Thank you to Kirkus Reviews for this lovely write up!

Here is a link and the full review is below: 

"A young magician learns about social justice the hard way. Twelve-year-old Emma Harris is the new girl at posh Miss Posterity’s Academy for Practical Magic, where she will learn to kindle, a complicated process in which elite girls undergo a Kindling Ceremony to harness their magical abilities. The setting is early-1900s Manhattan, with a twist—the wealthy have powers that give them all they need or desire while the poor are snuffed, or deprived of their magic. Emma, whose Mama is dead, has a close bond with her Papa, a brilliant magitect whose high expectations she hopes to live up to. When disaster strikes, Emma is summarily deprived of her wealthy trappings and forced into servitude by the mercenary, two-faced Miss Posterity. Determined to avoid the workhouse, Emma buckles down and is befriended by the school maid, Izzy O’Donnell. Aided by house dragon Figgy, the girls hatch a plot to kindle themselves and escape. Emma’s true personality comes to the fore in extremis, and she learns compassion for others, regardless of class. With plenty of drama and heroic rescues, this fantasy holds a lot of appeal for magic-loving readers, including fun touches like bland food that becomes delicious with the touch of a crystal and rooms that move around, Hogwarts style. Main characters are White; some secondary characters reflect the diversity of New York City. Fast-paced and warmhearted with a satisfying conclusion. (Fantasy. 8-13)"

    Recent & Upcoming Events

    2025 

    Monday, May 

    Thursday, May 22nd 
    6:30 PM 
    Writing & Publishing Panel at Middleburg Books in Middleburg, VA
    Tickets Here 

    Monday, May 19th 
    7:00 PM
    Writing & Publishing Panel at Old Town Books in Alexandria, VA
    Tickets Here

    August 19 - WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW releases (Launch event details TBD)

    Saturday, September 13th
    2:00 PM
    Fairfax County Public Library Event in Oakton, VA
    Details TBD 

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  • About
  • Books
    • Where Only Storms Grow
    • The Gilded Girl
    • The Tarnished Garden
  • Author Visits
    • Teaching Resources
  • Newsletter
  • News & Events
  • Contact