C.J. Caughman is an award-winning author and storyteller from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Raised in the small town of Coweta, Oklahoma, he developed a lifelong fascination with storytelling through books, films, and television. That early passion eventually led him to pursue writing as a career. C.J. studied English – Creative Writing at the University of Central Oklahoma, where he began developing his craft through short stories and screenplays before turning his focus toward long-form storytelling. Several of his early short stories were published in literary magazines, and he later became a quarterfinalist in the 2019 Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest, an experience that deepened his interest in visual storytelling and narrative structure.
In recent years, C.J.’s primary creative focus has been writing novels with strong cinematic storytelling and expansive worldbuilding. His debut novel, The Wages of Kin, the first installment in The Cannon Fire Plot Series, received award recognition and introduced readers to a sweeping historical fantasy inspired by colonial-era conflicts, seafaring culture, and generational family legacies. The series explores political conflict, rebellion, and loyalty through the lens of a fractured nation on the brink of war. C.J. is also the author of Native Arcana, an award-winning supernatural thriller that blends crime, folklore, and modern Indigenous identity. Set in Oklahoma, the story follows a Cherokee Marshal investigating mysterious events tied to deeper cultural history and myth. Through works like Native Arcana, C.J. desires to bring Indigenous stories and perspectives into genre storytelling in ways that feel grounded, suspenseful, and authentic.
Across his work, C.J. tells stories that combine myth, history, and human conflict, often exploring how the past continues to shape the present. His projects frequently center on strong characters navigating political intrigue, cultural identity, and generational trauma, with a tone that blends grounded realism with elements of historical adventure, supernatural horror, and epic fantasy. Beyond writing, C.J. is passionate about education and storytelling as a means of empowerment. He currently works as an English teacher in Coweta, Oklahoma, where he encourages students to develop their own creative voices through reading and writing.
C.J. is a member of the Cherokee Nation and the Cherokee Nation Film Office, where he hopes to continue expanding his work into television and film. His goal is to bring character-driven stories rooted in culture, history, and genre storytelling to the screen while helping broaden Indigenous representation in mainstream media.