Host Profiles

YOUR ILLUSTRIOUS PODCAST HOSTS… 

(clicking on our photos will take you to our Goodreads.com profiles)

Ryan Sean O’Reilly

The aspiring writer.

Bio: Ryan took to books at an early age and can still remember his father reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit to him at bedtime. When he could read on his own, his mother brought home books from the library and he would look at the covers and say “not interested”, but if she left them on his night stand he couldn’t help, but devour them–the genres and titles didn’t seem to matter. Growing up the oldest of five children outside the city of Chicago, his home was always teeming with activity–so it may be no wonder that he enjoyed staying up late to read when things were quiet. For Ryan there was always something transcendent about disappearing into another world while the rest of the house slept. Books taught him about himself and the world around.

In his own writing Ryan has crossed through a few different genres trying to find his voice but mostly he dwells in fantasy, science fiction, and literary fiction. He has already released a number of short stories in the science fiction realm such as “The Energy Scavengers” series (which takes place in a world populated by robots), and in the genre of psychological suspense like “Overtime in the Woods” (which is about a private detective investigating a workman’s compensation claim). His works are available at all the major online distributors and he occasionally make them free to download (check his website periodically for updates about free days). For more information about Ryan and his writings (and to connect with him on social media) visit his official website: http://www.ryanseanoreilly.com. Follow him on twitter: @RyanSeanOReilly.

Favorite Authors: J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Frank Herbert, Richard Adams, J.K. Rowling, Douglas Adams, George R. R. Martin and William Shakespeare.

 

 

“Wilk” *

The budding critic.

Bio: Wilk was instructed to be on his best behavior during broadcasts, but that went by the wayside thirty seconds into the first episode. Devouring books quickly is something Wilk is quite good at. He is also great at scouring the internet to plant his unrepentant opinion under various pseudonyms. That said, he has put aside his various alter egos to brandish his unabashed critiques as a valiant counterpoint against any lackluster opinions put forth by his cohosts. Listen closely as Wilk berates his longtime friends and slays Hollywood’s elite with his quick-witted lizard tongue. He claims that he is doing this to glorify the planet V.

Also, at some point in his history a pair of Wilk’s dirty, mismatched socks created a burgeoning Facebook account (Wilk’s Socks) that claimed more friends then their former owner. Wilk expresses random and humorous mutterings at the website: www.drycracker.com, and reviews horror films under the moniker ‘Damien’ at:  majorhorror.blogspot.net. Follow him on twitter: @theewilk. Wilk started a true crime podcast with his wife Laura (who joined us as a guest on select episodes), which is called: How to Avoid Murder… and other awkward situations. Their podcast can be found in the usual places you find podcasts or at their website: http://www.avoidmurder.com. *Wilk was a co-host for seasons one thru three. He returned as a guest in later episodes: Wilk tag .

Favorite Authors: Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Kurt Vonnegut, Thomas Harris, Douglas Adams, and John Irving.

 

 

“Rick” * 

Passionate conspiracy theorist.

Bio: A childhood friend of Ryan, and the one responsible for introducing him to Dune, Rick brings a scientific mind to the show. When he’s not crunching numbers as a mechanical engineer he peruses his Great Books collection and delves into whatever classic literature he can to challenge himself. Rick’s three sons keep him a little busy these days, but when he does have precious freedom it is spent folding through time (and the internet) to unearth society’s undercurrent and try to discover the unfiltered world behind the curtain. Before the show collapses on itself, Rick’s curious mind is sure to discover why on earth these three idiots ever thought anyone would possibly care one iota what they have to say about absolutely anything. *Rick was a co-host for most of season one and all of seasons two and three. He returned as a guest in later episodes: Rick tag.

Favorite Authors:  Frank Herbert, Tom Wolfe, Greg Bear, Upton Sinclair, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Mark Twain.

 

 

John Doyle (a/k/a “Dole”) 

Musicologist extraordinaire.

Bio: Dole is the writer and composer of the theme music for the podcast. He has been a long time fan of science fiction, fantasy and horror. He has a degree in sound engineering and a career in informational technology.   Dole plays many instruments and has been a part of musical groups of varying genres including blues, rock, metal and a bag pipe organization. Notably, Dole still writes music, provides backing vocals and drums for the band “I Decline”. He has also provided soundtracks for Ryan’s various book trailers. Occasionally, Dole is featured as a special guest on the show and brings his lyrical appreciation of language into the discussion. You can check out his band at their website: www.i-decline.com. Also, Dole worked extensively on the videography for the podcast’s first video special “Culver Indiana and Vonnegut: a documentary“. You can visit his professional website for his audio/visual work at: www.doyleaudiovisual.com. Episodes with Dole can be found here using the: Dole tag.

Favorite Authors:  Stephen King, Frank Herbert, George Orwell, and Aldous Huxley

 

 

 James Rauch (a/k/a “Beam”) * 

The video game enthusiast.

Bio: When James heard his two friends were creating a podcast he smelled disaster and immediately wanted to be a part. After the first broadcast he stopped returning phone call and texts. To the surprise of his cohosts he showed up at the appointed time to do it all again. James is the wild card. A foil against Ryan’s earnest attempts to quote interesting yet trite anecdotes and a counter to Wilk’s unapologetic declarations. He has been known, in the past, to devote hours online participating in online video games (such as Skyrim, Elder Scrolls, Dark Souls, and Final Fantasy). In more recent times he prefers to dote on his family and can only occasionally steal off for a guild raid. In a nutshell, James is only here under protest and absolutely refuses to put any effort into this podcast. If pushed he will walk off the show, or at least go to bed at a decent hour. * Beam left the show in Season One after episode three, but returned as a guest in later episodes: Beam tag.

Favorite Authors:  Orson Scott Card, Clive Barker, Stephen King, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Jon Krakauer.

 

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** NOTE: The podcast went on hiatus again after season four. The Show Schedule Page is a chronological list of all the episodes. For clickable links to most episode pages on the NDIOS website where you can read “Show Notes” and “Fun Factoids” please search the Archive Index Page.