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ABOUT

I write a wide variety of stories about finding one’s truth, using self-knowledge as a means to self-respect, and discovering magic in the everyday.

I’m based in Honolulu, where my dreams inform my stories, and you can find me weaving words amid the palm fronds.

Amazon Author Page

Group of seven smiling women standing close together indoors, wearing casual clothing.

Vintage black typewriter on a wooden desk with a small wooden box to the left containing papers or index cards.

An open book with a bouquet of three peach-colored roses on top of it.

A smiling woman with red hair sitting on a porch with a tan dog wearing a pink collar.

Why I Write

I’ve always been drawn to magic and possibilities. That evolved into writing stories where people find their inner power. My path is guided by a curiosity about how we can become the best versions of ourselves.

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Art is the passing of feelings from one human heart to another.

Kurt Vonnegut

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Virgin Authors

Mandi, Jana & I created a writing community for newbies.

We chatted with industry experts and successful authors to bring you tips on everything from creating a sustainable writing habit to navigating the publishing world.

Our all-star roster of guests: K.K. Allen, Julie Barton, Rebecca Bloom, JJ Elliott, Amy Ferris, Angela Ford, Ann Garvin, Emma Grey, Kim Hornsby, Nancy Naigle, Katie Russell Newland, Zibby Owens, Stacey Powells, Gerri Russell, Noelle Salazar, Nina Schyuler, Tess Thompson, Brooke Warner, Sabrina York, and many more!

Youtube Channel

Website

Short Bio

(75 words)

Lyssa moved to Hawaii 30 years ago on a whim and never left. Once she’d launched her children into the world, she returned to writing. Find her work in two anthologies, We See You, We Hear You, and A Beacon Amidst Shadows (Three Raven’s Publishing, 2024). She is the 2024 recipient of the prestigious Maggie Award for Excellence. Lyssa weaves words to inspire women to embrace their dreams. You can reach her at LyssaReese.com.

Medium Bio

(150 words)

Thirty years ago, Lyssa moved from New York City to Hawaii with her new husband. She worked from home to raise two children and wondered what came next. Since it’s never too late to be what you might have been, she returned to writing and discovered within herself an endless reserve of stories.

Lyssa is published in the anthologies We See You, We Hear You, (2023) and A Beacon Amidst Shadows (Three Raven’s Publishing, 2024). She is the 2024 recipient of the prestigious Maggie Award for Excellence. She’s a member of PNWA, GRW, WFWA, and co-host of the Facebook Live podcast Virgin Authors, which provides tips and community for new writers.

Her fiction has won several writing contests and combines a little magic with her concern about the place of women in society. She weaves words to inspire women. You can reach her at LyssaReese.com and on Facebook as Lyssa Hanan Reese.

Long Bio

(275 words)

Lyssa grew up in the suburbs of Manhattan, roaming the woods and reading books nestled in the branches of an apple tree. She went to the west coast for college, earned a B.A. in Theatre Arts, and moved to New York City. For the next six years, she worked on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center.

She met her marvelous husband Steve at a holiday party in a New York nightclub. A month after they wed, they moved to Hawaii for a brief adventure and sprouted roots. Lyssa bought a home-based advertising business, raised a daughter and a son, and launched two thoughtful citizens of the world, both of whom continue to astonish and delight her.

Since it’s never too late to be what you might have been, she returned to her early love of writing and discovered within herself an endless reserve of stories. Lyssa’s novels reflect her concern about the place of women in society; they involve finding one’s truth and discovering magic in the everyday.

Lyssa is published in the anthologies We See You, We Hear You, (2023) and A Beacon Amidst Shadows (Three Raven’s Publishing, 2024). Her fiction has won several writing contests, including the prestigious 2024 Maggie Award for Excellence. She’s an active member of PNWA, WFWA, GRW, and Story Summit, and co-host of the Facebook Live podcast Virgin Authors.

Lyssa is grateful to weave her words beneath the palm trees with her four-legged loves, Mele and Finn. She writes to inspire women to embrace their dreams. You can reach her at LyssaReese.com, on Facebook as Lyssa Hanan Reese, and on her new Substack, Even when it hurts.