Chris Riley is a former U.S. Army Reserve medical services officer and political science graduate from Brigham Young University who writes science fiction exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and consciousness. His debut novel Synthetica, set in a post-civil war America, examines what it means to be human in an age of synthetic intelligence—a question informed by both his military service and his years building technology products that serve millions of users. With over twelve years of experience as a product leader in mission-driven companies within regulated industries like education and healthcare, Chris brings a unique perspective to stories about technology's impact on humanity.

Chris's military background as a medical services officer shapes his approach to both leadership and storytelling, emphasizing the human cost of decisions and the weight of responsibility in complex systems. His career has taken him from the Army Reserve to the executive suite, where he's led teams building platforms that serve tens of millions of users and driven strategic pivots that transformed struggling startups into thriving businesses. This blend of operational expertise and mission-driven focus informs his writing, which tackles ambitious themes about consciousness, identity, and what we owe to the intelligences we create.

When he's not writing or working, Chris coaches freshman football and pursues his Master's in Computer Science with a focus on quantum computing and cryptography—continuing his lifelong fascination with the boundary between the possible and impossible. He lives in Southern California with his wife, two teenagers, and two Bernedoodles, where he balances the demands of family life with the discipline required to bring complex, thought-provoking science fiction to the page. Synthetica is planned as the first book in an ambitious six-book series exploring AI consciousness across two interconnected trilogies.