James Eric Riley grew up near the rust belt town of Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania. He attended Eastern Kentucky University and graduated with a degree in Theater Arts. After years of summer stock and regional theater, he and his wife moved to Southern California where they discovered snow skiing and - for Riley - speed skating. But after breaking a leg in a short track competition, teaching suddenly seemed like a better idea. As a high-school teacher, he finally put his theater background to use teaching public speaking and writing and directing a one-act version of Macbeth performed by students and faculty. Now retired, he and his wife Jeneva live in Independence, Kentucky.