Welcome! Ready to ride?
GR: Tell us about your latest
release...
Seaville, my second novel is about a
family who helps an alien race being hosted (literally) by their new
neighbors. This
mysterious race needs the Wells family to help them navigate the
complicated human condition while being concealed from a curious
but well-meaning old priest. But most of all, they must help them
from being captured by a corrupt individual looking to make a profit
off the alien’s existence before they leave earth to continue their
journey to stay one step ahead of their former masters.
GR: What inspired you to start your
writing journey?
I have always had a wild imagination
and for most of my life I thought it was a detriment. But after
continuing my education later in life, some of the professors
complimented me on my writing, as well as, encouragement from my wife
I decided to put that imagination on paper. That combined with my
love of science fiction; I set out to write about many of the stories
I have bouncing around in my head.
GR: Who have been some authors that
have inspired you along the way?
I’ve always enjoyed reading
science fiction writers like Ray Bradbury (Martian Chronicles),
Robert Heinlein (Starship Troopers), Philip Dick (Minority Report and
stories that turned into movies, Blade Runner and Total Recall),
Arthur C Clarke (2001 space Odyssey) and Michael Crichton (Jurassic
Park and Lost World).
Science fiction writers examine
political, moral, and social concepts where science fiction is used
as a metaphor. It lets us see ourselves from a different point of
view and shows the reader the consequences of our actions or
inactions.
GR: What is one piece of marketing
advice you can give to new authors?
Start early! Whether it’s making
your marketing plan or building your Facebook and Twitter followers,
it must be done long before your book gets published. Accumulating
followers and preparing a tour takes time. Believe me, you want to
have a running start once your book’s released. Writing the story
is the easy part, getting others interested is a challenge. The
people who would love your story are out there, but you’ll need to
spend much time, effort, and resources trying to connect them with
your story.
GR: If we went on the ride of our
life, where is one place you'd like to be sure to stop along the way?
Besides the Vatican, Jerusalem, the
Great Pyramids, the Great Wall of China, or Roswell, New Mexico
(Sorry, just threw that one in), I would say a ride to the Kennedy
Space Center. To walk where astronauts and space vehicles left this
planet to explore space would be a thrill for the science fiction
writer in me. To step where Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz
Aldrin prepared for the trip to the moon would be wild. It would be
even better if we waited a few years until NASA completes its new
family of larger rockets that will take more astronauts into space.
I can only imagine the rush from viewing one of those rocket leaving
earth for the unknown.
GR: Would you be afraid to ride on the
back of my bike?
No, I wouldn’t be afraid.
However, I would prefer it to be on a long open road. The traffic by
me on Long Island can get congested and a little hazardous for
bikers. That said, there is nothing like feeling the power of the
bike under you and the freedom of experiencing the breath of nature
flowing around you as you travel along the roads.
GR: What can we expect from you in the
future? Any new projects?
I love to mix the conflict between
science and religion, two polar-opposites in philosophy within a
story. My next project will show the consequences of an apocalyptic
aftermath due to extremes of both science and religion while
attempting to show the resilience of people’s resolve to survive
and make sacrifices to make things right.
Thank you so much for chatting with me
today.
Thank you for having me. I
appreciate it.
Author Bio:
Jim Reilly is
a new science fiction / fantasy novelist. He is a married father of
four, born and raised in Long Island. After going back to college and
finishing with an MBA, some of his professors gave accolades to his
writing prowess. With that and encouragement from his wife, he wrote
his first novel, Evolution.
The success of
Evolution has inspired Jim to continue his writing efforts and finish
his next science
fiction / fantasy novel, Seaville.
From an early
age, Jim always had a fascination with science, science fiction, and
fantasy to a point that it became a passion of his. Now he enjoys
putting that passion to paper. He has already penned his next book
and is working on another.
Author Links -
Book Genre: Sci-Fi
/ Fantasy
Publisher:
Sayville Books
Release Date:
September 30th
Buy Link(s):
Book Description:
When
new neighbors, Mike and Ann Wells along with their children CJ and
Patricia, move into the southern part of town along the Great South
Bay of Long Island, they discover the true identity of their
neighbors.
Each of their new neighbors hosts a being from an alien race hiding from the cruelty of enslavement. This mysterious race needs the Wells family to help them navigate the complicated human experience while being concealed from a nosy but well-meaning old priest. But most of all, they must help them from being captured by a corrupt individual looking to make a profit off a race hoping to peacefully secure fuel to stay one step ahead of their former masters.
As the town of Seaville erupts into chaos, Mike and Ann try to keep their new friends concealed and safe. However, time is running out as their former masters search the universe for their lost property and inch closer to Earth.
Each of their new neighbors hosts a being from an alien race hiding from the cruelty of enslavement. This mysterious race needs the Wells family to help them navigate the complicated human experience while being concealed from a nosy but well-meaning old priest. But most of all, they must help them from being captured by a corrupt individual looking to make a profit off a race hoping to peacefully secure fuel to stay one step ahead of their former masters.
As the town of Seaville erupts into chaos, Mike and Ann try to keep their new friends concealed and safe. However, time is running out as their former masters search the universe for their lost property and inch closer to Earth.
Excerpt:
Chapter 1
Toward the end then
back to the beginning.
As I sprinted out of
my home heading to my neighbor’s house across
the street to look for my daughter, I glanced toward town
down the row of beautiful old Victorian homes on my block.
On the church roof visible to most of the area, there was a
man standing with his arms raised toward the south side of town.
As I focused in a little, it looked like old Father McNeal, the
priest who of late seemed to be out of touch in his waning
years. He was wearing his Sunday Mass vestments and was
standing on the highest point of the church. Still, as out of the
ordinary as that was, it was the least odd sight I
would see that early summer evening as dusk approached.
When I reached my neighbor’s house,
I ran around to the back just as town Police
Officer Rothman sped through the neighborhood flashing his lights and
sounding his siren as he headed in the direction of the Great South
Bay. As relieved as I was that he went by without stopping,
I was apprehensive and nervous about what was
about to happen.
Behind my neighbor’s house were
old metal cellar doors, and after I opened them, I quickly went
down into his basement where I found a large cabinet moved away from
the cement wall showing an entrance to
a tunnel burrowed deep into the ground. When I made my way
through the passageway to the lower levels, I noticed that the
sediment holding the underground water from pouring into the tunnels
and cavities under this end of the town started slowly
to disintegrate as planned and that meant time was running
out.
I ran through the extensive tunnels
I had been through many times this past year, barely noticing
the smell of rotting seafood that was so prevalent my first time in
the tunnels. The maze was quite enormous, but I had an
idea where to find my daughter. She was supposedly not too far away
beneath Henry’s parent’s house. To get there, I needed
to pass by the staging area where the craft was
preparing to leave. Just as I reached the ship, I saw my neighbors,
Ray Bannister and Earl Watson, run up to close the cargo
hatch on the right side of the craft and lock it shut. It was then
that we heard the banging and yelling coming from inside the ship.
A voice behind the door was saying,
“Ray, we negotiated! I came here in good faith and you lock us in
a room? I will not stand for this! You better let me out, or I will
crush you! You can’t do this to me! I demand you let me out at
once! You’re making a big mistake!”
