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Charles Atkins, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist and author of both fiction and non-fiction. He lectures extensively on topics related to mental health and the writing life.

First in the Haffling series

All sixteen-year-old Alex Nevus wants is to be two years older and become his sister Alice’s legal guardian. That, and he’d like his first kiss, preferably with Jerod Haynes, the straight boy with the beautiful girlfriend and the perfect life. Sadly, wanting something and getting it are very different. Strapped with a mentally ill mother, Alex fears for his own sanity. Having a fairy on his shoulder only he can see doesn't help, and his mom's schizophrenia places him and Alice in constant jeopardy of being carted back into foster care.

When Alex's mother goes missing, everything falls apart. Frantic, he tracks her to a remote corner of Manhattan and is transported to another dimension—the land of the Unsee, the realm of the Fey. There he finds his mother held captive by the power-mad Queen May and learns he is half-human and half-fey—a Haffling.

As Alex’s human world is being destroyed, the Unsee is being devoured by a ravenous mist. Fey is vanishing, and May needs to cross into the human world. She needs something only Alex can provide, and she will stop at nothing to possess it… to possess him.

What would you give to cure mankind's suffering? Dr. Spencer Williams, a brilliant young researcher, is on the verge of that discovery. Haunted by the freakish suicide of his famous mother, he is driven to find a cure for the illness that ended her life. Blessed--or cursed--from birth with second sight, Spencer's personal grail is within his grasp. Through a secret mix of blood magic and genetic engineering, he has synthesized Marvan, a miraculous medicine that could leapfrog mankind to the next evolutionary phase.

But Spencer has huge hurdles to clear. Getting a new drug to market takes big bucks. And how exactly is he supposed to keep Marvan's unique formula a secret? As word of his discovery leaks out, powerful players want a piece of the action. Hell, they want it all. Spencer must make the choice, does he go with the devil he knows or the devil himself?

From the author--"GO TO HELL is a highly personal book. Even before the makers of a major tranquilizer deposited a Montblanc™ pen with my name in gold on my desk, I knew there was something corrupt with drug companies attempting to gift me--and all doctors--with thousands of dollars annually. GO TO HELL is a close-to-the-bone parable that looks at how modern medical research, and medicine in general, have been hijacked by the pharmaceutical companies. This takeover is complete and so insidious that it is rarely questioned."

Available at all on-line sellers as en e-book, with the paperback being released February 2013.

Lil and Ada are back, and sleepy Grenville Connecticut is about to wake up with a murderous bang.

"VERDICT This winning second entry (after Vultures at Twilight) in a thriller series you simply must try will have you throwing out any assumptions you might have about gentle seniors. Psychiatrist Atkins uses his background to good effect, employing numerous psychological motives and creating a satisfyingly twisted plot."--Library Journal

Lilian Campbell and her best friend and lover, Ada Strauss, are woken early by the sound of sirens: the local assisted care facility, Nillewaug Village, is ablaze. The police and fire chiefs find evidence to suggest the fire was accidental, but Detective Mattie Perez can't help but wonder why the smoke alarms didn't work. Soon, it's looking less like accident and more like arson and murder . . . and Lil and Ada are swept up into an investigation that grows increasingly more complex, and frightening, by the hour.

"...a too-hot-to-handle thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats." --Booklist

"...will keep readers turning the pages until the dramatic conclusion."--Publisher's Weekly

Something wicked has come to Grenville Connecticut, a town famous for antiques and the systematic fleecing of its well-heeled elders as they down-size, sicken and die. Clearly, someone is unhappy with the status quo as high-end antique dealers are being murdered in gruesome--yet fitting--ways.

When a severed finger shows up at the Friday night auction, unlikely heroines Lil Campbell and Ada Strauss have to wonder--where's the rest of the body? A question that leads to festering small-town secrets, and the unraveling of a mystery that shows all is not well in a town famed for its postcard perfect New England charm.

For Lil and Ada, long-time friends and neighbors, the murders take a personal turn as unspeakable accusations are raised against Lil's dead husband and she becomes the focus of the killer's rage. And to make things worse--or better--the two friends are forced to confront powerful feelings for one another that threaten their idyllic lives.

A fun Interview with Nate Klarfeld on StoneWall Live chatting about VULTURES AT TWILIGHT and the revolution in the publishing industry: Click Here

As a doctor, Barrett thought she was used to death. But finding two dead teens--an apparent overdose--hit her hard; these are somebody's kids. And so starts a gritty tale of drug addiction, corruption, seduction and murder. To read more about MOTHER'S MILK or to order a first-edition hard-cover click here.

"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

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.

THE PORTRAIT and RISK FACTOR are back in print, and available as e-books. THE PORTRAIT, is a murder mystery that features 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. Both of these books are also available on Kindle.

RISK FACTOR is a taut thriller that explores the question of whether a child can be born pure evil.

Starting October 2012 Dr. Atkins will be providing day-long trainings at the Women's Consortium in Hamden CT. Scheduled trainings include: "Bipolar Disorder from A-Z" and "Women, Opiate Dependence and the Conundrum of Complex Co-occurring Disorders". Seating is quite limited, to get further information or to enroll click here.

Released November 2007 The Bipolar Disorder Answer Book (Sourcebooks, Inc.) 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--Professional Answers to More than 250 Questions about Alzheimer's and Dementia, was released December 2008. This is a rubber-meets-the-road practical guide for families, and people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementing illnesses. It takes you through the basics in plain-speak English. It covers the terrain including such topics as:

The Alzheimer's Answer Book is available at all major bookstores and through amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and other online booksellers. To read more about The Alzheimer's Answer Book, and for important resources click here.

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. And for those who'd like a wonderful resource on crafting novels and short stories, the above piece is being included in a new Writer's Digest Anthology --Crafting Novels and Short Stories.

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.

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.