Thank You To Excelsior Springs High School for having me on September 24, and to everyone who came out to Basement Books KC on September 25. Fifty books found new homes. It was a successful homecoming. Read the Recap →
Whitham Press  ·  American Author  ·  Japan

CharlesWhitham

Speculative Fiction  ·  Emotional Realism

Stories that live at the intersection of logic and belief — where obsession, identity, and the unseen pressures of reality collide.

Sheffield by Charles Whitham Tatwitt by Charles Whitham The Emotion Engine by Charles Whitham, available for pre-order

The Books

Sheffield book cover
Science Fiction  ·  YA

Sheffield

Second Edition

When fifteen-year-old Sheffield sneaks into his father's lab and steps inside a chamber he was never supposed to touch, he doesn't just break the rules. He breaks reality.

Pulled across the boundary between worlds, he finds himself stranded in a future he was never meant to see — where time travel is regulated like a controlled substance, and a death cult called T.I.M.E. once brought civilization to the edge of extinction.

Kindle eBook: $3.99
Paperback: $12.99

Tatwitt book cover
Dark Fantasy  ·  Folklore

Tatwitt

2026

She wanted a child. She got a monster — and a miracle. When Emily Hartley drinks both halves of an ancient fertility charm, her twin daughters arrive marked by the choice.

A modern reimagining of the Norwegian folktale Tatterhood — about the daughter who was never supposed to exist, and what happens when she stops waiting for permission to become herself.

Kindle eBook: $4.99
Paperback: $13.99

The Emotion Engine book cover
Science Fiction

The Emotion Engine

Kindle: November 23, 2026  ·  Paperback: November 25, 2026

They told him it was a one-way trip. He wasn't bothered by it. Shaden Stewart is sent alone to a hostile alien world with one directive: survive long enough to report back. What he finds there will cost him more than his mission.

A science fiction novel about survival, emotional absence, and what it means to feel something on a world that was never meant for you.

Kindle eBook: $5.99
Paperback: $14.99

Latest Writing

New posts every other Sunday

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October 2, 2026

The Long and Winding Road

A week back home in Missouri: a Chiefs overtime game at Arrowhead, the best BBQ of my life, six classes at my old high school, and fifty books sold at Basement Books KC in Liberty.

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September 13, 2026

The Thing the Book Is Named After

Five months in, 71,197 words, and the machine at the center of The Emotion Engine is finally on the page. A look at the last stretch of the draft and what it feels like to write toward an ending you already know.

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The Last Honest Lie by Charles Whitham

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About Charles

Charles Whitham, author

An American novelist from Excelsior Springs, Missouri — now writing from Funabashi, Japan.

Charles Whitham balances teaching English with writing fiction that explores the tension between logic and belief, structure and chaos. His work sits at the intersection of speculative science fiction and emotional realism, often examining obsession, identity, and the unseen pressures that shape people long before they recognize them.

His debut novel, Sheffield, follows a gifted teen navigating parallel worlds and the consequences of intellect untethered from certainty. His second novel, Tatwitt, expands that exploration into fractured realities and moral consequence.

Living abroad for fifteen years has sharpened his fascination with displacement and perception — themes that quietly surface throughout his work. His third novel, The Emotion Engine, releases November 23, 2026.

Outside of writing, he plays Destiny 2, follows the Kansas City Chiefs from across the Pacific, and continues developing new speculative projects.

Based In
Funabashi, Japan
Originally From
Excelsior Springs, Missouri
Books Published
2  (3rd due Nov 2026)
Publisher
Whitham Press, Inc.

In Conversation

Brain Hub Online  ·  Tetsuya Yasukochi

10 Years to a Debut — Then a New Creative Journey

On living in Japan, the long road to publishing Sheffield, and how Tatwitt came together in under three months.

Watch on YouTube →
Brain Hub Online  ·  Tetsuya Yasukochi

The Inspiration Behind the Stories

Discussing the themes of identity, displacement, and what drives the work — from Star Wars to Norwegian folklore.

Watch on YouTube →
Brain Hub Online  ·  Tetsuya Yasukochi  ·  Written Interview

From a Decade-Long First Novel to a New Creative Journey

A full written transcript in English and Japanese — covering life in Japan, the writing process, and what's next.

Read on Note →

What Readers Say

★★★★★

Tatwitt is a modern fairytale. Beautiful. Loved it.

Alma Mesa  ·  Amazon Verified
★★★★★

Gripping from Hollywood to Las Vegas. Tatwitt is hauntingly beautiful.

Jelly  ·  Amazon Verified
★★★★★

Each chapter keeps you wanting to read more. Good sci-fi book.

Tammy L. Odom  ·  Amazon Verified
★★★★★

Great read! Love this story!

Bryan Lee  ·  Amazon Verified

Contact

For press inquiries, book club requests, speaking engagements, or just to say hello — send a message and I'll get back to you.

Response Time
Usually within 48 hours
Based In
Funabashi, Japan (JST)
Message sent — thank you. I'll be in touch soon.