Playing for Sucess

Interview with Author Gary W. Moore

by Randy Richardson

Gary W. Moore's father, Gene, taught him so much but kept a secret from him until the day before he suddenly passed away from a heart attack. That secret set Gary on a journey of discovery to put the pieces of his father's life together. When he finally had finished the puzzle, twenty years afterward, he began writing his father's incredible story. A story that would turn into a book, Playing with the Enemy, about a baseball prodigy who lost his dream to become a major league baseball player to war and injury.

Playing with the Enemy is a moving and inspiring story. Publisher's Weekly gave it a starred review, calling it "[A] 20th century epic that demonstrates how, sometimes, letting go of a dream is the only way to discover one's great fortune." But what happened after a small press took a chance and published the first-time novelist's book is almost as incredible as the story behind the book itself. Gary's own personal success story is an inspiring one and one that all writers should hear and take to heart. He had a little book that he believed in and never stopped believing in. One can't help but be inspired by the story of the little book that could — and did.

Playing with the Enemy author Gary W. Moore will be sharing the inspiring story behind his bestselling book and how he got Hollywood to make it into a movie at Sonoma Café, 2845 W. 95^th St., Evergreen Park, on Saturday, November 14, 2009, from 4:00-6:30 p.m. The speaker’s event, sponsored by the Chicago Writers Association, provides guests a chance to interact with the award-winning author in a casual setting. The Bourbonnais author will reading from his work, sharing his unlikely success story and fielding audience questions. He will also have books on hand for sale and signing.

Interview with author Gary W. Moore

Q: Your father's story, which is told in your debut "Playing with the Enemy," is an incredible one. When did you decide that you were going to write it?

I don’t really know that I can identify a beginning moment. I believe the idea began the night my dad told me the story and developed in the twenty years afterwards. I have always wanted to write and thought this would be the best place to start.

Q: Your father gave you the heart of the story but not all of it. How much research went into "Playing with the Enemy"? Months? Years?

Years of listening to relatives tell stories about my dad, added to the story he told me before he died. His words laid the foundation for the story and the oral histories of relatives and Sesser residents filled in many of the blanks. I spent a day in Sesser, IL talking to residents over the age of 75 and uncovered lots of additional information. My father was not a historical figure and did not make it to the Major Leagues so there is very little written history. The process became an accumulation of oral histories.

Q: It would seem like you had all of these pieces of your father's life puzzle strewn about and you had to put them all together. What was it like for you as you saw those pieces coming together for the first time?

That is a great description of what happened. The oral histories and stories fit together very much like a puzzle. Certainly there were gaps that required me to fill in the blanks but the gaps pointed to the next [piece so it became apparent in most cases what I needed to create for the blank.

Q: The story behind "Playing with the Enemy" is true but you obviously are telling a story that you didn't witness and didn't even know about for most of your life. In order to make the story compelling reading you must have taken some artistic liberties, especially with the dialogue. How much, if any, of the story did you fictionalize and how did you go about trying to make it as accurate and authentic as possible?

I have tried to make the story as true and as accurate as possible. As I said earlier, my dad did not make it to the majors and he is not a historical figure. There is very little written history about him, so I relied on oral histories. I did choose to write Playing with the Enemy in “novel style and form” by recreating conversations. Why would anyone want to read a history book written by a first time author and about a man who did not make it and no one has ever heard of? I chose to make it novel in style and create interest rather than just providing historical facts.

Q: "Playing with the Enemy" is your first book. Had you done any other writing before you decided to write your father's story. What was your background and how did that help or hinder you as a writer?

My background is music and sales and marketing. I have always been an avid reader and have written lots of industry articles for sales and marketing publications. I think the musical background has helped me maintain a rhythm to my writing. I spend a lot of time working on phrasing and rhythmical development to sentences and paragraphs.

Q: I presume that most if not all of the real-life characters that are portrayed in "Playing with the Enemy" and are still living have read the book? What kind of reactions have you received from them? Did you let them read the manuscript in advance and, if so, did they advise you at all or make suggestions?

Unfortunately, the main characters have all passed on. I really waited 10 years too long to write the story. I have heard from numerous people who lived in the peripheral of the story. There are two living witnesses to the Friendship Game in Ruston, LA and the bat boy from the Egyptians is still with us. They all loved the book, as did my dad’s only surviving sister, who has since passed.

Q: As a first-time author, how did you go about finding a publisher? Were there many rejections before you found a publisher?

Trying to be published is much like trying to be struck by lightning. I received many rejection letters, with the most interesting coming from Penguin, who said they did not see much commercial viability for a family story. Savas Beatie, LLC a medium sized but growing publishing house in CA took a chance, publishing it as a hardcover. It became a surpsise hit, then, low and behold, Penguin approached Savas Beatie and purchased the paperback rights after rejecting it originally! Rejections are all part of the process.