Author Talk with Vanessa Riley

About the Author:

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.

This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Sandy Springs Library (FOSSL).