About Allison
In the 4th grade I read So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane and knew that what I wanted to be was a writer (a wizard would have been nice too but there are only so many magical tomes/magic school invitations to go around) (that doesn't mean I've stopped looking for magical doors).
I have a B.A. in Creative Writing from Carnegie Mellon University and a rich background in writing, publishing, marketing, and bookselling (with a smattering of graphic design). I am a 2023 graduate at the Viable Paradise Writer's Workshop. I write fiction for adults and teens, some of which involves real life, but most of which involves space, time travel, magic, ghosts, or some combination therein.
All of my writing is about people: what makes us human; what is at the roots of our relationships with one another; how the things we love and the things we hate drive us to do the beautiful, the ugly, and the impossible. Also: magic portals, ghost birds, and robots.
I may have once believed that writing was only done by suffering — and insufferable — solitary geniuses. But through years of working on my craft, running the publishing gauntlet, and getting to talk to and work alongside so many incredible writers at all stages of their careers, I've fostered a new mindset. I try to live a writing life full of community and discovery, with healthy doses of humor and humility, and as little suffering-for-my-art as possible. I love working with and learning from fellow writers one-on-one and in the classroom. I love sharing resources and information. And I love me a group project.
When I'm not writing, I'm reading, cooking, pretending to garden, learning to throw pots, chasing my kids, playing board games, or watching heist movies. When I am writing, I'm drinking copious amounts of tea.