Riley Odell was born in 1990, ostensibly to a pair of human parents. He believes, however, that his true progenitor is an evil Lovecraftian god made of cheese.

Riley got his start writing in second grade, filling multiple notebooks with comics inspired by Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes. Now, he writes primarily in the horror, humor, and bizarro genres. He published his first book, Vile Visions: Horror Stories, in 2022. Since then, he has written two short story collections and four novellas, and has edited two anthologies. He has twice been nominated for the Wonderland Award, recognizing superior achievement in bizarro fiction: first in 2025 for his horror collection Vile Visions Volume 2, and again in 2026 for his novella Shit, Love, and Burgers.

Diagnosed with autism and ADHD, he has made it his mission to be an advocate for neurodiversity. Since 2023, he has spoken each year at the Fort Collins Autism Fair, preceding Temple Grandin as speaker. He has also spoken on panels at Fort Collins Book Fest and BizarroCon about the experience of being a neurodiverse writer and about the importance of neurodiversity in fiction. 

Riley is an active member of the bizarro fiction community, and you can find him each year at BizarroCon, probably making a fool of himself. 

When not writing, he is most likely playing video games. He lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife Jamie and their two pet children, a dog named Sadie and a rabbit named Newton.