David S. Atkinson's Blog, page 168
March 5, 2016
Benefits Of Reviewing Books
We all know that leaving reviews for books on Goodreads and Amazon helps authors, but did you know it helps you too? Studies show that leaving book reviews:
makes you appear more attractive to others (this statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration)
attracts wealth (this statement has been directly contradicted by the Food and Drug Administration)
causes police radar not to track your speeding car (the Food and Drug Administration would like to know where this statement came up with this garbage)
eliminates earworms (the Food and Drug Administration isn’t listening Na! Na! Na! Na! Na!)
may render you immortal (the Food and Drug Administration beat up this statement and stole its lunch money)
But anyway, if you’ve read Bones Buried in the Dirt, The Garden of Good and Evil Pancakes, or Not Quite so Stories and haven’t left reviews, why not? (Note: if you haven’t read them yet you can always also do that too.)
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16299762-bones-buried-in-the-dirt
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21945966-the-garden-of-good-and-evil-pancakes
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27857855-not-quite-so-stories
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Bones-Buried-Dirt-David-Atkinson/dp/0983553033/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457036681&sr=1-1&keywords=bones+buried+in+the+dirt
http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Good-Evil-Pancakes/dp/0692200770/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457037367&sr=1-1&keywords=the+garden+of+good+and+evil+pancakes
http://www.amazon.com/Not-Quite-Stories-David-Atkinson/dp/1942856032
March 4, 2016
Old Commercial For Peony Park!!!!
Regulars on here know that I love old commercials from the early 80s and such. I actually happened to run across one while searching for something else that I just had to share. An old commercial for Peony Park in Omaha!
Most people from Omaha remember Peony Park fondly. It wasn’t a huge amusement park, but it had been around since 1919 (closed in 1994) and it was our amusement park. Short of the people born too late, if you are from Omaha (or spent significant time there), you remember this place.
How old is this commercial though? With that hair, it can’t be much later than early 80s. It fits right into my early 80’s commercial reminisces, though I’m not sure I remember seeing commercials for Peony Park often (there probably were but I don’t remember them).
March 3, 2016
Reason For The Monarch Butterfly Population Increase?
Apparently, the monarch butterfly population, quite troubled in recent years, apparently actually increased recently. People were trying to figure out reasons for the rebound, including efforts to expand and protect habitat, expand and protect milkweed growth (the food of the monarch butterfly), and so on. However, there’s another possible explanation that no one seems to be considering:
I’m not saying I have any evidence that he’s behind it, but why not? Doesn’t that sound like something he would do? I think it’s an explanation we have to consider.
March 2, 2016
First Experience Of A Caucus
A friend convinced me to go to my local caucus yesterday, clarifying election procedures for me so I understood that caucus votes actually did matter (I really thought they didn’t). That friend, as an incentive, mentioned I could probably get a blog post out of it. I did, so here we go.
What was it like being at a caucus the first time? Imagine you’re at a party and people pull out a game to play. Only, no one there has ever played the game before. It’s friendly, and people are trying, but it’s really confusing. Imagine: Oh wait…we’re not supposed to turn those cards over until the end. Or: Jokers were wild as we thought, but it turns out that you get a fifty point penalty if they’re in your hand at the end of play. Or even: So we don’t pick jobs until we get to that space even though we have to decide at the beginning whether or not to pay for a college job as opposed to a non-college job? It’s not bad, it’s only that no one really understands the rules yet and they’re reading through trying to grasp everything while unpacking pieces from the little plastic pouches at the same time game play is going on.
Still, interesting.
Maybe other people didn’t have an experience like that. We had a lot of people at my caucus site and my precinct is pretty new. I believe the first house in the precinct didn’t go in until 2013. No one seemed to have done this kind of thing before. We were just sent to our precinct table where there was a packet including an instruction sheet, no one in charge overseeing us. A couple of people took the initiative to go through the packet and try to figure out what we were supposed to do, always evidencing willingness to take a backseat should anyone else want to step up. It all still got done, correctly no less, and stayed incredibly civil and respectful despite differing views on the candidates. I was kind of surprised, though our precinct only had 48 people voting.
