Welcome to My World

An Introduction

Hello there

This is, I think, my third time starting out at a regular blogging venture. I was on Xanga way back when (anyone remember Xanga? No?). After a while, I went over to Wordpress and stuck with that for a while. Wordpress seems to have petered out, however, and as Substack seems to be the up and coming thing, here I am. So, who am I, why am I here, and why should you keep reading?

About Me

I’m Michael Atkinson (which, surprisingly, doesn’t narrow it down; there’s more of us than you’d think out there). More specifically, I’m a mid-thirties attorney from Southern Indiana, specifically a suburb across the river from Louisville, Kentucky. The attorney part brings me to a very important disclaimer: I will not and cannot offer any legal advice; if you need help, you need to seek out a practicing attorney licensed in your area and in the particular field that fits your situation. Any and all opinions on this Substack are my own. This Substack is not sponsored, funded, endorsed, or affiliated with my law firm, which has no role in its content or management.

Now that’s out of the way, more fun stuff: I’m married to an extraordinary person, with one small youngling who is the joy of our lives. I’m Catholic, I’m a longtime superhero movie nerd (more Marvel than DC, although I do like the DCAU and the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy), and I’m a self-published writer. This leads to the next bit.

What I Write About

So, first, there’s what I’ve already written and what’s ongoing. I’m not quite sure how to describe my genre; it’s sort of Touched by an Angel meets Douglas Adams. You might call it eschatological humor. One example: I wrote an entire story based on a mishearing of the line “Don’t go chasing waterfalls,” in the song by TLC as “Don’t go, Jason Waterfalls!” I also have a series centered about an angel named Constance who has various adventures during which she frequently throws her halo. I’m tentatively calling this the Converse.

Did I mention I like puns? I do. I really do.

Anyway, my Amazon page is here. The Constance Series is here. I’m also on Twitter [edit: this was before the unpleasantness; I’m not on there now] and Kindle Vella, where I’m writing an ongoing superhero story serial.

As far as what I write on here, I’ll post observations on the world generally, superhero movies and other shows, my writing and the process therein, and other random topics. The one thing I will not write about is politics; there are a myriad other writers more qualified to get into all that than I am. I may occasionally get into religion (I write about angels, c’mon, it’s unavoidable), but I’m not going to argue or anything along that line.

The main thing I want to do is have a bit of fun and look for the incongruous side of life. And also write. My first novel was a ripoff of The Silver Chair and the Redwall series, and is thankfully lost to the ages (I was young, bear with me), but the point is, I have to write. If you like reading what I write about, welcome aboard.

I’m still working out the schedule, possible subscription plans, all that. For now, everything’s free and I’ll plan on posting once a week. More to follow based on interest.

Also, a word about comments. If you comment, please be nice. I figure that’s a reasonable standard. I reserve the right to drop the proverbial banhammer on comments and commenters that don’t violate that policy.

In Closing

I mentioned above that one thing I think is hilarious is the little incongruities and oddities in life. For example, just recently I observed instructions printed on the package containing a Slinky, describing precisely how to use it and what to do with it upon the stairs. This, for example purposes, is a picture of a Slinky.

I mean, people. Do you really need step-by-step instructions on what to do with that? It’s a Slinky! It’s classic! There’s even a jingle! “It walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, it makes a Slinkitty sound…” I was born after the 80s and I know the jingle. A new tablet or iPhone you’d need instructions for, sure, but a Slinky?

These are the things I wonder about.

Until next time,

Michael Atkinson, not the Australian politician, or the one that was the Inspector General of the U.S. Intelligence Community, or the film critic. I told you there were a lot of us.