Raymond L. Atkins Email and Phone Number

Raymond L. Atkins resides in Rome, Georgia. His short stories have been published in Christmas Stories from Georgia, Christmas Through a Child’s Eyes, The Lavender Mountain Anthology, The Blood and Fire Review, The Old Red Kimono, Long Island Woman, and Savannah Magazine. His columns have appeared in The Rome News-Tribune, Memphis Downtowner Magazine, Purple Pros, and Like the Dew. His first novel—The Front Porch Prophet—was released by Medallion Press in July of 2008 and went on to win the Georgia Author of the Year Award for First Novel as well as the Independent Publishers Book Award for Best Regional Fiction. His second novel—Sorrow Wood—was released by Medallion Press in June of 2009 to critical acclaim. Atlanta Magazine called it a “darkly humorous, casually clever mystery.” Publishers Weekly praised its “subtle humor and pitch-perfect prose.” 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."His 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."

•More than twenty years experience in management and supervision.•Ability to plan and direct complex projects from inception to completion.•Ability to complete projects on time and under budget.•Goal-oriented individual with strong leadership capabilities.•Proven ability to work in union environment.•Reduced storeroom inventory levels by 20%.•Reduced maintenance expenditures by 15%.•Reduced maintenance staffing levels by 17%.•Reduced mechanical downtime by 30%.•Developed and administered annual $3,000,000 maintenance budget.•Managed six direct-report administrative staff and thirty hourly employees.•Developed, wrote, and implemented preventative maintenance procedures for all plant equipment.•Wrote and implemented lockout procedures for all plant equipment.•Trained, supervised, and evaluated staff.•Coached the improvement of management skills.•Successfully refined and implemented new projects.