Riley Rian

Hi there, I’m Riley, transgender author and aspiring Instagram star (not really, but it would be cool). And, yes, I’m writing my bio in 1st-person because I’m that awesome. If you enjoy queer lit with lots of angst, heart, and mostly happy endings, you’ve found the right place. I started writing when it dawned on me that I was a girl trapped in a ridiculously large male body. It took me until I was 33 to figure this out, but I’m a slow learner so whatever. On my very first night of writing, when I was huddled over a legal pad in the feeble light of a Himalayan salt lamp, I met Maddie, my main character in “I Love You Just the Way You Are.” I would come to realize later that she was a part of my subconscious that I had buried long ago. When I was a teenager, I used to wear makeup and dress fem, but that all came to an end when I was bullied pretty harshly. Somehow, I forgot about who I was and tried to be an adult dude. Needless to say, I was depressed for most of my early adulthood. Then, finally, my egg cracked and it was like someone opened a door to Heaven. And I’ve been writing every day since. My overarching goal is touch your heart with my words. I want you to reach the last page of one of my books with wet cheeks and a sense that while the world isn’t a perfect place, there is hope, and finding true love is possible. When I’m not crying in front of a computer screen while dragging my characters through hell only to (maybe) give them a cute ending, I enjoy hiking and watching Minecraft streamers with my 10-year-old son. Like, literally, I enjoy laying horizontally on the couch and consuming digital content. I’m a product of my times and I refuse to apologize. Follow me on Instagram (@rileyrianbooks) and TikTok (@riley_rian_books) to stay up to date with my latest shenanigans.