We are delighted to welcome author Mark Stevens today, who is with us to talk about the books of Gary Reilly.
Gary passed away in 2011 leaving twenty-five unpublished novels, one of which, The Circumstantial Man (Running Meter Press; April 2018 trade paperback and ebook formats) is being released today.
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Omnimystery News: Tell us a little more about The Circumstantial Man.
Mark Stevens: It is the first standalone being published from Gary’s vast and wide-ranging treasure trove of books. The Circumstantial Man is the 12th of the novels that have been published posthumously. The previous eleven were in two series. The first was a series of comedic novels about a Denver taxi driver. That’s The Asphalt Warrior series and is eight books so far—with two more books to go. The second series is the three-books in The Private Palmer series based on Gary’s time before, during, and after the Vietnam War. Oh, and while I’ve got your attention and since I’m not the self-promoting writer in this case (just the friend and publisher of these amazing books) I can tell you that Gary’s books have drawn rave reviews from Booklist, National Public Radio, The Vietnam Veterans of America, The Denver Post, as well as praise from a wide array of established writers such as Stewart O’Nan, Ron Carlson, Jeffery Deaver, Chris Holm, Patricia Abbott, John Mort, Fred Haefele, and many more.
OMN: Into which genre would you place The Circumstantial Man?
MS: Ah, good question. Gary and I used to talk about this all the time, about the categorical definitions that were out there. I would only say that The Circumstantial Man is, to me, a psychological suspense thriller (see how I’m trying to get away with blending a couple of different categories)? It’s very much in the noir-ish vein of, say, Patricia Highsmith. The aforementioned Jeffery Deaver compared Gary’s strong writing voice to Thomas McGuane or Cormac McCarthy—it’s a bold, sure style applied, in this case, to the plight of a unemployed loner who lives on the edge of town. Categories for Gary’s two other series? The Asphalt Warrior is humorous fiction. And The Private Palmer Series is straight up literary fiction, focused on the Vietnam War. And what other categories did Gary write? In the remaining 12 or so novels there’s some fantasy, some science fiction, at least one book I would call experimental fiction, and one that is classic multi-generational novel about an All-American family of filmmakers.
OMN: How would you tweet a summary of the book? And let's revert to the old 140-character limit to make it more challenging!
MS: “An unemployed loner starts the day with a dead car battery but ends up digging his own grave. His plight might be fate or it might be a reflection of his own true nature.”
OMN: How much of Gary's personal experiences have been incorporated into his books?
MS: Great question in this case because if you’ve been following along I can tell you The Asphalt Warrior series was richly based on Gary’s many years of driving a taxi in Denver and The Private Palmer series was based on Gary’s experiences as an MP during The Vietnam War. What’s terrific about The Circumstantial Man is it involves a brand-new character more clearly from Gary’s imagination. However, a taxi driver plays a role. Go figure. And when Pete Larkey climbs in the taxi cab’s back seat, he thinks: “I could never drive a cab for a living. My thoughts would ricochet endlessly.” (Ha! That is The Asphalt Warrior—Gary’s thoughts on endless ricochet).
OMN: You're a published author yourself. What is the best advice you've received as an author?
MS: To learn to write, write. Write every day if you can. Show your written stuff to friends who will give you honest feedback and then change the story based on that feedback—if those suggestions make sense to you.
To get published, network. Network online or in person as often as you can. Join writing groups, go to conferences, join Meet Ups or whatever it might be. Writers need each other. Some writers already have agents or publishers. Become part of the conversation. Get to know agents and editors as people. Build relationships. When it comes time to query or submit, who knows? Maybe those editors or agents will already know you as a person who cares about writing and telling stories.
Gary Reilly had no problem writing—he wrote and wrote and wrote some more. Twenty-five finished novels when he passed away, but none of them published. (And, as his fan base now knows, they were good.) However, he just didn’t have that networking gene. Yes, many writers are shy and introverted. Guess what? Writing conferences and writing groups are full of people just like you.
OMN: Will there be future releases of Gary's unpublished books?
MS: We will continue to work our way through Gary’s works. After The Circumstantial Man, we are pretty sure we will return to The Asphalt Warrior series and publish the ninth novel in that series, This Cab for Hire. After that, who knows?
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Gary Reilly's first published short story, “The Biography Man,” was included in The Iowa Review (1977, Vol. IV) and the fourth volume of the Pushcart Prize Anthology in 1978. It was the last fiction he published in his lifetime. But he didn't stop writing. When he died in 2011, Gary left behind 25 novels. Eleven have been published posthumously, including eight comic novels in The Asphalt Warrior series and a trilogy based on Gary's experiences during The Vietnam War. The Circumstantial Man is a standalone novel of suspense.
For more information about the author, please visit his website at and his author page on Goodreads, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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The Circumstantial Man by Gary Reilly
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: Running Meter Press
All he wanted to do that day was drive into town to look for a job. But when Pete Larkey turns the ignition key, his car won’t start. He decides to walk to town. He’ll have a morning beer at the Lemon Tree Lounge and buy a new battery for his car. He refuses to feel victimized. At least, he tries.
But inside the bar is “the last man on earth” that Pete Larkey wants to see. A guy named Morton will ask a few questions that will change the course of Pete Larkey’s life in a deep, dark way. There’s a stolen car, a hit-and-run accident, mistaken identity, a body in his bathroom and a deadly encounter with a condescending con man named Benny.
Pete Larkey knows he’s not a perfect fit for the squeaky-clean town of Crestmoor. “Everything in Crestmoor is clean and tidy,” he thinks, “except the inner lives of people like me.” This innocent trip to fix his car will prove that point beyond a shadow of a doubt.
— The Circumstantial Man by Gary Reilly
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