Metro Roundup: Mountain Brook native draws on medical knowledge to write his debut horror novel

Mountain Brook native Jake Shuford is in the midst of a lifelong love affair with literature.

“I grew up reading books and I will die doing so,” he told Village Living.

While attending Indian Springs School, Shuford was inspired by a famous Indian Springs graduate — novelist John Green — to take his love of books to another level.

“I remember being in high school and reading and learning about his successes, and it birthed the idea that I could possibly do that, too,” Shuford said.

That idea came to fruition in September, when Shuford — now living in Denver — self-published his debut novel.

Described by the author as part psychological thriller, part medical horror, the book jumped to No. 1 in the horror fiction category for e-books on Amazon, Shuford said.

More recently, Shuford’s book — now titled “Non-Elective Murder” — was picked up by 25&Y Publishing and will soon be published in a new edition.

“Non-Elective Murder” tells the story of Dr. Tim Hill, a surgeon who seeks to harness the amazing ability of the green anole lizard to regrow its severed tail.

If this regenerative power were unlocked, it would help countless patients.

However, the surgeon becomes obsessed with his quest, and his own family members fall prey to his experiments.

Shuford, who graduated from The University of Colorado, drew on his first-hand knowledge of the medical field to write the book.

He sold orthopedic implants to surgeons and healthcare facilities, including implants for ACL reconstructions and rotator cuff repairs.

“I was constantly in the operating room, helping out with surgeries and making sure products were properly implanted,” Shuford said.

He spent about five years selling these devices and learning about medicine and the human body.

“I thought it would be interesting to make a plot that centers around it, especially since not many people are educated about what actually happens inside the operating room,” Shuford said.

The book is medically accurate, he said.

Shuford also drew on his lifelong interest in snakes and lizards and some research he did regarding the green anole.

It took him about a year to write the novel.

The internet has been a big boost to Shuford’s new career.

“It’s been helpful getting my debut novel out for everyone to read,” he said. “If it wasn’t for that, there’s a chance no one reads my stories, and if that didn’t happen, then the book most likely would never have been picked up by a publisher.”

The availability of the internet and social media makes this a good time to be a writer, but “only...if you make it that way,” Shuford said.

“One thing I’ve learned is you can’t give this anything less than 100%,” he said. “If you do, you won’t create something special.”

Shuford is hoping for something special with his second novel, “Beneath the Sand.”

Like his first novel, “Beneath the Sand” is part psychological thriller, part scientific horror.

Shuford said he wants to go “the traditional route” and get an agent and a publisher for the book.

He also has a lofty goal.

“My goal as a writer is to offer readers a phenomenal story that allows them to escape their daily lives and explore the possibilities of what lies just beyond our vision,” he said.

At press time, the new edition of “Non-Elective Murder” was scheduled to appear in March, Shuford said.

For information, go to jakeshuford.com or 25andy.com.