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Allison Garcia

 

Member profile details

First name
Allison
Last name
Garcia
 

Personal information (200 word limit for Bio, please)

Pen Name
Allison K. Garcia
Personal photo
Bio
Allison K. Garcia is a Licensed Professional Counselor, but she has wanted to be a writer ever since she could hold a pencil. She is a member of Shenandoah Valley Writers, Virginia Writers Club, the Author Transformation Alliance, Rocktown Writers Guild, and was a Municipal Liaison for Shenandoah Valley NaNoWriMo for 10 years.

Allison's short story, "At Heart," was published in the Winter 2013 edition of From the Depths literary magazine, along with her flash fiction. Her work, "You Shall Receive," was published in GrayHaven Comics's 2014 All Women's anthology. Winning an honorary mention in the ACFW Virginia 2015 short story contest, "Just Another Navidad" was published in A bit of Christmas. Allison's novel Vivir el Dream has finaled in 4 awards: the 2016 ACFW Genesis Contest, 2018 Eric J. Hoffer Montaigne Medal, 2018 Eric J. Hoffer Ebook Honorable Mention, 2018 IAN Book of the Year Award in the Christian/Religious Fiction category, and 1st place in the 2018 Royal Dragonfly Awards Ebook Cultural Fiction category. In 2018, her highly-anticipated novel, Finding Amor, was released, and her novella "Navidad & Familia" was featured in the boxed set A Merry Navidad. Finding Seguridad and Finding Paz completed the Buscando Home series in 2021. The Mosaic Series, which includes The Dry Depths of My Soul and These New Pieces of Me, will be completed with book 3, Tired of Waiting for Tomorrow in fall 2024.

Allison's queer Christian short stories were featured in the ATA anthologies: The Heart of the Season and March for Justice, her queer Christian poetry was featured in Reconstructing Christmas: An Anthology, and she recently wrote a short story for the anthology she organized, A Queer Christmas: An Anthology. She is currently organized Faith and Pride: A Queer Anthology, set to release June 1st 2024.

Allison has been featured in local newspapers, radio stations, universities, and national podcasts for her writing and for her connections in the Latino and queer community in Harrisonburg, Virginia. A participant in several pro-immigrant and pro-LGBTQ rallies and other events in her region, Allison also loves her church and enjoys spending time with her wife, Melissa, and their three children, Maggie, Lizzy, and Miguel.
 

Website and social media (please include "http://")

 

Chapter Information

VWC Chapter (if any)
Valley
 

Speakers' Bureau

Speaker Area(s) of Writing Expertise
  • Craft
  • Fiction (long form)
  • Publishing
Other Topic(s) of Expertise
Diversity in fiction, Christian fiction/faith, LGBTQ
 

Poems, Novels, Plays, or other Works

Work 1 - Title
A bit of Christmas
Work 1 - Genre
(Fiction & Literature) Short stories/Anthologies
Work 1 - Cover
Work 1 - Description
Short story, "Just Another Navidad."
Compared to his childhood home of Guadalajara, Mexico, Navidad in the Shenandoah Valley seems like just another day to hard-working Alberto Gonzalez. With bills piling up and no end in sight, he barely has the energy to enjoy his family, let alone Christmas. When things go from bad to worse, Alberto isn’t sure where to turn. Will the church down the hill from his trailer park help him get into the Christmas spirit or will it end up being just another Navidad?
Work 2 - Title
Vivir el Dream
Work 2 - Genre
(Fiction & Literature) Literature
Work 2 - Genre (Other)
Latino Christian Fiction
Work 2 - Cover
Work 2 - Website
http://a.co/3tlopY5
Work 2 - Description
Multi-award willing novel.
Linda Palacios crossed the border at age three with her mother, Juanita, to escape the traumas of Mexico and live the American dream. Nearing college graduation and with little hope for the future due to her immigration status, Linda wonders where her life is going.

