Riley lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her partner and two children on unceded Bunurong lands. She was born and raised in north-west Tasmania and trained as a journalist before becoming an academic.

What's inside this episode?

• Riley shares why she chose a pen name to separate her academic and creative careers, and the strategy behind picking a gender-neutral name.
• Discover how Riley’s background in journalism and academia shaped her writing style and approach to storytelling.
• Riley opens up about juggling motherhood, academic life, and writing her debut crime thriller set in Antarctica.
• Get an inside look at the realities of the publishing journey—from finding an agent to navigating edits, cover design, and building a social media presence from scratch.
• Riley’s best advice for writers: stay true to your creative vision, treat praise and criticism equally, and remember that relationships and life outside writing matter most.

Listen now if you need...

… real talk on juggling work, motherhood, and that it’s never too late to start writing creatively.

My favourite quote:

“Write the book you want to write, and ask yourself, did I do the best job I could to write it… because there’s a whole lot of people out there who aren’t going to like your sex scenes, and they’re not going to like your characters, or they’re going to find it boring. That’s just the way it is. You have to remind yourself that you did the best you could to write the book that you wanted to read as well.”

📖 What is the last book that Riley read and loved? The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

The Chilling by Riley James is available to purchase wherever you buy your books. Alternatively, check in with your local library. If they don’t have a copy yet, put in a request!

Extra (important) information!

✨ You can find Riley James (she/ her) at rileyjames.au

✨ Download 'The ultimate checklist to prepare, write and pitch your book' for FREE!

✨ Buy The Little Black Book of Publishing!

👋🏼 Until next time friend!