<p>Scalpel in hand, the surgeon faced a moral quandary.</p><p>Heart surgeon Dr. Kenneth Percy knew his patient. Shortly before arriving to the hospital, he had gotten in a fight with the man, eventually stabbing him in the heart. Percy was responsible for his medical emergency, and would be punished if he were found out. But he also had a duty as a physician to provide care.</p><p>His decision would impact both of their lives, reverberating far beyond them throughout the plot of “The Casualty Game.”</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>In such a story, it may be difficult for most writers to accurately get into the psyche of a character such as Percy. That’s not the case for author Dr. Louis Janeira.</p><p>When he’s not solving complex medical mysteries, Janeira crafts intricately plotted psychological thrillers and tales of murder. A cardiologist for Indiana Heart Physicians on the southside, he has also published eight books and 11 plays. Two of his most recent plays, “The Casualty Game” and “The Last Man,” will be staged throughout the month of August.</p><p>For Janeira, writing mysteries is a way to branch out from his medical profession.</p><p>“At work, I’m all scientist. But then when I sit down and write these things, it’s all creativity, which I don’t really get to do at work much,” he said. “It allows me to use that part of the brain that I normally don’t. It makes me a better person, and a better doctor.”</p><p>Uncovering the unknown is part of what drove Janeira to become a cardiologist and electrophysiologist in the first place. A native of Fundão, Portugal, he moved to the U.S. in 1975 and started college at age 16. He graduated from Rutgers University with a bachelor’s degree in science, and graduated from the Ross University School of Medicine in New York with his medical degree.</p><p>For the past year, he has worked with Franciscan Physician Network Indiana Heart Physicians, seeing patients both at the southside Indianapolis location and in Crawfordsville.</p><p>Though he often wrote scientific papers and medical publications, he never tried his hand at creative writing until about eight years ago.</p><p>The busy schedule of a cardiologist would not seem to allow for free time to write a book, let alone nearly 20 novels and plays. But Janeira found a way to best take advantage of his time to indulge his passion for writing.</p><p>While working at Union Hospital and Regional Hospital in Terre Haute, he was commuting every day from his home in Zionsville. He hired a driver to take him there and back, and during the trip, he would sit in the back seat and read.</p><p>“I loved to read fiction, but I never had the time before. All of a sudden, I have 3 1/2 to 4 hours every day. So I was reading, and then I said to myself, ‘I can do this.’ I started writing my first book, and I really loved it,” Janeira said.</p><p>Janeira, who writes under the pen name L. Jan Eira, has written six books. All of his books revolve around medical themes. Take the “Harmed” series, in which main character Dr. Jack Norris helps police solve brutal crimes committed at Newton Memorial Hospital.</p><p>“Still” focuses on the deadly predicament that Dr. Amy Sinclair finds herself and her family in. The Traveler series blends science fiction, time travel and a medical apocalypse into an engaging trilogy.</p><p>“My stories tend to have a medical underpinning. So I’ll use medical conditions sometimes to drive from. In my day job, it’s all thrillers and mysteries: Why do I have chest pains? Why am I fainting? Why do I feel so fatigued? It’s all pursuing that as well,” he said.</p><p>While some writers like to plan out the entire story before they sit down to write, Janeira takes a different approach. He starts with a “what if?” question and works backwards.</p><p>He comes up with an unusual premise then starts writing.</p><p>“It writes itself. As I’m going along, I try to find ways to keep people entertained and keep them on the edge of their seat, so they are surprised,” Janeira said. “I want people to think, ‘I didn’t see that coming.’ What I like even more than that is when they say, ‘I didn’t see that coming, but I should have.’”</p><p>At the same time he was writing, Janeira’s daughter decided she wanted to be an actress. She had accompanied her father to theater performances in the past, that being one of his passions, and developed an appreciation for it.</p><p>Janeira decided that one thing he could do to support her was to branch out into writing plays. He attended classes learning the nuances of the art, and has since produced 11 short and long-form plays. Every year, he tries to have one or two of them staged at local theaters.</p><p>“They have been well received. I’m sort of getting a name,” he said. “That encouraged me to continue.”</p><p>In August, two of his plays will be produced at local theaters. “The Casualty Game” opened Aug. 2 at the Cat, a theater based in downtown Carmel, and continues running this weekend.</p><p>Will Wood, artistic director of the Cat, was familiar with Janeira’s work and had staged his plays in the past. He felt that the twisty-turvy plot lines and suspense of “The Casualty Game” were a perfect fit for the audience.</p><p>“The Cat loves hosting any of the good doctor’s shows! They are mysterious, thought-provoking, scary, funny — many things that we find our audiences enjoy,” Wood said in an email.</p><p>Another play, a one-act production titled “The Last Man,” will open Aug. 15 as part of the IndyFringe Festival. The play explores the sci-fi idea of creating perfect human beings and the unforeseen consequences that can have. It will be shown six times over the course of 10 days.</p><p>For Janeira, having so much of his work on display for the public is energizing.</p><p>“I’m going to be quite the busy theatergoer, because I try to go to all of my shows. Every single weekend in August, there’s a play of mine on stage. And I’m going to love it,” he said. “It’s a wonderful feeling to have your words that were in your head to be portrayed on stage.”</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="The Janeira file" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Dr. Louis Janeira</p><p>Occupation: Cardiologist at Franciscan Physician Network Indiana Heart Physicians in Crawfordsville and Indianapolis; author and playwright</p><p>Home: Zionsville</p><p>Information: themdwriter.com</p>[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title="If you go" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>"The Casualty Game"</p><p>What’s it about: The only chest cutter in town is trauma surgeon Dr. Kenneth Percy. When faced with the split-second mortal decision to operate on a man reputed to be an abusive, cruel husband without a care for the lives of others, Ken is confronted with an impossible dilemma sure to have far-reaching repercussions.</p><p>Playwright: Dr. Louis Janeira</p><p>Showtimes: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday</p><p>Where: The Cat, 254 1st Ave. SW, Carmel</p><p>Admission: $18 general admission, $15 students and seniors</p><p>Information: thecattheatre.com</p><p>"The Last Man"</p><p>What’s it about: A one-act play about scientific advancements creating perfect human beings, and the consequences that brought.</p><p>Playwright: Dr. Louis Janeira</p><p>Showtimes: 9 p.m. Aug. 16, 3 p.m. Aug. 17, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 20, 6 p.m. Aug. 21, 10:30 p.m. Aug. 24, 4:30 p.m. Aug. 25</p><p>Where: Indianapolis Fire Fighters Museum, 748 Massachusetts Ave., Indianapolis</p><p>Admission: $15 adults, $12 senior 65 and over, students with ID and children</p><p>Information: <a href="http://indyfringe.org/theatre-show/last-man">indyfringe.org/theatre-show/last-man</a></p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