Regardless, I stick by my party game analogy. The description seems apt.
March 1, 2016
“Not Quite so Stories” Released!
It’s publication day for Not Quite so Stories! We have released! It’s time to get a copy now! You can get it at:
and I’m sure many more places. The main point, I suppose, would be to get it through whichever is your particular choice. I’d be immensely grateful. Any reviews would be greatly appreciated too.
February 29, 2016
“Not Quite so Stories” Virtual Tour!
The virtual book tour for Not Quite so Stories is starting! You can check out the full tour page with schedule here.
Or, check out the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or the ebook version on Smashwords.
The tour runs March through May, but here’s the schedule for the first month:
Tuesday, March 1 – Book Featured at The Writer’s Life
Wednesday, March 2 – Interview at I’m Shelf-ish
Thursday, March 3 – Book Featured at The Literary Nook
Friday, March 4 – Book Reviewed at Books, Reviews, ETC.
Friday, March 4 – Guest Blogging at My Crazy Bookish Life
Monday, March 7 – Book Featured at Confessions of an Eccentric Bookaholic
Tuesday, March 8 – Book Featured at CBY Book Club
Wednesday, March 9 – Interview at A Blue Million Books
Monday, March 14 – Book Featured at Write and Take Flight
Wednesday, March 16 – Guest Blogging at What Is That Book About
Thursday, March 17 – Book Featured at Bound 2 Escape
Monday, March 21 – Book Featured at Literarily Speaking
Tuesday, March 22 – Book Review at Books for Books
Thursday, March 24 – Interview at Readsalot
Monday, March 28 – Interview at Digital Pubbing
Tuesday, March 29 – Guest Blogging at Lori’s Reading Corner
Thursday, March 31 – Guest Blogging at The Story Behind the Book
February 28, 2016
Places I’ve Stayed On The Las Vegas Strip
I remember back when I used to wish I’d one day get to visit Las Vegas, just to see it (mainly because of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas). I was perhaps 22 when I first got to go. Since then, I’ve been back a few times. I know plenty of people who go way more than I do, but I’ve been here a few times. Here are the places I’ve stayed on the Las Vegas strip:
The Flamingo
The Luxor
The Venetian
The Imperial Palace
The Palazzo
Marriott’s Grand Chateau (not actually on the strip itself, but just set back tiny bit around a corner so we’ll call it close enough to at least be included)
The Wynn
The Bellagio
The Encore
It’s starting to feel like a lot. Again, I know people who have stayed at way more than nine places on the strip, but it still is starting to feel like a lot to me.
February 27, 2016
When A Strip View Isn’t So Great
When you stay in Las Vegas you want a strip view, right? All the glitz, glamour, lights? Yeah? Can you think of a time when you wouldn’t want a strip view? I can:
This is a Friday night, by the way.
When you’re pointed at the part of the strip where you can see the bare empty patch of a several years in the making casino that still isn’t built, a mini-mart, the dead Riviera, a Ross Dress for Less, and all that, a view of the strip is actually a bad thing. When the only living part of the strip you can see is the Circus Circus, it’s pretty depressing. This just doesn’t look “Las Vegas strip” to me.
I really wished I faced the other way.
February 26, 2016
Why My Wife Has To Sleep Late
My wife sleeps later than I do. I hadn’t thought about this too much. We tend to go to bed at the same time, and she sometimes stays up later watching shows on her computer, but she sleeps quite a bit later. However, I finally started putting it together.
Just consider these as a relative sample:
Yup, my wife sleeps later than I do because she’s up all night taking pictures of the cats sleeping on me. I suppose everyone has to have a hobby.
February 25, 2016
“Not Quite so Stories” Goodreads Giveaway!
It’s less than a week until Not Quite so Stories releases. Getting pretty excited. And now the Goodreads giveaway is open:
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Not Quite so Stories
by David S. Atkinson
Giveaway ends March 24, 2016.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/widget/175253
Stop by, check it out. Enter. All that kind of thing. Get pumped!
