Bio:

I'm a Colombian-American writer living in the suburbs of Miami, Florida with my husband and son. I hold BA and MA degrees in English from Florida International University, and I am currently pursuing a Certificate in Creating Writing at UCLA Writers’ Extension Program. By day, I teach English composition, creative writing, literature and preparatory courses at a local college. By night, on Fridays, or in any pocket I can find, I write.

My journey into writing began with reading. As a kid, I devoured a mixture of adult and kid books: Alexander Dumas' The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years Later, The Man in the Iron Mask, and The Count of Monte Cristo; Louisa May Alcott's Little Women; The Babysitter's Club; Sweet Valley Twins/ High series; and Nancy Drew (among others). I read in Spanish and English, and I wrote in both lanugages as well.

My stories began in much the same way most stories start: orally. My audience consisted of younger cousins and friends or anyone who'd stand still long enough to listen. I graduated to writing when I wrote a horror short story in middle school and countless (horribly cliched) love poems in high school. As an undergraduate, I focused on creative writing classes, mostly poetry, and I became immersed in craft. It wasn't until after I completed my graduate degree, after I became a mother and lost my father, that I felt the need to write and completely immerse myself in my writing. That need pushed me into new territories, new genres--and I've never looked back.

Today, I write mostly YA fiction, leveled readers, picture books. I also write essays and memoir. My first novel, SOUL MOUNTAIN, is a YA fantasy complete at 67,000 words. I'm currently working on THROUGH THE WALLED CITY, a YA magical realism set in Cartagena, Colombia.

Writer
Associate
Member since 2011
Region: Florida

Contact Information

Email:  apalessandri@gmail.com
Current Location:   Miami
Website:  http://apalessandri.wordpress.com

Published In Children's Market: No