In the case of Haffling it’s about a 16-year-old gay kid, his little sister, and his schizophrenic mother. I still did what I always do, fuse my love of psychiatry with intense stories, plots, and characters. It was time for a new name, kind of like creating a product line. When I set out to write my first young adult novel- Haffling-it was different from anything I’d done. Atkins-and yes I did go to medical school and am a board-certified psychiatrist-has written both plainspeak books on Alzheimer’s and Bipolar Disorder, as well as a recent textbook on co-occurring substance use and mental health problems. There are little to no supernatural or paranormal elements in any of those books. There have also been a number of one-offs, like Risk Factor and The Cadaver’s Ball, both with St.

They include the Barrett Conyors series of forensic psychiatric thrillers and the Lil and Ada series of Connecticut cozies. So why use a pen name? And why now, with my 15th or 16th book?Īs Charles Atkins I’ve written mysteries and thrillers set in the real world. But no, she looked me up, handed me my pass, and I was good to go.

Atkins for decades, but without an embarrassing silence, I said, “Caleb James.” I worried that she’d ask for ID. It started when I picked up my badge at Book Expo America. It was fun, though it did take some adjustment.

I just came back from a week in Chicago, where I used my pen name, Caleb James. By Charles Atkins, Caleb James, and the doctor

Haffling by Caleb James