One of the "Best Doctors in St. Louis" can now add novelist to his résumé. Last month, Dr. John S. Daniels of Washington University School of Medicine, released his fictional debut, The Intern. The book follows young Jason Green as he begins his internship at Sinai Medical Center. What ensues is a tactful, 286-page gay love story containing autobiographical elements drawn from Daniels’ personal and professional experiences. The physician was also recently chosen as a featured author for the upcoming St. Louis Jewish Book Festival. Born and raised in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Daniels is a father of three daughters and resides in the greater St. Louis area with his partner of 18 years, Lance Cimarolli. We took a moment catch up with Daniels during a break from his practice at the Center for Advanced Medicine.
You run a full-time medical practice here in St. Louis. Why write fiction?
I’ve always wanted to write fiction. My high-school senior English teacher taught me an appreciation for literature and how to write. It was always such a pleasure to read fiction, and I always wanted to write, but never really had the time. I decided that at my age, if I didn’t do it now, it wasn’t going to happen. So about a year ago, I sat down and took a few courses in creative writing, which were truthfully not very helpful. I found out that writing is much like learning medicine: You really have to do it. That’s why they call it the practice of medicine. Writing is similar, where you really have to practice. So I just started writing and had a ball doing it.
Where did the inspiration for the book come from?
Much of it was cathartic. The main inspiration came from my own experiences in medical training and life. In a way, writing was like a therapy session for me. It’s a gay love story—with a little bit of Chinese espionage—and the overriding theme is how the protagonist learns to ask the right questions, both in his personal and professional life. When you ask the right questions, things sort of fall into place.
How does the story mirror your own life experiences?
Most of the medical things that occur in this book actually happened to me. If you remember the scene of the protagonist’s first day at internship with the four codes, that was my first day at internship; all I did was recreate that. The scene of the woman with glass eyes, that was a real patient of mine. Those things really happened. The protagonist, Jason Green, is a Southern Jewish boy who’s gay. I’m also a Southern Jewish boy who’s gay, although I didn’t come out until much later than the character. He’s the boy I would’ve liked to have been. I wasn’t a prodigy like Jason, but I was bright enough.
In your opinion, what is the main focus of the book?
I really wanted it to be a love story between two men, but I didn’t want it to be a “gay book.” I wanted something that would appeal to the heterosexual population. The sex is very bland; I didn’t want to turn people off by being explicit. People seem interested in medicine and how interns and residents train. Obviously, I have experience in that field, so I thought it would be an interesting way to bring the love story.
Why tell this story now? The timing couldn’t be better, with the Supreme Court decision for same-sex marriage earlier this summer.
I definitely didn’t plan it [laughing], although I’m thrilled about the decision. By the time I started writing, civil unions—and in some states, same-sex marriage—were already happening. I hoped it would happen, but this book was more about… Well, I hoped it would be so well-written, it might [transcend] the issue. Turns out, it’s not that well-written…but I hope my next book will be better. I just wanted to contribute to society in terms of letting people who don’t understand love between two of the same sex, maybe helping them understand it a little bit better. That’s really what my motivation was.
Where did you find the time to write this book while running your practice?
I didn’t take away from my practice. I wrote on the weekends. It’s hard for some people to understand, but I had so much fun doing it. The characters became so real to me; in some of the emotional scenes, I would literally bawl while writing. I would get up at 2 in the morning and write. I didn’t get much sleep, but I had a great time doing it. I’ve written a lot of scientific articles, papers and so forth, and I can’t say I had a good time writing those. There’s a bit more drudgery.
Has anything changed at your practice since releasing the book?
Not really, no. The fact that I’m gay is not something I advertise, nor is it something I hide. I’m sure many of my patients know, and some of my patients didn’t know. I’ve not had any negative feedback, not at all. I’ve had a number of patients come in with copies they want me to autograph and that type of thing. Basically, I’ve had only positive feedback from patients.
What’s next?
To be honest, I don’t know. There’s one project I’m working on: My father’s uncle was in the French Resistance during World War II. He was Jewish and lived in Southern France and kept a diary, which I just had translated. It’s very interesting, and I’m thinking of making a book out of that. Then, I have other fictional ideas I’d be interested in, so I’m not sure exactly what will come next. I don’t think there’s an Intern 2, though; I think this book stands on its own.
The Intern is available for purchase through amazon.com and most major book distributors. A Kindle version is also available.
