200-word version
Vanessa Riley is an acclaimed author of more than twenty-five novels spanning historical fiction, romance, and mystery. Her books include Island Queen, a Good Morning America Buzz Pick; Queen of Exiles, an ABC View Lit Pick; and the award-winning Sister Mother Warrior and Murder in Drury Lane, which earned her the 2023 Georgia Literary Fiction Author of the Year and 2024 Georgia Mystery/Detective Author of the Year honors.
Her fiction illuminates the hidden histories of Black women and women of color, exploring feminine power, love, and resistance. Her work has been praised by the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Publishers Weekly, and the New York Times. She hosts the essay podcast Write of Passage on Substack and can be found at VanessaRiley.com.
She holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Stanford University and STEM degrees from Penn State, bringing scholarly depth and research precision to her storytelling. Riley is a member of Regency Fiction Writers, Crime Writers of Color, Mystery Writers of America, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Christian Book Lovers Retreat, and the Historical Novel Society. She also advocates for Sickle Cell Anemia awareness and hosts the essay podcast Write of Passage. She lives in the American South and enjoys crafting her Trinidadian grandma's recipes or relaxing on her porch sipping caffeine.
Short version
Vanessa Riley is an acclaimed author of more than twenty-five novels, including Island Queen, a Good Morning America Buzz Pick, and Queen of Exiles, an ABC View Lit Pick. She is the recipient of Georgia’s 2023 Literary Fiction Author of the Year for Sister Mother Warrior and the 2024 Mystery/Detective Author of the Year for Murder in Drury Lane. Her work has been praised by the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Publishers Weekly, and the New York Times. She hosts the essay podcast Write of Passage on Substack and can be found at VanessaRiley.com.
50-word version
Vanessa Riley is the author of more than twenty-five novels, including Island Queen, a Good Morning America Buzz Pick, and Queen of Exiles, an ABC View Lit Pick. A recipient of Georgia’s Literary Fiction and Mystery/Detective Author of the Year honors, she hosts the weekly essay podcast Write of Passage.
165-character version
Vanessa Riley, award-winning author, explores hidden narratives of Black women, sisterhoods, and power in historical fiction, romance, and mystery genres.