M.L. Rio

Bio

M.L. Rio is an author and former actor who published her third novel, Hot Wax, in 2025. The book follows the story of a photographer named Suzanne in two interweaving timelines—the first as a 41-year-old woman fleeing a stale marriage who finds herself in a traveling polyamorous relationship, the second as a 10-year old girl touring the country with her father, a budding rock star poised on the edge of success. Hot Wax explores themes of family, independence, queerness, violence, and music with a keen eye toward story and characters. Rio spent 18 months living out of her car while working on the book and created a 130-song playlist that follows the arc of the novel. Her previous books are Graveyard Shift and If We Were Villains.