Bethany Riehl

Bethany Riehl loves the Lord, His people, and really good queso.

She and her husband, Mr. Riehl (aka her favorite person ever), homeschool their three daughters, and lead a life group at their church. Well, Mr. Riehl leads, Bethany does her best to keep the people fed. She also serves on the Connect Team at church and does her best to not completely overwhelm the introverts.

When she’s not writing or reading, you can usually find her at her favorite coffee shop, meeting up with a friend or two. She loves to talk with people and, yes, she’s usually one of the last people to leave chruch.

Bethany began her writing career in third grade with the masterpiece, Bug Teeth (perhaps you’ve heard of it?) and other lesser-known works soon followed. Her teachers often asked if they could read her stories to the rest of the class and like all great authors, she wanted everyone to read her writing and just as emphatically wanted no one to read it. She compromised and let the teachers read her works aloud if they kept Bethany’s identity a secret. She did a pretty good job of looking around for the identity of the author just like everyone else.

 They never knew.

Years later, Bethany surprised everyone (no one more than herself) by actually finishing a full length novel and having it published. The Earth is Full is the first of five novels she’s published in ten years. In Decemebr of 2025, she published her first children’s book; a lyrical poem about the night of Christ’s birth.

Bethany loves to read, paddleboard, stare for hours at bonfires, camp, hike, lift weights (mainly because social media told her she has to), and make reels on Instagram that entertain only her. She thinks teenagers are incredible and loves hanging out with her daughters. They make her laugh and give the absolute best hugs. They also give her much cherished feedback on her books.

The Riehls’ family dog is a yellow lab that was bred to be a guide dog for the blind, but when she failed chose a career change to family pet, the Riehls happily adopted her.

(She “flunked” out of guide dog training because she’s insecure, easily distracted by people, and always up for a snack. Bethany feels a real kinship with her.)

They go on long walks most days and in the summer, they spend hours in the garden; the dog sniffing around and Bethany pretending that she knows what she’s doing.

Their family cat is…special. Her names are Miss Piggy, Kitler (she is quite awful and she has an unfortunate mustache), and Dr. Doofenshmirtz (because of her tragic backstory).

Bethany loves to create stories that inspire, point to the goodness of God, entertain, and maybe even give a flutter of feel-good butterflies once or twice.