“A Day in the Life” of Romance Author Alyssa Linn Palmer

Alyssa Linn Palmer (pronouns she/her or they/them) is a Canadian author based in Cochrane, Alberta. She writes romance novels, starting with a short historical lesbian romance, Prohibited Passion, in 2011. She continued on her publishing journey with her series set in Paris, a noir-tinged romance based around a jazz club called Le Chat Rouge. Her noir novel Midnight at the Orpheus won a Rainbow Award for Best Bisexual Fiction in 2016, and her lesbian romance Betting on Love was a finalist for the Rainbow Awards in 2015.

Her current focus has been on lesbian romance, and she is publishing with Bold Strokes Books, having released three full-length novels. Her latest, City Kitty and Country Mouse, a foodie romance, was released this past February. Her goal is to create stories of love and romance that are inclusive and diverse.

Alyssa is a part of a new group, The Inclusive Authors of Romance Association (TIARA), which helps support authors in their career aspirations, while also being accepting of and striving to promote diversity in writing.

Portrait of the Alyssa Linn Palmer on Vancouver Island. (photo by Anthony Bennett)
Portrait of the Alyssa Linn Palmer on Vancouver Island. (photo by Anthony Bennett)
The author and her partner Anthony at Shakespeare & Co. bookstore in Paris, 2018. (photo by the author)
The author and her partner Anthony at Shakespeare & Co. bookstore in Paris, 2018. 
Cover from Alyssa Linn Palmer's award-winning noir novel, Midnight at the Orpheus, from Bold Strokes Books.
Cover from the author’s award-winning noir novel, Midnight at the Orpheus, from Bold Strokes Books.
Cover for the author’s latest release, foodie lesbian romance City Kitty & Country Mouse, from Bold Strokes Books.
Cover for the author’s latest release, foodie lesbian romance City Kitty & Country Mouse, from Bold Strokes Books.
The author at Owl’s Nest Books for the release party for the Women of Stampede series in July 2018. (photo by Adelle Palmer)
The author at Owl’s Nest Books for the release party for the Women of Stampede series in July 2018. (photo by Adelle Palmer)
With M Jane Colette and Naked Girls Reading (now Bare Book Club YYC) organizer Keely Kamikaze at a reading of Midnight at the Orpheus in 2017. (photo by Anthony Bennett)
With M Jane Colette and Naked Girls Reading (now Bare Book Club YYC) organizer Keely Kamikaze at a reading of Midnight at the Orpheus in 2017. (photo by Anthony Bennett)
The author as a part of a panel on Kink, BDSM, Consent & Feminism at When Words Collide conference in 2018. (photo by M Jane Colette)
The author as a part of a panel on Kink, BDSM, Consent & Feminism at When Words Collide conference in 2018. (photo by M Jane Colette)
The author with fellow romance authors (LtoR) M Jane Colette, Jilly Jax, Win Day and Emma Vance at the first annual Bookstore Romance Day in August 2019 at Owl’s Nest Books in Calgary. (photo by M Jane Colette)
The author with fellow romance authors (LtoR) M Jane Colette, Jilly Jax, Win Day and Emma Vance at the first annual Bookstore Romance Day in August 2019 at Owl’s Nest Books in Calgary. (photo by M Jane Colette)

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What ‘hood are you in?

I’m currently living in Cochrane, though I previously lived in Calgary in the inner city.

What do you do?

I am an author of 14 novels and novellas, and of stories in six anthologies. I am also a freelance fiction editor, and I have a full-time day job that helps support my dreams.

What are you currently working on?

My current work-in-progress is a gay romance novel, featuring an older (age 65) rock star hero who has been stuck in the closet, but falls in love with a handsome bartender during his latest tour and has to decide whether he wants to stay closeted or come out loud and proud.

Where can we find your work?

My website

Any online book retailer, and places like Owl’s Nest Books (Calgary) can order them in.

The Inclusive Authors of Romance Association