Maybe it’s because I’m having my own medical problems (nothing life-threatening, but my third knee surgery in under a year does nothing but suck) but I’ve been reading more medical thrillers than I ever have. Whether that’s good for my mental health or not is a question left to the professionals. But that brings me to Do Not Resuscitate, by Scott Eveloff. Doctor Scott Eveloff to you…
Scott, what’s your deal, man?
Thank you for having me in, Wayne. I’m a retired pulmonologist and sleep disorders specialist, now doctoring plot lines and character arcs as opposed to doctoring snoring and nightmares. I must admit that writing and actually publishing a book is not for the faint of heart, and it’s opened a world as foreign to me as did my entry into medical school.
As I sit out on my deck sipping dark rye, I used to think of plot revisions and how I can deepen my characters. More recently, I muse over book promotion and how my book will be received. My professional life has offered me quite a bit of material for the plot of my book, Do Not Resuscitate, but also for the messages within this medical-supernatural mystery. I’ve become a passionate advocate for patient rights and patient dignity, both of which I feel are suffering in the face of technology, AI, and health care conglomerates. I have also continued to advocate for and support the disabled, another theme in my writing. Oh, and as an interesting aside, I’ve been a guest on ABC’s 20/20, ABC’s Nightline, and The Dr. Oz Show, when it was still active.
Excellent, I’m a rye drinker myself. What’s your book about?
Do Not Resuscitate is a medical mystery with a supernatural twist. A young intern is
blamed when his patient dies suddenly and unexpectedly due to apparent catastrophic medical errors. His investigation reveals such deaths are purposeful, not accidental, but not at the hands of an unscrupulous pharmaceutical company or a twisted Angel of Death set loose. Instead, he discovers that long-dead souls of patients who had previously died in the hospital are responsible, led by the vengeful soul of a doctor as heartless in death as he was in life. Their motive is more gruesome than simply revenge on the living. The young intern must find a way to protect his patients and everyone he cares for from entities that have escaped the bounds of life itself.
It’s not exactly a feel-good story. Where’d it come from?
The story was born from both personal and professional experience. Professionally, I have worked in an Intensive Care Unit where patient after patient is clinging to life, battling to survive. Surrounded by such life-and-death immediacy, as well as the ominous heaviness of deserted hospital corridors at night, generated the story of similar patients under threat of both disease and an unseen world beyond. Personally, my son was disabled and repeatedly very ill – his life, his character, and the events shaping his childhood inspired several of the characters and illuminated how narrow a line there is between healing from medical intervention and succumbing to it.
What’s your favorite scene, if you have one?
My favorite scene is the climax at the end, where well-laid plans of both the living and the dead are thrown into unexpected disarray with a final twist.
Where can we learn more about you and your work?
- On Goodreads
- Barnes and Noble
- At my publisher (also the publisher of the Johnny Lycan books) Black Rose Writing
- Amazon
Look for a cover reveal of my new historical novel, The Deserter, coming soon from Achis Press. Meanwhile, you can find all my work here.
