-Writer and Photographer-
How We Became Wicked
(for younger readers, and older ones)
A viral disease called the Wickedness plagues the world, and sixteen-year-olds Astrid and Natalie are two of the only people immune. The girls live in separate, isolated communities, but recent encounters with wicked people link their stories in unexpected ways.
"[S]tunning, gut-punching... " -- BCCB, starred review
"A first-class sci-fi/horror story." -- School Library Journal
"A creative and philosophical take on a zombie-esque apocalypse with a perfectly executed final act twist. Promptly hand this one to lovers of smart, tense science fiction." -- Booklist, starred review
"Alexander Yates is such a talented, smart, and compelling writer. He is a true storyteller, who builds an entirely new world, and makes you care deeply about its characters and recognize yourself in them. The effect is magical – a deep transport – and causes you to return to our world with renewed interest and clarity." -- George Saunders, winner of the Man Booker Prize for Lincoln in the Bardo
The Winter Place
(for younger readers)
(also for older readers who won't be dissuaded by ghost-bears)
​There is a middle world between life and death, and Tess must navigate it to save her brother in this heart-wrenching story infused with the fractured and fantastical realms of Finnish mysticism.
Read the full description from the publisher
"A thoroughly original tale with plenty of appeal for older middle-graders through teens." -- Kirkus Reviews
A February 2016 selection from the Junior Library Guild
Moondogs
(for adults)
(no ghost-bears in this one. but an evil rooster, and some wizards)
A singularly effervescent novel pivoting around the disappearance of an American businessman in the Philippines and the long-suffering son, jilted lover, slick police commissioner, misguided villain, and supernatural saviors who all want a piece of him.
Read the full description (and an excerpt!) from the publisher
"[D]azzling... readers will be gratified by the ambition and raw energy on display in this particular promising debut." -- The Wall Street Journal
Listed among the best books of 2011 by Kirkus Reviews
Other Fiction
(mostly short, mostly for adults)
I have also published short fiction in a number of journals and anthologies, including The Kenyon Review, Gigantic Worlds, and American Fiction. Some of these stories can be read online at the links below:
Valentine, which appeared in Recommended Reading, and is also available as a Kindle Single.
I Know Them For Their Wounds, which appeared in Salon.
Your Ascendancy, which appeared in FiveChapters.com.