Elyse grew up in a Christian homeschooling family, and is the oldest of five siblings alongside her twin sister. She currently lives in sunny Los Angeles, California, where she often dreams of the cool, rainy days of her childhood in Washington state. Her love for writing was sparked by imaginary games she played with her sister and best friend when she was young. It was one of these games that inspired Elyse’s largest WIP, a never ending dystopian passion project.

From childhood Elyse was immersed in books, some favorites including the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Today these stories still remain at the top of her list of favorite books, alongside The Green Ember series by S.D. Smith, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (fun fact: she owns 10+ copies of this book, and has plans to collect more!).

When she’s not writing Elyse is spending time with her family and friends, trying new books, fangirling over one of her favorite fandoms, and belting Broadway songs. Elyse is currently studying to become an American Sign Language interpreter, and has a big heart for the Deaf community. This is reflected by the Deaf representation present in many of her stories!

Since joining the ”writergram” community in spring of 2024, Elyse has also begun to devote time to supporting and promoting the work of her favorite indie authors, many of whom she’s lucky enough to call her friends. You can take part in her indie book and author fangirling and follow along on her authorship journey at @elysearyn_wordsmith