North East vet’s novel is very far away from ‘fluffy’ James Herriot!

DANIEL HALL meets a North East vet who is turning his expert knowledge into a novel

ANORTHUMBERLAND vet says he hopes to show the veterinary profession isn’t as fluffy as it’s sometimes seen in his first novel.

Joseph Ward, a veterinary surgeon who works in Blyth, started writing The Good Vet at the end of 2020 and after it was published earlier this month, it hit number three in Amazon’s medical thrillers chart.

The novel tells the story of Mac, a vet who lives in a Northumberland coastal town and uncovers an underground dog-fighting ring.

Working independently of the police, Mac is sucked into a world of organised crime. Thirty-eight-yearold Joseph is hoping that the novel moves away from the “soft and fluffy” representation of vets, and shows a little more of the reality and dark humour of the profession through his “grumpy” protagonist.

Joseph, who grew up near Edinburgh and now lives in Seaton Delaval, counts Ian Rankin among his inspirations, as well as thriller writers such as Jo Nesbo and Lee Child. He told the Journal: “I started writing when we’d just had a kid, but it became something that I started doing during his nap times and when the little fella had gone to bed.

“I’d always liked writing but obviously when you’re a vet you become very focused on science, so it was never really something I’d taken seriously.

“It was just a hobby, but I kept going with it and kept pushing it and 16 drafts later I ended up with a book which hopefully isn’t too bad.”

Joseph is already thinking about a sequel after leaving The Good Vet “on a mild cliffhanger”. As the main character Mac is named after his first son, he feels he needs another novel where his second child Cooper makes an appearance.

He continued: “I’ve now got two kids, which slow me down even further with writing, but I’d like to add another one.

“I think if I wrote another one, it would hopefully be a lot quicker and I’d definitely be up for a sequel because it’s been quite fun to write and I’ve already worked out the ideas and stuff!”

The veterinary surgeon hopes that the book will bring a smile to the faces of those who read it, while also giving a new insight into the life of a vet.

He said: “The main thing is it cheers people up, people like it, maybe they ask for another.

“It’d be nice to have my work over the last couple of years validated. And it would be absolutely wonderful if it sold thousands and thousands, and the pipe dream would be that it gets turned into a miniseries but I’m not sure about that!”

“Books about vets usually focus on them treating animals and the wonderful fluffy world of being a vet, whereas Mac is a nice guy, but not your typical James Herriott type books. It’ll be fun for people to see the profession and the dark humour that never seems to come through in books about vets.”

Despite The Good Vet getting a good reception so far, Joseph has no plans to leave the profession.

He said: “I must admit, I do quite like being a vet.

“Unless it really, really took off I’d still keep my hand it because I do like the day to day.

“I haven’t done this as a way to escape being in the veterinary world because I do quite like it. I don’t think I’ll be retiring soon but it is a nice little outlet.”

The Good Vet is available to buy on Amazon.