Allison Hong Merrill was born and raised in Taiwan and arrived in the US at age twenty-two as a university student. That’s when she realized her school English wasn’t much help when asking for directions on the street or opening a bank account. She eventually learned English well enough to earn an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, however, and she now writes in both Chinese and English, both fiction and creative nonfiction, which means she spends a lot of time looking up words at Dictionary.com. She is a Pushcart Prize nominee and the Grand Prize winner of the 2019 MAST People of Earth writing contest. She is also the inaugural winner of Sandra Carpenter Prize for Creative Nonfiction, first-place winner of the 2019 Segullah Journal writing contest, first-place winner of 2020 Opossum flash prose contest, the runner-up in the 2020 Q2 Women on Writing Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest, and the third-place winner in the Storymakers Contest. Her work can be found in the Life Story Anthology and Liahona Magazine (both based in Taipei, Taiwan), Ensign Magazine, Flying South Literary Magazine, Dialogue Journal, Motherscope Magazine, Past-Ten Journal, Cosmonauts Avenue, and LDS Beta Reader Mind Game Anthology. Allison lives in Orem, Utah with her husband and their three sons.
2023 Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite in Memoir
2022 Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Awards Grand Prize Competition
Winner
2022 Outstanding Creator Awards—Ranked #5 in the "Top 25 Nonfiction
Books of the Year"
2022 Outstanding Creator Awards Grand-Prize 1st Place Winner of
“Best Non-Fiction Book of Fall 2022”
2022 Outstanding Creator Awards 1st Place Winner in
Autobiographies, Biographies, and Memoirs
2022 Outstanding Creator Awards 1st Place Winner in Audiobook
2022 Outstanding Creator Awards 1st Place Winner in Personal
Growth
2022 Outstanding Creator Awards 1st Place Winner in Multicultural,
Multi-Lingual, and Bilingual Books
2022 Outstanding Creator Awards 1st Place Winner in Women’s
Non-Fiction & Women’s Issues
2022 Outstanding Creator Awards 1st Place Winner in Motivational
and Inspirational Books (for Adults)
2022 Outstanding Creator Awards Honorable Mention in “Best
Villain”
2022 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards Honorable Mention in
Biography/Autobiography/Memoir (ebook)
2022 American Writing Awards Winner in Autobiography/Memoir
2022 PenCraft Book Awards Runner-Up Winner in Nonfiction
(Memoir)
2022 LDSPMA Praiseworthy Awards Winner in Memoir
2022 Paris Book Festival Winner in
Biography/Autobiography/Memoir
2022 NYC Big Book Awards Winner in Memoir
2022 Page Turner Book Awards Finalist
2022 Maincrest Media Book Awards Winner in Memoir
2022 U.S. Selfies Book Awards Finalist
in Autobiography/Memoir
2022 16th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist in
Memoir
2022 Book Excellence Awards Winner in Memoir
2022 London Book Festival Winner in Biography, Autobiography,
Memoir
2022 BookFest Book Awards First Place Winner in Non-Fiction:
Memoirs
2022 Eric Hoffer First Horizon Book Awards Finalist
2022 Eric Hoffer Book Awards Grand Prize Short List
2022 Eric Hoffer Book Awards Honorable Mention
2022 Wishing Shelf Book Awards Finalist
2022 Feathered Quill Book Awards Silver Award
in Memoir/Biography
2022 Reader Views Literary Awards Bronze Award Winner in
Memoir/Autobiography/Biography
2021 CIBA Hearten Book Awards Finalist
2021 Eyelids Book Awards Short List
2021 AML Awards Finalist in Creative Nonfiction
2021 Book Viral Millennium Book Award Winner
2021 Literary Titan Book Awards Gold Winner
2021 IAN Book of the Year Awards Second Place Winner for
Non-Fiction Book of the Year
2021 IAN Book of the Year Awards Winner in Outstanding Non-Fiction:
Memoir
2021 International Impact Book Awards Winner
2021 Firebird Book Award Winner
2021 Readers' Favorite Book Awards Gold Medal in Non-Fiction -
Memoir
2021 Zibby Awards Winner in Best Structure
“A surprising but compelling memoir of resilience and family.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“. . . [A] poignant and compelling memoir. . . . The viewpoint
[Merrill] presented was uniquely centered in religion and ethnicity
yet was universal as the skillful words touched on the basics of
human motivation.”
—Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review
“Must Read! A self-deprecating memoir, beautifully depicting the
intricacies of Chinese culture and the timeless search for where
one truly belongs.”
—Reedsy
“From her journey as a fresh-off-the-boat immigrant speaking only
Mandarin Chinese to her voyages back and forth through different
spiritual and social frames of mind, Merrill creates a powerful
saga of a personal journey replete with emotionally-charged
wellsprings of inheritance, discovery, and change.”
—D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“The book explores independence, maturity, faith, and love with a
strong voice and narrative structure. . . . Supported by strong,
well-paced writing, this makes for a very enjoyable read.”
—The BookLife Prize
“Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops is a fascinating, important, and
well-developed narrative, told by a sympathetic narrator with much
urgency and grace.”
—Sue William Silverman, author of How to Survive Death and Other
Inconveniences
“Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops follows Allison’s journey from Taiwan to
Utah seeking love and belonging after a difficult childhood,
marriage, and divorce. The story is heartfelt, brave, ultimately
inspiring, and written in a uniquely charming voice.”
—Harrison Candelaria Fletcher, author of Presentimiento: A Life in
Dreams
“Russian composer Dmitri Shostavoch said, ‘When a man is in
despair, it means that he still believes in something.’ In the case
of young Allison Hong Merrill, her desire to believe in something
may have saved her from ultimate despair. Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops
masterfully weaves stories of the author’s Chinese family, spanning
two decades, intermingled with regional history, culture, and
culture shock in America. A fascinating tale of both cruelty and
compassion.”
—Jodi Orgill Brown, interactions expert, speaker, and award-winning
author of The Sun Still Shines
“Allison Hong Merrill has a gift for writing a dramatic tale while
simultaneously sharing her hard-won wisdom. Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops
reads like a novel. Merrill’s story not only gives a reader a
greater understanding of Chinese culture, language, and traditions
but also provides insight into the human condition while building a
bridge between east and west. A brilliant and beautiful debut!”
—Rev. Camilla Sanderson, author of The Mini Book of Mindfulness
“Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops is a deeply moving memoir that depicts the
story of a Taiwanese immigrant bride abandoned in Texas and how she
triumphs over tremendous odds to build her American dream. Allison
Hong Merrill’s gift of storytelling will take you on an exciting,
rewarding, and emotional journey and leave you wanting more.”
—Dr. Linda Murphy Marshall, author of Ivy Lodge: A Memoir
“Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops is a beautiful memoir that will bring you
to tears and make you laugh in the same few pages. Allison Hong
Merrill’s experiences growing up in Taiwan are both heart-wrenching
and inspirational. . . . Interwoven into the compelling scenes is
Allison’s resilience, which burns deep in her soul, propelling her
forward a day at a time, until she can fully grasp how her trials
have made her stronger, more sympathetic, and more loving. Her
knack for blending her remarkable heritage with poignant insights
makes this book one to absorb instead of simply reading.”
—Heather B. Moore, author of The Paper Daughters of Chinatown
“Allison Hong Merrill makes three intertwined journeys through
family, faith, and immigration, each filled with danger,
heartbreak, and ultimately joy. Watching Allison grow from fearful
child and unknowing bride into her own power to love and be loved
is meaningful and moving, and discovering her native Taiwan through
her childhood stories is fascinating. A powerful and inspiring
journey from loneliness and fear to love and hope.”
—Allison K. Williams, social media editor at Brevity Magazine and
author of Seven Draft: Self-Edit Like a Pro from Blank Page to
Book
“Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops is an enthralling and thought-provoking
memoir . . . [A] charming aspect of the book is the beautiful
representation of Taiwanese culture and Chinese history. Extensive
details of rituals and traditions feel exotic . . . Merrill writes
with intensity and simplicity; you cannot remain untouched.”
—Literary Titan, 5-star review
“It’s a feat to which many memoir authors might aspire, but few
achieve with such faultless finesse with Merrill refusing to cast
herself in the role of victim. And through her openness, we are
reminded of the power of faith when forced to travel the path of
adversity. . . . An exceptional read, Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops is
recommended without reservation.”
—BookViral Reviews
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