Hi! I’m the author of ten (so far!) novels for teens and adults. I’ve been a published author since 2011 when my debut YA novel Popular was first published by Flux, but if I’m being honest I’ve been an author since about the time I learned how to read. I do my writing in New Jersey where I live with my boyfriend Ron.

You can find out more about my books here. Popular went on to be published on 3 more continents and in the meantime, Flux published my books Ferocity Summer in 2012 and Shallow Pond in 2013. My most recent YA novel Unnamed Roads came out in 2018. My first adult novella In The Bag was also published in 2018 and was shortly followed by my thriller Girl Most Likely to Succeed with my Culver Creek series of books coming out in 2020.

I write shorter stuff as well. My most recent short story “Mysterious Ways” appeared in the June/July 2026 issue of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and my short story “Hooper’s Folly” won first place in the 2025 Hunterdon County Library Short Story Contest. I share tales about my writing adventures and other stuff in my free weekly newsletter Creativity and Contentment.

Books and publishing have brought me such great friends. I am a member of the Mystery Writers of America, The Authors Guild and The Short Mystery Fiction Society. I’m a former member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the KidLit Authors Club and a forever member of the best group of debut authors ever, The Class of 2K11.

These days when I am not working on my latest novel or hanging out with Ron, I am probably creating illustrations or designing t-shirts, fabric or invitations. You can find out all about my visual art at AlissaCarin.com.

Prior to this I earned a living as a reseller and made videos on my Planet Alissa YouTube channel. I’ve also worked at an historic village (I can legitimately put the word “wench” on my resume), been a newspaper editor, worked in libraries and worked for a book distributor.

I was born and raised in New Jersey and lived mostly here or in Eastern Pennsylvania, though I did live briefly in Maine. I graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers Newark College of Arts and Sciences with a B.A. in English and am a member of Phi Beta Kappa. The first novel I ever completed (I had amassed a plethora of unfinished novels long before I ever enrolled in college.) was submitted as my Honors College project.

If you wish to keep up with me online you can follow me on Bluesky or Facebook, subscribe to my Substack or follow my Amazon or Bookbub author pages.