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Charles Atkins

 

 

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Welcome and thank you for visiting my author's web site.     

 

"Taut, mind-blowing suspense, a thoroughly evil protagonist, and unexpected twists throughout make this a genuinely gripping thriller"

                                                --Booklist

"Nobody who starts this clever, maximum-velocity nail-biter will leave it unfinished."
--Kirkus Reviews

 

This has been an exciting time for me with three new books coming out this year.  Perhaps the most fun has been working on my new series of novels with female forensic psychiatrist, Barrett Conyors.  The first two--The Prodigy and Ashes Ashes--are available for purchase and I've just completed a first draft of the third in the series. 

My second book with forensic psychiatrist Barrett--Ashes, Ashes (Severn House)--was released in the U.K. (June 2008) and has an official U.S. release date of (September 2008), although it's already available through amazon.comAshes, Ashes is a heart-pounding doomsday thriller that pits Barrett against a dangerous sociopath set on mass murder of biblical proportions.  

The Prodigy, released in January 2008 by Llewellyn Worldwide/Midnight Ink, introduces Dr. Barrett Conyors, a forensic psychiatrist who matches wits with a murderous and talented sociopath who has more than duets on his mind.  To read more about The Prodigy click on the book jacket.  

I'm also pleased that two of my earlier novels--THE PORTRAIT and RISK FACTOR are coming back into print this year.  THE PORTRAIT was my first published thriller and is something of a political statement--a mainstream book, which has a hero with serious mental illness (Bipolar Disorder).  It was released in paperback in July 2008 and is available on line and through your local booksellers, as well as through Dorchester Publishing at  dorchesterbub.com.  It can also be purchased online through amazon.com  BarnesandNoble.com.

My second novel, RISK FACTOR explores the question of whether a child can be born pure evil.  

 

 

Recently released (November 2007) is my first non-fiction book, The Bipolar Disorder Answer Book (Sourcebooks, Inc.)  This is a comprehensive and up-to-date question-and-answer book geared for people with Bipolar Disorder, their families and their loved ones.  It's available at book stores everywhere and can be ordered at a discount through Amazon.com  .  

The Alzheimer's Answer Book, my second with Sourcebooks, will be out this fall.

As with the Bipolar Disorder Answer Book, this is a rubber meets the road practical guide for families, and people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementing illnesses.  It takes you through the basics in plain speak English.  It covers the terrain including such topics as:

  • How to get an accurate diagnosis.

  • What medications might help. 

  • Understanding Medicare and Medicaid.

  • How to plan ahead and when to seek legal advice.

  • Is there a cure in sight?

  • How do I keep from getting burned out?

 

In addition to books, I've had short stories, articles and essays published in newspapers, professional journals and magazines.  Check out a recent piece in Writer's Digest Magazine  Killer Personalities: A Psychiatrist's Guide to Writing Believable Villains.  

In the July/August 2007 issue of Physicians Practice Magazine is a feature article "Why I Write".  This is a piece that I've wanted to write for some time that traces the path of story from the bedside to the mainstream novel.  It's a road well traveled, with a rich history of past and present physician authors.  To view this article on line, click the above link and enter my name in the magazine's search engine.

I've served as a consultant for the "Reader's Digest" Medical Breakthrough series, and was a regular contributor to the American Medical Association's American Medical News.  I have been featured in Newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times and The Hartford Courant.  

From 2004  to December 2006 I co-wrote a weekly column for the Waterbury Republican-- Country Life Magazine section with Lisa Hoffman--a journalist of some fifty years.  These humorous--and sometimes sad--pieces cover everything from battles with Medicare to cleaning out refrigerators, to Christmas visits from baby kangaroos.  To see a few of our favorite columns click on the titles below.  To go back into the archives--over 100 columns--click here.   For those fans who ask after Lisa, she is doing well, and we have just completed a draft of her memoir THE TALES OF MISS HOFFMAN--a rollicking and racy tale of a most-unconventional life.

 

A few faves from Country Life Magazine

 

Talks and Presentations:

As a speaker and consultant my areas of expertise include:

  1. Questions and Answers on Bipolar Disorder
  2. Topics related to mental health, recovery and Harm Reduction.
  3. Humor and Healing and the mind-body connection.
  4. Stress reduction--a cognitive behavioral approach.
  5. The Art of Writing and the Business of Getting Published.
  6. Getting Away with Murder:  Exploring complex clinical and forensic topics through personal narrative and fiction.
  7. A Road Well Traveled: The Physician-Author and the Continuum of Story

Talks and seminars are tailored to the needs of each organization.  With advance notification, books can be sold at events with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the charity of choice.

 

(Site updated 9/13/2008)

To read about THE PRODIGY or any of my other books, click on the book covers.


Atkinsunlimited@aol.com 

 

              

 

 

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