Biography
Welcome to the home of Gardener and Reilly
Early Years
In 1980, aged eighteen, I embarked on something that, little did I realize, I would still be doing today; a career in music. I cut my teeth on Hull’s bustling clubland circuit, working under the name, Ray Stewart. But I couldn’t have done that without help and I owe any success I’ve ever had to two people.
One was a man named Brian Farr, an extremely talented musician who took me under his wing. But because I didn’t have natural timing he enlisted the help of one of the best drummers I have ever seen (and worked with) in my life, Ken Opie. Between them, they made me what I am and I owe them both a big thank you.
Many years later, in 1995, the gemini in me wanted so much to be creative in another area of entertainment – writing. In 1995, The British Fantasy Society, and their in house editor, David Howe (now of Telos Publications), asked me to pen a 3’000 word essay on Graham Masterton, an author whose work I had admired for years.
My first collection of short stories entirely by me was The Lord of Misrule and Other Stories, in 2007. A stand-alone horror novel followed, entitled Calix, a terrifying psychological, rollercoaster ride into the unknown using the Salem Witch Trials as its backdrop. From that point on I tried to be as consistent as possible. Misrule 2: The Next Generation, followed.
Two years later, Eternal Press/Damnation Books published the acclaimed horror novel, The Priest’s Hole (a rampant story about the dangers of Ouija Boards and the trouble they can land you in, later republished by Endeavour Press as Resurrection). Further success came with Seven Secrets, a crime novel with a supernatural background set against the backdrop of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, running between Whitby and Pickering; two more short story collections, A Devil’s Dozen, and another entitled A Detective’s Dozen.
Early Years
In 1980, aged eighteen, I embarked on something that, little did I realize, I would still be doing today; a career in music. I cut my teeth on Hull’s bustling clubland circuit, working under the name, Ray Stewart. But I couldn’t have done that without help and I owe any success I’ve ever had to two people.
One was a man named Brian Farr, an extremely talented musician who took me under his wing. But because I didn’t have natural timing he enlisted the help of one of the best drummers I have ever seen (and worked with) in my life, Ken Opie. Between them, they made me what I am and I owe them both a big thank you.
Many years later, in 1995, the gemini in me wanted so much to be creative in another area of entertainment – writing. In 1995, The British Fantasy Society, and their in house editor, David Howe (now of Telos Publications), asked me to pen a 3’000 word essay on Graham Masterton, an author whose work I had admired for years.
My first collection of short stories entirely by me was The Lord of Misrule and Other Stories, in 2007. A stand-alone horror novel followed, entitled Calix, a terrifying psychological, rollercoaster ride into the unknown using the Salem Witch Trials as its backdrop. From that point on I tried to be as consistent as possible. Misrule 2: The Next Generation, followed.
Two years later, Eternal Press/Damnation Books published the acclaimed horror novel, The Priest’s Hole (a rampant story about the dangers of Ouija Boards and the trouble they can land you in, later republished by Endeavour Press as Resurrection). Further success came with Seven Secrets, a crime novel with a supernatural background set against the backdrop of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, running between Whitby and Pickering; two more short story collections, A Devil’s Dozen, and another entitled A Detective’s Dozen.
Recent Times
Three years ago, I met up with a man who is now my current publisher, Erik Empson of The Book Folks. He offered a 6-book contract for a series that has now become known as Northern Crimes. The books were released with much success, and we are now about to see the release of book 9. All of the books have been released as audio books, read by Grag Wagland. Hopefully, the Gardener/Reilly murder mysteries will continue for many years to come.
These days, I divide my time by still working live on the music scene and writing books. I recently found a new lease of life for my music when I met a young lady by the name of Fiona Wade (Priya Sharma in Emmerdale) at a charity function she had organized called Dressed To Kill in Birmingham. She told me about her work with the Oesophageal Patients Association (OPA), and I was really impressed by the charity, so much so, that I wanted to spend some of my time fundraising for them, and I did it the only way I knew how, putting on concerts. Most of the reviews, photos and videos are n a separate page on the site, as is the link to donate.
In a recent interview, I was asked about what I felt were the contributing factors to my current position, I realized there were quite a number, but the most important of them the friends I met and made along the journey. I owe a huge debt of thanks to Mark Eyre for kickstaring the website, which was then taken over by my very good friend, Iain Ross. Iain has now retired from the job and Lewis Parker is my latest friend and current webmaster: Will Hill and Harry Baker of Edge Waes for their stunning trailers and excellent photography.
Finally, I would like to pay my respects to an author who has been a bit of a rock to me over the years, always supplying very sound advice, despite the fact that I am direct competition for him. Hard work and perseverance is probably the main ingredient for anyone to succeed, but a helping hand from a leading name carries a lot of weight.
That man is Peter James, and the friendship started as far back as Manitou Man in 1998. We’ve remained good friends ever since, but it wasn’t until 2006 that Peter started to take notice of my determination and underlying talent. To this day, I believe I owe much of my success to the good advice and the hard work that Peter has put in on my behalf.
Recent Times
Three years ago, I met up with a man who is now my current publisher, Erik Empson of The Book Folks. He offered a 6-book contract for a series that has now become known as Northern Crimes. The books were released with much success, and we are now about to see the release of book 9. All of the books have been released as audio books, read by Grag Wagland. Hopefully, the Gardener/Reilly murder mysteries will continue for many years to come.
These days, I divide my time by still working live on the music scene and writing books. I recently found a new lease of life for my music when I met a young lady by the name of Fiona Wade (Priya Sharma in Emmerdale) at a charity function she had organized called Dressed To Kill in Birmingham. She told me about her work with the Oesophageal Patients Association (OPA), and I was really impressed by the charity, so much so, that I wanted to spend some of my time fundraising for them, and I did it the only way I knew how, putting on concerts. Most of the reviews, photos and videos are n a separate page on the site, as is the link to donate.
In a recent interview, I was asked about what I felt were the contributing factors to my current position, I realized there were quite a number, but the most important of them the friends I met and made along the journey. I owe a huge debt of thanks to Mark Eyre for kickstaring the website, which was then taken over by my very good friend, Iain Ross. Iain has now retired from the job and Lewis Parker is my latest friend and current webmaster: Will Hill and Harry Baker of Edge Waes for their stunning trailers and excellent photography.
Finally, I would like to pay my respects to an author who has been a bit of a rock to me over the years, always supplying very sound advice, despite the fact that I am direct competition for him. Hard work and perseverance is probably the main ingredient for anyone to succeed, but a helping hand from a leading name carries a lot of weight.
That man is Peter James, and the friendship started as far back as Manitou Man in 1998. We’ve remained good friends ever since, but it wasn’t until 2006 that Peter started to take notice of my determination and underlying talent. To this day, I believe I owe much of my success to the good advice and the hard work that Peter has put in on my behalf.
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