COURTESY: AMAZON.COM
University of Mississippi Professor Joe Atkins will be at Square Books at 5 p.m. today to sign his first published fictional work, “Casey’s Last Chance.”
“I’ve been a journalist all my life, but, like many journalists, I’ve had an unpublished novel in the bottom drawer,” Atkins said.
That novel has left the bottom drawer, however, and is now on the shelves. “Casey’s Last Chance” is a dark suspense that takes place in the South during the 60s.
“It starts in Memphis, and you’re following this character through Mississippi and through the Deep South up to North Carolina,” Atkins said. “It has a social statement about the South and the people who control the South.”
Though the idea for the novel originated nearly 10 years ago, Atkins said the majority of the work was done in the last three years. Instead of outsourcing, he employed local graphic artist Eric Summers to create a suspenseful, pulp-era cover that matches the book’s theme.
Although this is Atkins’ first fiction piece, it is certainly not his first publication. After a long career as a journalist, Atkins continued to write when he came to the university as a journalism professor in 1990. During that time, he has published two nonfiction books and finished one fiction manuscript while contributing to surrounding publications.
“I’ve published three books, and each one was about ten years (to write),” Atkins said. “They each took a long time, and I’m proud of each one of them.”
Curtis Wilkie, author of four nonfiction books and journalism professor, said the novel was a quick, hardboiled read and just the kind he likes.
Wilkie compared “Casey’s Last Chance” to the writing styles of acclaimed suspense novelist Greg Isles and said Atkins “establishes for himself a place in the top ranks of southern gothic storytellers.”
Wilkie said Atkins made a smooth transition from nonfiction to fiction, something that isn’t easy to do.
“I wouldn’t dare (write fiction),” Wilkie said. “There have been some good journalists who’ve written fiction, but not too many.”
This transition wasn’t easy, however, Atkins said.
“Each transition is somewhat challenging, but, going to fiction, you make all the decisions,” Atkins said. “You have so many options and decisions to make for someone who’s been a nonfiction writer for a long time.”
Atkins said the quick turnarounds in journalism were vastly contrasted by the long hours spent on novels.
“You have to get in the habit of writing every day,” Atkins said. “You just have to stick with it. You’re always honing your craft.”
Atkins said his previous, unpublished novella, “Crossed Roads,” which was a finalist in the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Awards in New Orleans, was good practice for “Casey’s Last Chance.” He said it taught him a lot about keeping the structure and organization of a fiction novel.
Now that “Casey’s Last Chance” is published, Atkins said he plans to go back and rework some of “Crossed Roads” with more experience under his writer’s belt.
Atkins is also currently working as an editor and contributor to a collection of essays.
“It’s called ‘Strangers Among Us.’ That’s the tentative title,” Atkins said. “That manuscript is supposed to be done by the end of the year.”
As a professor, author, editor, journalist and father, Atkins has a busy daily schedule. One thing Atkins said writing “Casey’s Last Chance” has taught him is how to overcome that.
“In fiction, there’s a ton of rejection before acceptance comes,” Atkins said. “So you’ve got to have perseverance to say, ‘I’m going to stick with it even if I never get accepted.’”
