About Maria Riley

Maria's had one lifelong dream since childhood: to write a book. Few things gave her as much pleasure as a completely engaging, lose-yourself-in-the-story book, so she set her sights on writing. She attended St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, TX, and graduated with a B.A. in English Communication Arts.

Shortly after college, and well before she had a chance to write the next Great American Novel, Maria met and married her husband Whitney. They began a family right away (pregnant within two months of the wedding!), and dreams of writing were replaced by dreams of diapers. Maria was blessed with the “burden” of a demanding role as full-time parent for their oldest daughter. Maria and Whitney were then taken down a bumpy and challenging road that led to four years serving as foster parents, which in turn led to them adopting their three youngest daughters through foster care. 

As their family grew, they also relocated several times. Kansas, where they currently live, is Maria’s ninth state! Each time they moved, Maria found a loving Catholic parish and welcoming neighbors in her new home.

Maria loves being a girl-mom, even though that will mean having four teenaged daughters in her house for several consecutive years. When she’s not busy driving carpool, making dinner, or writing, Maria enjoys playing board games. She appreciates that her kids are getting old enough to play games more advanced than Candy Land, and she loves having game nights with her husband and their friends. 

Once her youngest daughter began kindergarten, Maria began to not only be able to hear herself think again(!) but to use her thoughts to process what work (out of the home) she might pursue. Through a deepening spiritual relationship with God, Maria heard a call to write. She discovered that writing Catholic children’s books is a beautiful way to put her experiences as a mom and her talents and passion as a writer to good use. 

Maria is inspired by Jesus’ example of teaching in parables, and her fiction books similarly tell a story and share a message at the same time. Her early chapter book series, Adventure with the Saints, takes children on a time-traveling adventure to meet different saints. Each book introduces a saint and shares one tangible lesson that kids can learn from him or her. By focusing on a single take-away and not getting mired in the (sometimes unsettling) details of the saint’s life, children are able to understand and connect with these saints in a simple yet profound way. The Adventures with the Saints series received First Place for Children's Book Series in the Catholic Media Association’s 2024 awards and is endorsed by Most Reverend Erik T. Pohlmeier, Bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine, FL.

In addition to her books, Maria also writes articles for Parables Magazine, CatholicMom.com, and the Catholic Writers Guild blog. Contact her directly via email at maria@mariarileyauthor.com.