Dartmouth author shines spotlight on first responders in new fiction

Former paramedic and firefighter Sean Paul Bedell finally finds the ‘space to heal’ in order to write his coming-of-age debut novel, ‘Somewhere There’s Music’

CITYnews halifax \ Steve Gow

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Even though it has been years since Sean Paul Bedell moved on from his work as a paramedic in Halifax and Sheet Harbour, the scars of the past still haunt him from time to time.

“There are certain streets in Halifax that I can go by certain houses that I just remember — it all just comes back to me and unfortunately, it’s always the very bad calls,” admits the former paramedic, now living in Dartmouth.

As a first responder for more than a decade, Bedell witnessed tragedy and experienced trauma that has stayed with him.

“In the PTSD world — not that I was ever diagnosed with that but I’m sure I came close — they speak of the shoebox,” continues Bedell. “You keep all these memories in a shoebox and then someday, it just kind of erupts back at you.”

Luckily for Bedell, that eruption eventually manifested itself creatively. A writer of 30 years, Bedell has finally released his full-length novel, Somewhere There’s Music — a coming-of-age fiction that peeks behind the curtain of first responder post-traumatic stress disorder and the job’s impact on families.

“I think, with me, the pandemic helped spur me on a little bit,” laughs Bedell about completing his debut novel at the age of 55. “I laugh because my publisher is (named) Now or Never, and literally in my cover letter to my publisher, I wrote the name of your firm sits so aptly with where I am at — it’s now or never!”

The story follows a young teen named Joel as he attempts to cope within a broken home headed by an alcoholic and abusive first-responder father. After his brother flees the violence in the home, Joel heads out to track down his sibling while beginning to understand and appreciate the issues first responders are faced with on a daily basis.

“It’s hard to pin an exact date on it, but I think (I conceived the idea) about seven years ago, and then I wrote a draft and kind of stepped away from it for a bit,” admits Bedell about the delayed debut novel. “Life kind of gets in the way and you do your thing, and to do the novel was never a top priority for me until I would say the last seven or eight years.”

The truth is, while writing the novel may not have been a “top priority”, the story certainly never left Bedell. In fact, it would take years before Bedell would realize that completing Somewhere There’s Music would also allow him to purge a few demons from his past.

“I did a very bad call when there was a particular weather pattern going on, and whenever I see that type of weather now — without any invocation on my side — it just brings me right back to that call,” recalls Bedell. “But I think writing this story has helped me get rid of that (or) to come to vent some of that stuff.”

Bedell also says it was important to dramatize his experiences and memories, and give it voice through a young protagonist. Much has been written about first responders firsthand, but Bedell knew the trauma of the work can have a devastating impact on loved ones as well.

“Joel, the character, he was always the central character in it,” says Bedell, who is also the current president of the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia. “I always wanted this story to focus on the families of first responders, because on the flip side too, I think families of first responders bear the brunt of some of the stresses and anxieties, (so) it was always central that a younger man kind of gets his eyes opened as he moves through those formative years.”

Since it was released, Somewhere There’s Music has been gaining plenty of praise from critics and colleagues with the popular Canadian literature website The 49^th Shelf even listing the book as one of the “most anticipated” releases of Spring 2022.

“I’m quite pleased actually with the response the book has been getting,” says Bedell, adding that he hopes the novel creates an awareness and appreciation for the dedicated first responders of Nova Scotia.

“People need to understand that the people treating those that are injured, especially in the field, get injured themselves from that treatment, and they need time to heal, and they need some space to heal.”

For more information on Somewhere There’s Music, visit the publisher’s website.