About
- The heart behind the stories
A storyteller.
A dreamer.
Always curious.
Denise Alicea is an award-winning Puerto Rican American author of children’s picture books, poetry collections, young adult fiction, and paranormal and time travel romance short stories. She is the author of the Adventure Cats children’s book series — including Santa Claws: A Christmas Tail for Cats, Luna’s London Adventure, and Star’s New York City Adventure — heartwarming picture books about cats, kindness, and adventure for young readers.
Her poetry collections include Believe, a 2024 Firebird Award winner and BookFest first-place winner exploring love, life, and cultural identity, as well as Heartbeats in Ink and Angels Always Near. Her time travel romance stories include Fireworks and Consoling Angel, blending history, fantasy, and love across time.
Born in Manhattan and raised in Connecticut, Denise is proud of her Puerto Rican heritage, which shapes the themes of identity, family, and culture woven through her writing. She discovered writing when drawing and painting could no longer capture her imagination, beginning with poetry as a teen and giving her first public reading at fifteen.
A member of the Romance Writers of America since 2005, Denise has earned multiple awards and finalist nominations, including recognition from the Page Turner Awards and Readers’ Favorite. She gives back to the literary community through mentoring, active participation in RWA chapters, and her book review site, The Pen & Muse Book Reviews. Readers searching for Latina authors, children’s books about cats, uplifting poetry, or time travel romance can find her books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads.