Louis Janeira’s first dream was to become a cardiologist. He accomplished that goal when he moved to the U.S. from Portugal in 1975, attended college and medical school and is now a cardiologist at Franciscan Health. His second goal was to become a writer, and he’s accomplished that, too.
Janeira began writing10 years ago. He has published six medical murder mysteries and thrillers. However, through writing and his daughter’s acting, he discovered his true passion was to write plays.
“I have always loved to write. I have always loved to read and I have always loved the theater. The turning point was my daughter told me she wanted to be an actress, and she was 6 at the time,” said Janeira, whose daughter is now 13. “I thought, ‘I love theater,’ and she wants to be an actress, so I need to be writing plays.
“I learned how to do it and figured out the ins and outs of it and began writing plays. At that point, all the benefits I was getting from writing novels were exponentially higher and better writing plays. The work is quicker and faster, and I get to see it live rather than read about it. Instead of people saying they read my book and liked it, I get to see people in the audience laughing and crying and going through all the emotions.”
Janeira has written several plays, two of which will be shown locally in August.
“The Casualty Game” is a mystery and will be presented Aug. 2 to Aug. 11 at The Cat Theatre, 254 Veterans Way. “The Last Man” is a sci-fi thriller and will be staged Aug. 15 to Aug. 25 at IndyFringe Festival, 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis.
Janeira’s pen name is Dr. L Jan Eira. For more or to purchase tickets, visit themdwriter.com.
