Alyssa Brugman was born in Rathmines, Lake Macquarie, Australia in May 1974. She attended five public schools before completing a Marketing Degree at the University of Newcastle.
Alyssa has worked as an after-school tutor for Aboriginal children. She taught management, accounting and marketing at a business college, worked for a home improvements company and then worked in Public Relations before becoming a full-time writer. She currently runs a small business providing hoofcare, equine rehabilitation and producing nutritional supplements for horses.
Her first book, Finding Grace, was published in 2001 and since then she has written a further 11 books.
She submitted her first manuscript, Finding Grace, to the Australian Vogel Literary Award in 1998. While the novel did not receive an award, it was considered for publication, the most recent of which being 'Alex as Well'.
Alyssa's books have been short listed for the NSW Premier's Literary Award (Ethel Turner Prize), the Queensland Premier's Literary Award, the CBCA Book of the Year (Older Readers - Honour Book), the Sanderson Young Adult Audio Book of the Year, and the Best Designed Young Adult Book APA Design Awards, the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, the Michael Printz Award, the Kids Own Australian Literature Award, The Young Australian Best Book Awards and the Children's Choice Book Awards, the Children's Peace Literature Award, selected for the 'Books Alive' Campaign, and listed as a Voices of Youth Advocates "Top Shelf Fiction" book, and the Adelaide Festival Literature Award.
Alyssa's books have been translated into eight languages - Turkish, Portugese, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, and German.
Alyssa writes full time and lives in the Hunter Valley. She has recently completed postgraduate studies at the University of Canberra.
Author's Website: https://www.alyssabrugman.com.au/
