“He prescribed medication for grief, anxiety, and broken minds. He just couldn’t
prescribe it for himself. For six decades, Doctor Elmer Whatley has been Palo Alto’s
most trusted psychiatrist — steady, brilliant, unshakeable. But behind the bowtie
and the doctor’s bag is a man who has watched his son die of AIDS, lost his wife to
a grief she couldn’t survive, and prayed prayers he never believed. Now, at ninety-four,
the prescriptions are running out. A devastatingly tender and deeply human
novel, The Old Doctor lingers long after the final page. A story about medicine,
faith, marriage, and the one patient every doctor refuses to treat: himself.”
–Cyra Aggarwal, author of The Architect of the Minds
“I highly recommend William Lynes' book The Old Doctor, the saga of a family of
healers who suffer more than their share of heartaches and tragedies. Lynes does
not leave us without hope. While some people would turn bitter or cynical from
experiences like those of his characters, Lynes shows a path to redemption.”
–Rebecca Farnbach, author of Dancing with Prayers in My Feet
“Doctor Lynes’s novel brings the reader into a shared intimate presence of the
challenges, joys, tragedies, and spiritual growth in the life and family of The Old
Doctor. Enjoy this time-shifting journey of his senior days, feeling as though you
were part of his family.”
–Pascal John Imperato, M.D., author of Dragon’s Breath
"The Old Doctor is ultimately a thoughtful reflection on family, faith, memory, loss,
and the enduring impact one life can have on countless others. Beneath its
historical medical framework lies a deeply human story about a man looking back
on a life that was far from perfect, yet unquestionably full. Rather than portraying
old age as a period of decline alone, the novel presents it as a season filled with
memories, perspective, gratitude, and lingering grief."
–Gina Rae Mitchell
COMING SOON
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I am William Lynes, a retired physician, board-certified urologist, and award-winning author. I am a survivor, advocate, and speaker concerning physician burnout and suicide in the medical profession. My passion for writing began in 1990 with a challenge from my three sons to write a book about their lives. Pirates, Scoundrels, and Kings was the result, a fantasy adventure story set in medieval times.
Since then, I have concentrated my writing on medically-related fiction. I have self-published six works, five traditionally with Black Rose Writing, and I have completed four unpublished novels. Three of these are being marketed by my agent, Emily Sweet, with Aevitas Creative as A Surgeon’s Reckoning Trilogy. I have also enjoyed writing short fiction, especially biblical short stories.
FROM THE BLOG
There's a great number of articles, posts and novels on LynesOnline. If you're looking for a good starting point, begin with these well received blog posts.