Tim Draker, a long-unemployed businessman, has wondered the same thing. About to take his own life, he changes course and gets a job at Juanita’s brother’s shop. Embarrassed about working as a mechanic in the barrio, he lies to his wife until he can find something better.

After Juanita’s coworker gets arrested, she takes in her son, Hector, whom Linda can’t stand, While Juanita deals with flashback and nightmares of her traumatic past, she loses her job and needs to figure out how to make ends meet.

Will the three of them listen to God and allow Him to guide them through the challenges to come, or will they let their own desires and goals get in the way of His path?
Work 3 - Title
Finding Amor
Work 3 - Genre
(Fiction & Literature) Literature
Work 3 - Cover
Work 3 - Description
Escaping a violent and abusive environment, eight-year-old Emanuel Martinez attempts to cross through three countries to be with his mother, Ana, whom he hasn’t seen since he was a baby. When la migra catches him at the border and he’s thrown into an immigration center, his dreams for being a real family start to disappear.

Vowing never to be like her own mother who abandoned her and never looked back, Ana has worked for six years to get her son to the United States, Now Ana has to rely on her distant mother and her alcoholic boyfriend, Carlos, to finally get her son to her side so they can build a life together.

When Lauren Barrett agrees to help with the afterschool program, she soon realizes she’s bitten off more than she can chew. Growing up in an unsupportive home has made her insecure and vulnerable, plus suffering through years of infertility hasn’t helped matters. Yet she longs to do something meaningful with her life and wonders when that opportunity will come along. When a special young boy named Emanuel enters her life, he turns her worldview on its head.

As their lives intersect, will they help each other understand what family and love and home really mean?
Work 4 - Title
A Merry Navidad
Work 4 - Genre
(Fiction & Literature) Short stories/Anthologies
Work 4 - Cover
Work 4 - Website
Http://bit.ly/amerrynavidad
Work 4 - Description
4 Latino Christian fiction novellas

La Familia Es Todo -- Kathi Macias -- A large, once-close family that has drifted apart for various reasons. Will their longtime tradition of making tamales on Christmas Eve be enough to bring them back together?

Navidad & Familia -- Allison K. García -- When a blizzard traps the Campana family in their trailer on Christmas Eve with no electricity, internet, gifts, or Christmas decorations, will they drive each other crazy or will they discover the true reason for the season?

A Tamale Christmas -- Linda K. Rodante -- She’s an unwed mother at a Christian college. He’s a Latino student who left home and career to attend. Will the secret one of them carries keep them apart or will God perform another Christmas miracle?

Have Yourself A Merry Little Cocoa -- Cynthia Marcano -- Every Christmas, Isidora Lopez tries to spend her way into the hearts of those she loves, while Firefighter Gabriel Ramirez has spent his, trying to move on from a lost one, until a chance encounter unexpectedly sparks both their lives.
Work 5 - Title
Finding Seguridad
Work 5 - Genre
(Fiction & Literature) Literature
Work 5 - Cover
Work 5 - Description
How do you feel safe when chaos is ever-present?

Eight-year old Emanuel and his mother, Ana, had finally begun to understand what it meant to be a family when a domestic violence situation caused them to flee their home. Now they need to start over, this time with things more dangerous than ever.

Carlos’ life, as he knew it, was ripped away from him in an instant. Furious about his arrest yet longing for the familiar, he has to choose between winning Ana back and taking revenge.

As Lauren and Peter begin their awakening to systemic racism, their world is shattered and replaced with doubt. Questions about what is real versus what lies they’ve been told lead them to ponder how their faith fits into their new reality.

In this time of grief and loss, who will each of them turn to for support and safety?
 

Additional Works - Add title, genre, URL, description, and publication year in free form text here.

Additional Works
Finding Paz
The Heart of the Season
March for Justice
Reconstructing Christmas
The Dry Depths of My Soul
A Queer Christmas: An Anthology
These New Pieces of Me
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