Local surgeon releases first audiobook

In the past three years, local author and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Graham Elder has published four fictional books set in COVID times, one of which has been translated and published in Arabic.

Despite his most recent publication, A COVID Odyssey – End in Sight, sounding like a grand finale for his story cycle that began in 2020, it is not.

“The story cycle doesn’t end with this book,” he laughs.

“It’s largely a sidestep from the main storyline of the first three books but has a major reveal at the end. A fifth and final book in the series called A COVID Odyssey – Legacy will be written at some point when I’m convinced the pandemic is really over and the world has taken on its new shape of normalcy.”

A COVID Odyssey – End In Sight returned Elder to his “initial concept” of being a shorter read and having a lot of local flavour.

“This time I wanted to write a story that was more local and more relatable for readers from Northern Ontario.”

The setting of the storyline bounces around between Sault Ste. Marie, Wawa, and Lake Superior Provincial Park.

“It’s also more of a mystery novel but still entrenched in the pandemic background circa September 2022,” says Elder.

Although we may have to wait a while yet for the conclusion of the story cycle, Elder has another accomplishment he is excited to share – his first audiobook.

Late last year, Elder made the decision to transition from author to ‘recording artist’ by recording the first book in the series.

“I really did feel like a recording artist,” he says, noting that he enlisted producer Greig Nori and recorded the book at The Loft Recording studio.

“Tucked away in a small soundproof room with nothing more than my book and a microphone in front of me, Greig Nori guided me through the reading process much like he would a musician. He would say things like, ‘That’s good, Graham, but let’s do it one more time’ or ‘now one more time with feeling.’”

Elder has thought about the importance of audiobooks many times over the years.

“Many of my older patients, as well as my father, had suffered from challenges with eyesight and asked if audio versions of the books were available.”

The author initially attempted recording the book in the basement of his house over the Christmas holidays “early in the morning when everyone was still asleep.”

“Initially, I thought it was pretty good but then as I listened more closely, I could hear a variety of background noises from heating pipes, electrical sounds, and refrigerator hums.  That made it sound too unprofessional,” he says.

“At this point, I decided to enlist the help of Greig.”

Elder notes that the Loft Recording Studio is truly a hidden gem in the community.

“It was an amazing experience,” he says.

“The minute I crossed the threshold of the Conservatory, and, in particular, The Loft Studio, my creative juices went into overdrive, and my whole surgeon persona was left at the door, like a cape on a hook.”

Elder initially felt a little nervous about the process.

“To be honest, I was a little star-struck initially. Greig has worked in the musical big leagues for decades with some major bands, and the Loft Recording Studio is quickly becoming a go-to recording destination for bands on tour crossing the country,” he says.

“He brings an incredible passion to everything around him that’s very infectious … Greig is like an Energizer Bunny Rabbit when he’s in the studio, running here and there, adjusting things that will give the best end product. This was, however, one of his first audiobook recording sessions and, like me, at times he was finding his footing as we went along. I think we worked really well together and captured the spirit of the book.”

Elder notes that it felt somewhat unusual to hear his own voice reading the story.

“It’s not very common for authors to read their own works,” he says.

“Typically, professional audio actors take on the task because of their ability to enunciate clearly and act out multiple voices. I think there is something special about listening to an author read their own book. There’s a certain passion that a hired gun could never muster. It certainly wasn’t easy, though, and it definitely took some practice to find the right tone and flow.”

Elder says that one of the hardest parts of the sessions was refraining from changing sentences that didn’t sound quite right when read aloud.

Despite this, Elder remained completely faithful to the original text.

“I used to read a lot of bedtime stories to my kids, and I’d like to think that was an important contributor to pulling off the audio version of A Covid Odyssey.”

Elder’s audiobook was just released and made available through Brent Rouble and ListenerU, a pioneering audiobook and audio-learning mobile app-based company based in Sault Ste. Marie.

“I met Brent Rouble at the Loft when I was doing some readings for a SAH Foundation fundraising event with Dr. Pat Zehr last October,” says Elder.  

“He agreed to take on my first audiobook and distribute it on the ListenerU platform as well as Amazon’s Audible. There are many platforms available online now, but I felt these two were the most important in order to reach my core audience.”

As for the other books in the COVID Odyssey series, plans are underway to begin recording those in the fall.

Despite his hectic schedule, juggling his healthcare role and his writing career, and managing a family, Elder is not slowing down his creative projects.

“I’m still working daily with my writing partner from NYC, Psychiatrist Dr. Laura Cody, on multiple projects,” he says.

“Most of our efforts are going into a medical thriller that takes place in northern Michigan about an orthopedic surgeon and a psychiatrist dealing with a serial killer on the loose in a snowbound hospital. It’s amazingly fun to write, even more so because we are drawing deeply from our own respective medical specialties.”

Elder notes they are in the final revision stages of the book and will be looking for beta readers in the fall.

“We also have the speculative Sci-Fi series called The Epsilon Project on the back burner which we’ve decided to condense into one book and release through traditional publishing. So, no breaks for this writer. Lots on the go.”

Despite the amount of writing in Elder’s life, he is not currently contemplating writing full-time.

“In the back of mind, I’m slowly shaping up my retirement from surgery to include a healthy dose of daily writing,” he says.

“Right now, my surgical career still has a profound influence on my writing, and I would hate to give that up. The way it currently is, writing is the perfect complement to my day gig and family.”

To read more about Elder’s writing, visit TwoDocsWriting.com.

To purchase an audiobook version of A COVID Odyssey, visit Audible.

It will also soon be available on ListenerU.com, where you can just download the app and start listening.