Carissa graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing from California State University, Northridge. During her final year of studies, she participated in a writing-intensive exchange program at Swansea University’s School of English Literature and Creative Writing. Even though she returned to the US many years ago, Carissa frequently returns to the UK, as she is still in denial about having to leave the gorgeous, sheep-filled country once her studies concluded.

In addition to writing novels, Carissa is a freelance writer and content manager for two local magazines, as well as a full-time parent to three wonderful, very energetic children. She married her high school sweetheart in 2013, and the Hydes now reside in sunny Southern California. Carissa is the author of two completed novels, Georgia Peach and Fighting the Shadows, and is currently working on three new manuscripts—all of which are women’s fiction.