Dr. William E. Doyle brings a unique perspective to literary fiction: he writes the Romantic era from inside the profession. A composer and professor of music history specializing in the nineteenth century, he holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from USC and an MM in Performance from URI, and studied at the New England Conservatory of Music with Charles Schlueter, principal trumpet of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

His compositions have been performed throughout Europe, with premieres in Austria, Italy, and Ireland. His concert-opera Extraordinary Tales in Music won Best Original Work at the International Edgar Allan Poe Festival and Excellence in the Arts awards for music from both the City of Torrance and the County of Los Angeles, and his short film From the Letters of E.A. Poe was nominated at the festival for Best Adapted Work — recognition that led him deeper into Poe’s world and, eventually, to this novel.

His collaborations include Hawaiian music icon Keali‘i Reichel, ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro, and six-time Grammy winner Daniel Ho. He has toured Europe with his Ars Nova Sinfonia, performing several times at the International Music Festival in Padua, and conducted the Vienna Honor Orchestra. With organist Dr. James Hurd he has performed at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Melk Abbey, St. Florian Monastery, and the Prague Conservatory, among others.

His comic opera The Janitor was produced and staged at El Camino College and featured in workshops at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, where he has presented four programs on Vonnegut’s relationship with music and the arts. His short fiction is forthcoming in the museum’s 2026 Literary Journal.

He is a Professor of Music at El Camino College and Copper Mountain College, teaching Music History, World Music, Music of The Beatles, History of Rock Music, and Music Appreciation, as well as private composition and conducting. He lives with his wife, an art historian, in Southern California.