Alyssa Cole

Last updated
Alyssa Cole
Born (1982-08-12) August 12, 1982 (age 42)
New York City, U.S.
Occupation Novelist
LanguageEnglish
Genre Romance 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]

Contents

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] Cole's works of historical fiction set in America often thematically connect love and freedom. [21] 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. [22]

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. [23] [24]

Bibliography

TitleSeriesPublication YearISBN/ASIN
Sweet to the Taste2014B00IJYGP76
For Love & Liberty: Untold love stories of the American Revolution20149781941885017
Eagle's Heart2014B00HZ6CJVA
Radio SilenceOff the Grid #120159781539664666
Signal BoostOff the Grid #220159781539694663
Mixed SignalsOff the Grid #320159781539712565
The Brightest Day: A Juneteenth Historical Romance Anthology20159781519616470
Be Not Afraid20169781530675029
Let it Shine20169781530758067
Agnes Moor's Wild Knight20169781530771561
Daughters of a Nation: A Black Suffragette Historical Romance Anthology20169781941885345
Let Us Dream20179781544766195
An Extraordinary Union The Loyal League #120179781496707444
Hamilton's Battalion: A Trio of Romances20179781977530691
A Hope DividedThe Loyal League #220179781496707468
A Princess in TheoryReluctant Royals #120189780062685544
A Duke by DefaultReluctant Royals #220189780062685568
Bingo Love Volume 1: Jackpot Edition20189781534310247
Once Ghosted, Twice ShyReluctant Royals #2.520199780062931870
An Unconditional FreedomThe Loyal League #320199781496707482
Can't Escape LoveReluctant Royals #2.620199781982649012
A Prince on PaperReluctant Royals #320199780062685582
The A.I. Who Loved Me2019B07WQYP9MM
How to Catch a QueenRunaway Royals #120209780062933966
When No One Is Watching20209780062982650
How to Find a PrincessRunaway Royals #220219780062934000
Marple: Twelve New Mysteries20229780063136052
One of Us Knows20249780063297135

Awards

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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. ↑ Jackson, Nicole M. (May 16, 2022). "Freedom's Epilogue: Love as Freedom in Alyssa Cole's Historical Novellas". Journal of Popular Romance Studies. 11. doi:10.70138/ZYOB2141 . Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Why Alyssa Cole Put Romance Aside and Wrote a Thriller About Gentrification - The New York Times". The New York Times . Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  23. ↑ Faires, Rosalind (October 29, 2018). "Texas Book Festival 2018: Real Romance: Alyssa Cole and Jasmine Guillory". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  24. ↑ Alexander, Corey (July 16, 2018). "Interview with Alyssa Cole". Corey's Book Corner. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  25. 1 2 3 Doherty, Alison (February 14, 2020). "The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romance Fiction Announced". Book Riot. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  26. ↑ "2021 Edgar Allan Poe Award Winners – Mystery Writers of America".
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