How I came up with Alyssa

I wrote Alyssa in 2021, after a nine-year break from writing. At that time, I was getting to know an illustrator and comic book artist online (who is now my husband) who inspired me to start writing again.

My initial idea for the storyline was a bit different from how I ended up writing the book. Initially, I had this idea in mind of a shy and quiet girl who was very connected to nature. I was imagining her having some sort of supernatural connection to nature even. However, I ended up scrapping that element because I don’t think I’m that good at writing fantasy, and it would have shifted the story more into that genre. Other than taking out this strong connection to nature, I pretty much kept the rest of the storyline the same.

The young girl named Alyssa, is a perfect example of one of my favourite types of characters to write about: the young, beautiful and innocent girl, who is usually somewhat mysterious. In this story, she is exactly that. Her beauty, innocence and mystery are continually pointed out by her stepsister, Amanda, from whose perspective the story is told. Throughout the story, Alyssa’s character, desires, and motives are explored just enough to keep her mystery intact.

In addition, Alyssa is portrayed as a victim; in this case by the hands of her own stepmother. I chose to add this element to the story because it shows a strong contrast between the two characters, further highlighting Alyssa’s innocence.

The opposite personalities in the story also gave me the opportunity to explore strong emotions like jealousy, anger and bitterness. These emotions, in turn, allowed me to create intense dialogue and drama — probably my favourite types of scenes to write.

My goal with this novel was to have Alyssa and her stepsister, Amanda (the narrator), gradually switch places over the course of the story. At the beginning, Alyssa is visibly unhappy, while Amanda feels fine — or so she believes. But as the story progresses, Alyssa begins to explore her own desires and grows happier, while Amanda becomes increasingly confused and uncertain about her life and future. By the end, both characters have ended up in very different places from where they began.