Alyssa Cole
Born (1982-08-12) August 12, 1982
Bronx, New York
OccupationNovelist
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
GenreRomance fiction, Historical romance, science fiction
Years active2014–present
Notable worksAn Extraordinary Union
A Princess in Theory
When No One Is Watching
Website
www.alyssacole.com

Alyssa Cole (born August 12, 1982) is an American author of historical, science fiction, and contemporary romance novels. Her stories include diverse casts of characters with a variety of professions, from Civil War spies[1] to modern day epidemiologists.[2] Her romance works explore both straight and gay relationships.[3]

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 Revolutionary War, and the Harlem Renaissance.[4]

Cole's Loyal League novels, a trilogy taking place with the backdrop of the American Civil War, is represented by Kensington Publishing Corporation.[4] Her Reluctant Royals novels, a contemporary romance series inspired by modern-day royalty, is represented by Avon Romance.[5]

Alyssa Cole has collaborated with other authors on anthologies. These authors include Rose Learner, Courtney Milan,[6] Lena Hart, Kianna Alexander, Piper Huguley,[7] and Kate McMurray.[8] At times, Cole has taken part in the month-long challenge of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) to encourage her writing habits and finish longer works.[4]

Cole's An Extraordinary Union, published in 2017,[9][10][11][12] won multiple awards, and her book A Princess in Theory was named one of The New York Times most notable books of 2018.[13][14] Her 2020 thriller novel When No One Is Watching garnered acclaim from critics.[15]

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.[14]

In late December 2019, Romance Writers of America (RWA) suspended Courtney Milan, 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 Twitter.[16][17][18]

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.[19] Another historical series, set in the American 1960s, sees Cole's characters in the middle of the civil rights movement.[20] 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.[19]

Personal life

Cole was born in the Bronx, and spent her childhood there and in Jersey City.[21]

Cole mainly resides in the Caribbean island of Martinique,[7] but also spends a portion of her time in New York City.[6]

During the process of writing a character with ADHD, Cole discovered she also lived with the same diagnosis.[22][23]

Bibliography

Title Series Publication Year ISBN/ASIN
Sweet to the Taste 2014 B00IJYGP76
For Love & Liberty: Untold love stories of the American Revolution 2014 9781941885017
Eagle's Heart 2014 B00HZ6CJVA
Radio Silence Off the Grid #1 2015 9781539664666
Signal Boost Off the Grid #2 2015 9781539694663
Mixed Signals Off the Grid #3 2015 9781539712565
The Brightest Day: A Juneteenth Historical Romance Anthology 2015 9781519616470
Be Not Afraid 2016 9781530675029
Let it Shine 2016 9781530758067
Agnes Moor's Wild Knight 2016 9781530771561
Daughters of a Nation: A Black Suffragette Historical Romance Anthology 2016 9781941885345
Let Us Dream 2017 9781544766195
An Extraordinary Union The Loyal League #1 2017 9781496707444
Hamilton's Battalion: A Trio of Romances 2017 9781977530691
A Hope Divided The Loyal League #2 2017 9781496707468
A Princess in Theory Reluctant Royals #1 2018 9780062685544
A Duke by Default Reluctant Royals #2 2018 9780062685568
Bingo Love Volume 1: Jackpot Edition 2018 9781534310247
Once Ghosted, Twice Shy Reluctant Royals #2.5 2019 9780062931870
An Unconditional Freedom The Loyal League #3 2019 9781496707482
Can't Escape Love Reluctant Royals #2.6 2019 9781982649012
A Prince on Paper Reluctant Royals #3 2019 9780062685582
The A.I. Who Loved Me 2019 B07WQYP9MM
How to Catch a Queen Runaway Royals #1 2020 9780062933966
When No One Is Watching 2020 9780062982650
How to Find a Princess Runaway Royals #2 2021 9780062934000

Awards

  • 2019 - An Unconditional Freedom - The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romance Fiction[24]
  • 2019 - Once Ghosted Twice Shy - The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romance Fiction[24]
  • 2019 - A Prince on Paper - The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romance Fiction[24]
  • 2018 - An Extraordinary Union - American Library Association RUSA Best Romance[9]
  • 2017 - An Extraordinary Union - Vulture's 10 Best Romance Books of 2017[10]
  • 2017 - An Extraordinary Union - Booklist Top 10 Romances 2017[11]
  • 2017 - An Extraordinary Union - Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2017, Romance[12]
  • 2021 – When No One Is Watching – Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original.[25]

References

  1. ↑ James, Kendra (2017-11-27). "Alyssa Cole On the Magic of Writing Romance". Shondaland. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
  2. ↑ Murphy, Mary Jo (2018-02-02). "Love Notes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
  3. ↑ Rodale, Maya (November 9, 2017). "For November, A Romance Trio For 'Hamilton' Fans (And The Rest Of You, Too)". NPR. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 Adewunmi, Bim (May 1, 2018). "Meet The Black Women Upending The Romance Novel Industry". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  5. ↑ "Alyssa Cole". Avon Romance. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  6. 1 2 Walker, Savanna (April 1, 2017). "An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole - Interview | BookPage". BookPage.com. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
  7. 1 2 Woolverton, Paul (July 13, 2015). "Authors to discuss history of Juneteenth at Museum of the Cape Fear". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  8. ↑ "For Love and Liberty, by Alyssa Cole, Kate McMurray, Lena Hart, and Stacey Agdern". Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  9. 1 2 "Popular romance novelist Alyssa Cole to speak at Literary Tastes". RUSA Update. April 23, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  10. 1 2 Green, Jaime (December 21, 2017). "The 10 Best Romance Books of 2017". Vulture. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  11. 1 2 Seaman, Donna (September 15, 2017). Top 10 Romance Fiction. Retrieved February 1, 2019 – via Booklist Online.
  12. 1 2 "Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2017". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  13. ↑ "100 Notable Books of 2018". The New York Times. 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  14. 1 2 Beckett, Lois (April 4, 2019). "Fifty shades of white: the long fight against racism in romance novels". The Guardian. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  15. ↑ "When No One Is Watching: A Thriller | Book Marks". Retrieved 2020-12-25.
  16. ↑ de León, Concepción (January 9, 2020). "Racism Dispute Roils Romance Writers Group". The New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  17. ↑ Willingham, AJ (January 13, 2020). "A romance novelist accused another writer of racism. The scandal is tearing the billion-dollar industry apart". CNN. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  18. ↑ Farzan, Antonia Noori (January 8, 2020). "A romance writer called a novel racist. Now the industry is in chaos and its top awards have been canceled". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  19. 1 2 Green, Jaime (February 27, 2018). "Alyssa Cole on Why Her Romance Novels Are Always Political". Vulture. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  20. ↑ Dev, Sonali (August 17, 2016). "For The 'Oscars Of Romance,' Representation Matters". NPR. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Why Alyssa Cole Put Romance Aside and Wrote a Thriller About Gentrification - The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  22. ↑ Faires, Rosalind (October 29, 2018). "Texas Book Festival 2018: Real Romance: Alyssa Cole and Jasmine Guillory". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  23. ↑ Alexander, Corey (July 16, 2018). "Interview with Alyssa Cole". Corey's Book Corner. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  24. 1 2 3 Doherty, Alison (February 14, 2020). "The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romance Fiction Announced". Book Riot. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  25. ↑ "2021 Edgar Allan Poe Award Winners – Mystery Writers of America".
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