She was nominated for the Books in Canada First Novel Award in 1976 for her debut novel The True Story of Ida Johnson, published by Women's Press.George Melnyk, The Literary History of Alberta Volume Two: From the End of the War to the End of the Century. University of Alberta Press, 1999. . Her second novel, Midnight Twilight Tourist Zone, was published in 1989 by Douglas & McIntyre. Riis also published short stories in various Canadian literary magazines.
