IRDA Winner Author Interview: Suhail Rafidi on CETUS FINALIS: A Gray Whale Odyssey

Suhail Rafidi's CETUS FINALIS: A Gray Whale Odyssey (Immersive Audiobook), narrated by Ryan Hurtgen, won the Audiobook category (Fiction) at the 2026 IndieReader Discovery Awards (IRDA). In a July 2026 interview with IndieReader, Rafidi talked about how whales and the history of whale oil led to the novel, why he is no longer sure he would sign with a traditional publisher, and what keeps him writing.

The Book: The Last Pod of Atlantic Gray Whales

Rafidi pitches the book this way: one winter, a female pod of Atlantic gray whales find themselves alone at the equatorial mating grounds. Searching for their absent bulls, they quest through a submarine world ringing with the ancient calls of mysterious leviathans. The protagonist, Sylph, is the precocious, daring daughter of the pod's matriarch, and her adventurous spirit is in tension with her mother's restrictive sense of responsibility.

The book opens: "The pod always savored the anticipation of their rendezvous, changing the tempos of their songs, eagerly awaiting the sight of each other after so many moons apart."

IndieReader's review called the book "a beautiful exploration of oceans far and wide, family, oral tradition storytelling, and the matriarchal structure of whales, as well as a poetic rebellion against environmental downturn." It praised the full-cast production led by Hurtgen, whose narration it described as "quiet, soothing, and poetic." It also noted that the rest of the cast sing most of their dialogue, which imitates whale song and recalls oral storytelling traditions.

Where the Idea Came From

Rafidi said he became interested in whales for their intelligence, grace, and evolutionary development. The idea for the novel came when he learned that whales were, in effect, the first petroleum industry. Before oil was drilled out of the ground in the mid-1800s, whale oil lit lamps and lubricated machinery through the Industrial Revolution, and whale baleen and by-products went into everything from corset stays to cosmetics.

He chose gray whales because most readers know the Pacific population, which was heavily hunted in the 19th century, later protected, and removed from the endangered species list in 1994. Fewer people know that there was once a distinct Atlantic population, which was wiped out around the late 1700s or early 1800s. "In a deep way, human and whale fates are intertwined," Rafidi said. "I had to tell a story about it. I chose a story about the last pod of Atlantic gray whales." Asked for the main reason to read it, he said: "It is a poetic rebellion against environmental decline."

The Author

CETUS FINALIS is Rafidi's second novel. His first, the science fiction novel TJ & Tosc: A Field Guide For Life After Western Culture, is about an artificial intelligence who used to be a human being. It was adapted into a prog rock concept album by the band Perfect Beings, and he is working on a sequel. He decided to become a writer in 2006 and now teaches Creative Writing and Language Arts in the private school sector. He noted that he was recruited for his first private school teaching job on the strength of his indie publishing record. He writes 10 to 20 hours a week and named Ursula K. Le Guin as the writer he most admires.

On Being an Indie Author

For Rafidi, the best part of independent publishing is creative freedom: the ability to "travel deep into my fascinations and write about whatever I wish to explore." The hardest part is "coming to terms with the likelihood of obscurity," which is why he called the IndieReader recognition so meaningful. His advice to fellow indie authors was one word: "Persevere!"

Asked whether he would go traditional, he said that used to be a quick "Yes, please!!!" but that he would now weigh the publisher and the offer carefully. He argued that traditional publishers have become risk-averse and expect authors to arrive with their own audience and marketing platform. "If you've gotten big enough to attract a traditional publisher, why not just keep growing on your own?" he asked. "It's a question each person has to answer for themselves."

About the IndieReader Discovery Awards

IndieReader announced the winners of its 15th Annual IndieReader Discovery Awards on May 28, 2026. The awards cover fiction, nonfiction, and more than 50 genre categories, and this cycle drew more than 1,000 submissions, the largest in the program's history. "We're all feeling the impact of review sites folding up shop," said Jared Drake, co-owner of IndieReader. "At the same time, independent publishing continues to grow as authors and publishers forge paths outside the traditional gatekeeping system. Our goal is to highlight the very best indie books through thoughtful, human-driven critique, and the Discovery Awards are an important part of that mission."

What This Means for Authors

• Audiobooks are a category in their own right. CETUS FINALIS won as an immersive, full-cast audiobook. Production choices like sung dialogue can set an indie title apart in a format-specific category.
• Research can spark a story. Rafidi's novel grew out of a deep dive into whaling history and the extinction of the Atlantic gray whale.
• An indie track record carries weight. Rafidi's publishing record helped him land a teaching job, and awards like the IRDA provide outside validation in a crowded market.
• Weigh traditional offers on their merits. His view is that a publishing deal is no longer an automatic yes, especially for authors already building their own readership.

Sources: IndieReader, "IRDA Winner Author Interview with Suhail Rafidi" (https://indiereader.com/2026/07/irda-winner-author-interview-with-suhail-rafidi/); IndieReader 2026 Discovery Awards winners (https://indiereader.com/irda26-winners/); IndieReader review of CETUS FINALIS (https://indiereader.com/book_review/cetus-finalis-a-gray-whale-odyssey-immersive-audiobook/).