Alyssa Cole (born August 12, 1982) is an American author of

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

, and contemporary

romance novel A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...

s. Her stories include diverse casts of characters with a variety of professions, from Civil War spies to modern day epidemiologists. Her romance works explore both straight and gay relationships.

Career

Alyssa Cole began her writing career by publishing collections of short stories and novellas. Her stories tend to take place during important events in American history, including the

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...

, the Revolutionary War, and the

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the t ...

. Cole's Loyal League novels, a trilogy taking place with the backdrop of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, is represented by

Kensington Publishing Corporation Kensington Publishing Corp. is an American, New York-based publishing house founded in 1974 by Walter Zacharius (1923–2011)Grimes, William"Walter Zacharius, Romance Publisher, Dies at 87,"''New York Times'' (MARCH 7, 2011). and Roberta Bender ...

. Her Reluctant Royals novels, a contemporary romance series inspired by modern-day royalty, is represented by Avon Romance. Alyssa Cole has collaborated with other authors on anthologies. These authors include Rose Learner,

Courtney Milan Courtney Milan, a pseudonym for Heidi Bond, is a bestselling American author of historical romance, historical and contemporary romance novels. After releasing her first few books under a traditional publishing contract, Milan has self-published ...

, Lena Hart, Kianna Alexander, Piper Huguley, and Kate McMurray. At times, Cole has taken part in the month-long challenge of

National Novel Writing Month National Novel Writing Month (often shortened to NaNoWriMo ) is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that promotes creative writing around the world. Its flagship program is an annual, international creative writing event in which participants att ...

(NaNoWriMo) to encourage her writing habits and finish longer works. Cole's ''An Extraordinary Union'', published in 2017, won multiple awards, and her book ''A Princess in Theory'' was named one of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' most notable books of 2018. Her 2020 thriller novel ''When No One Is Watching'' garnered acclaim from critics. Cole is a prominent figure in the effort to increase the representation of black authors in the romance publishing industry. Her discussion for the need for diversity in the genre has occurred in convention panels and on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

. In late December 2019,

Romance Writers of America Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by incr ...

(RWA) suspended

, chair of the ethics committee, after other romance authors filed complaints with the RWA because she highlighted racist tropes in those authors' books on social media. With Milan's permission, Alyssa Cole made documents related to the dispute public on

Themes

Cole's writing often contains political and activist elements. One of her historical novel series takes place during the Civil War and contains heroines and heroes who are involved in important political events in American history. Another historical series, set in the American 1960s, sees Cole's characters in the middle of the

. Her contemporary novel, ''A Princess in Theory'', contains a hero who is a prince of a small, fictional African country that deals with advances and issues modeled after real life nations of similar size and geography.

Personal life

Cole mainly resides in the Caribbean island of

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

, but also spends a portion of her time in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. During the process of writing a character with

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inapp ...

, Cole discovered she also lived with the same diagnosis.

Bibliography

Awards

* 2019 - ''An Unconditional Freedom'' - The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romance Fiction *2019 - ''Once Ghosted Twice Shy'' - The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romance Fiction *2019 - ''A Prince on Paper'' - The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romance Fiction *2018 ''- An Extraordinary Union'' - American Library Association RUSA Best Romance *2017 - ''An Extraordinary Union'' - Vulture's 10 Best Romance Books of 2017 *2017 - ''An Extraordinary Union'' - Booklist Top 10 Romances 2017 *2017 - ''An Extraordinary Union'' - Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2017, Romance *2021 – '' When No One Is Watching'' –

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

for Best Paperback Original.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Alyssa 1982 births Living people Cole Alyssa Women romantic fiction writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century American novelists American women novelists African-American women writers 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women