I grew up in a military family — my father served for 15 years, and my mother balanced all kinds of part-time work while raising me. Still no matter where we moved, books were my constant. Reading and writing became my refuge, and from an early age I dreamed of publishing a book.
In 2019, both my mom and grandmother were diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully after many surgeries and treatments my mom was cancer free about a year later. Unfortunately things were not changing for my grandmother, and in a cruel twist of fate, we lost my grandfather to a heart condition in 2021.
I entered the workforce while adjusting to a new reality I never imagined — tried, saw, or did just about everything I could. Lots of jobs, classes, people, places, and things.
In November 2024, after a long fight, we lost my grandmother — the woman who first nurtured my imagination.
Two years later, April 6th 2026, the most unthinkable happened. My moms cancer was back, and she was gone in the same month we found out.
I lost sight of everything I was trying to accomplish for a long time.
All that building grief is what finally pulled me back to the page with renewed purpose. I began writing again, exploring themes of loss, love, family, and fantasy — rediscovering the magic that made me fall in love with storytelling in the first place.
Today, I work in an office by day, and write by night. I’ve participated in many writing workshops that helped me shape my ideas into full-fledged stories — and I’m finally walking the path I thought I’d lost more than once.
I write to heal, to dream, and to connect — and I’m so grateful to be able to share my journey.
Alyssa B. Newbon 