J. Riley Castine was born Houston, Texas to Irish-Italian parents in 1973, He grew up all over the east coast of the United States. As a child, he was prone to "tinkering" with various mechanical devices and at an early age had interests in music, computers, legos, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica and of course, Doctor Who. Presently he works as a senior desktop analyst. He likes to spend his non working hours spending time with his family, writing short stories, hiking and finding interesting things to photograph.