Not Quite So Stories
(March 1, 2016 from Literary Wanderlust)
The traditional explanation for myth (including such works as the relatively modern Just so Stories by Rudyard Kiping) is an attempt by humans to explain and demystify the world. That's crap. We may be able to come to terms with small pieces, but existence as a whole is beyond our grasp. Life is absurd, ultimately beyond our comprehension. The best we can do is to proceed on with our lives in the face of that. The stories in this collection proceed from this idea, examining how the different characters manage (and/or fail) to do this.
Winner of the 2017 Nebraska Book Award in the anthology category.
2016 Best Book Awards Finalist Fiction: Short Story.
Finalist for Short Stories in the 11th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards.
Visit the Goodreads page. Buy the print version direct from the publisher, on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powell’s, or Tattered Cover, the ebook version on Smashwords, or the audio book version on Amazon. "Not Quite So Stories" by David S. Atkinson on Ganxy.
Please reach me through my contact page if you would like to obtain a review copy for a journal review, book blog review, or such (or if you are an independent reviewer who would like to place a review of Not Quite so Stories in a journal, book review blog, or such).
Interviews, Reviews, and Such:
- Kirkus review of Not Quite so Stories published November 8, 2016.
- Gabino Iglesias wrote an amazing review of Not Quite so Stories September 29, 2016 at Verbicide.
- Review September 20, 2016 at Between the Pages.
- Ian Wood reviewed Not Quite so Stories August 12, 2016 at Novellum.
- James Prenatt wrote a very thoughtful review of Not Quite so Stories August 10, 2016 over at jmww.
- Michael Czyzniejewski checked out Not Quite so Stories for Story366.
- I was interviewed about Not Quite so Stories on The Way of The Buffalo.
- Live interview (now archived) May 21, 2016 on The Funky Writer online radio show.
- Jordan Blum's review for The Lit Pub.
- The Colorado Book Review did a review May 5, 2016, but the site subsequently crashed and had to be rebuilt from scratch so it is no longer accessible.
- Kelsey Tabbert's review for Blotterature.
- Vicki Mayk's review for At the Inkwell.
- Kristina Moriconi's review of Not Quite so Stories at Change Seven.
- Guest post about writing absurd short stories published March 22, 2016 at the Portland Book Review.
- Samuel Snoek-Brown interviewed me about Not Quite so Stories.
- Jeremy Morong interviewed me about Not Quite so Stories over at 88 Miles Press (part one). And here is part three of the interview. Don't ask what happened to part two.
- Not Quite so Stories got a mention November 3, 2015 in The American Bazaar.
- Not Quite so Stories mentioned November 1, 2015 at PRLOG.
Blog Virtual Tour:
- Reviewed May 29, 2016 at Fascinating Quest.
- Reviewed May 27, 2016 at Books are love.
- Spotlighted May 25, 2016 at As the Pages Turn.
- Featured May 23, 2016 at Book Marketing Buzz.
- Review May 20, 2016 at Whispering Stories.
- Interview about Not Quite so Stories and my writing life May 20, 2016 at Whispering Stories.
- Interview about Not Quite so Stories May 19, 2016 at Examiner.com.
- My guest post about the inspiration behind Not Quite so Stories May 17, 2016 at Literal Exposure.
- Interview May 16, 2016 at Literarily Speaking.
- Review May 12, 2016 at Deal Sharing Aunt.
- Featured May 10, 2016 at 3 Partners in Shopping.
- Not Quite so Stories reviewed May 8, 2016 over at Ali - The Dragon Slayer.
- Featured May 5, 2016 at Beyond the Books.
- Interview May 3, 2016 about Not Quite so Stories at The Literary Nook.
- Review May 2, 2016 at Book Babble.
- Review April 29, 2016 at Storeybook Reviews.
- Interview about Not Quite so Stories April 27, 2016 at The Writers Life.
- Interview April 25, 2016 about Not Quite so Stories at PUYB Virtual Book Club.
- Reviewed April 24, 2016 at Live Love Books.
- My guest post about the cover of Not Quite so Stories published April 20, 2016 at Book Cover Junkie.
- As the Page Turns interviewed me April 19, 2016 about Not Quite so Stories.
- Interview about Not Quite so Stories and other writing matters April 18, 2016 at The Dark Phantom Review.
- Interview April 14, 2016 about my writing life and Not Quite so Stories at Whispering Stories.
- Not Quite so Stories in the spotlight April 12, 2016 at My Bookish Pleasures.
- Interview about Not Quite so Stories April 11, 2016 at The Review From Here.
- Not Quite so Stories featured April 7, 2016 over at A Title Wave.
- Interview about the experience of publishing Not Quite so Stories April 6, 2016 at SheWrites.
- Sabrina Ricci interviewed me about Not Quite so Stories Marcy 28, 2016 over at Digital Pubbing.
- D.E. Haggerty interviewed me about Not Quite so Stories March 24, 2016 over at Readsalot.
- Reviewed March 22, 2016 at Books for Books.
- Featured March 21, 2016 over at Literarily Speaking.
- Spotlighted March 17, 2016 over at Bound 2 Escape.
- In the spotlight March 14, 2016 over at Write and Take Flight.
- Interview March 9, 2016 at A Blue Million Books.
- In the spotlight at C.B.Y. Book Club March 8, 2016.
- Featured book March 7, 2016 at Confessions of an Eccentric Bookaholic.
- Book Feature March 4, 2016 at Mikky's World of Books.
- Reviewed March 4, 2016 over at Books, Reviews, ETC.
- Book Watch March 3, 2016 at The Literary Nook.
- Interview March 2, 2016 at I'm Shelf-ish.
- In the Spotlight March 1, 2016 at The Writer's Life.
Advance Praise:
"In Not Quite So Stories David S. Atkinson creates conflict within the moral and the immoral of society, a world where things are not what they seem, yet are represented deliciously by something altered. Atkinson creates spaces where inanimate objects become animated, soft sodded lawns have landmines and good old reality is replaced by a new reality someone must explain to you. In fact, good is never always good, and evil is never always evil –because Atkinson’s black and white animals are really green and pink zebras."
—Timothy Gager author of The Thursday Appointments of Bill Sloan
“Not Quite Stories doesn’t have stories, sentences, paragraphs, characters, nah, it has bright explosions of color that will knock you over. David S. Atkinson is Kurt Vonnegut and Aimee Bender wrestling spotted leopards as George Saunders eats popcorn and claps.”
— Bud Smith, author of F 250
"There are few contemporary writers I’ve read who can convey so much weirdness, dry wit, and je ne sais quoi in such a small space as David S. Atkinson. His Not Quite So Stories are strange literary adventures for the child in all of us–even us crusty old farts."
— H.L Nelson, founding editor of Cease, Cows literary magazine and co-editor of Choose Wisely: 35 Women Up To No Good.
"With Not Quite So Stories, there’s no need to suspend disbelief. David S. Atkinson makes the absurd 100% believable. These stories are hilarious and real. Atkinson is on his way to becoming the master of absurdity."
— Nathaniel Tower, author of Nagging Wives, Foolish Husbands
