birth_date: 1955-08-27 00:00:00
avg_rating: 3.94
name: Raymond L. Atkins
about: Raymond L. Atkins resides in Rome, Georgia, where he is an instructor of English at Georgia Northwestern Technical College. He lives in a 110-year-old house with a patient wife and a fat dog. His hobbies include people-watching, reading, and watching movies that have no hope of ever achieving credibility.His first novel, The Front Porch Prophet, was published by Medallion Press in 2008 and was awarded the Georgia Author of the Year Award for First Novel. Midwest Book Review called it "an intriguing and clever tale, highly recommended for community library fiction collections." His second novel, Sorrow Wood, was published by Medallion Press in 2009. As noted in Publisher's Weekly, "Subtle humor and mostly pitch-perfect prose distinguish Atki Raymond L. Atkins resides in Rome, Georgia, where he is an instructor of English at Georgia Northwestern Technical College. He lives in a 110-year-old house with a patient wife and a fat dog. His hobbies include people-watching, reading, and watching movies that have no hope of ever achieving credibility.His first novel, The Front Porch Prophet, was published by Medallion Press in 2008 and was awarded the Georgia Author of the Year Award for First Novel. Midwest Book Review called it "an intriguing and clever tale, highly recommended for community library fiction collections." His second novel, Sorrow Wood, was published by Medallion Press in 2009. As noted in Publisher's Weekly, "Subtle humor and mostly pitch-perfect prose distinguish Atkins's compelling mix of mystery and romance, set in 1985 with flashbacks to the 1930s and '40s. Atkins smoothly weaves past into present as the action builds to a final poignant twist."His third novel, Camp Redemption, was published by Mercer University Press in 2013. It was awarded the Ferrol Sams Award for Fiction and won the 2014 Georgia Author of the Year Award for Fiction. "Camp Redemption showcases the best of Raymond Atkins’s talents in Southern fiction: characters who move in with us, for better or worse; a plot that keeps the pages turning; and the stately, elegant prose of a born storyteller. Alternately hilarious, sad, and downright scary, this is Atkin's best novel yet." Melanie Sumner, The Ghost of Milagro CreekHis fourth novel, Sweetwater Blues, will be released by Mercer University Press in September 2014. "Raymond Atkins is a marvel. As one of Georgia’s most talented authors, he magically weaves complex stories from believable characters. You know the people he writes about; they are flawed, complicated, and real. From the first page to the last, Sweetwater Blues takes the reader on a journey filled with consequences, courage, and redemption. Using his remarkable wit and masterful gift of storytelling, Atkins brings us full circle. When you close this book you will wonder, what else has he written? Then you will rush out to buy his other award-winning books." Renea Winchester, In the Garden With Billy ...more