“What a ride this book was! I can honestly say it was an inspiring novel, and very unique! With a cast of lively, artistic characters and a spin so hard it will leave your eyes wide and jaw hanging until the very last word… Standing ovation to Mr. Southard for a brilliant piece of work!” -The Booknatics

Published by 5 Prince Books, Permanent Spring Showers is a work of literary fiction. Here is the back cover description of my new book:

Professor Rebecca Stanley-Wilson is having a very bad season. Her husband has just admitted to having an affair. And it was with one of her students.

Blame it on a desire for revenge (or way too much alcohol), she then has had one of her own. Unfortunately for her, her affair was with one of the great upcoming painters of his generation. The ramifications of that one torrid evening will not only be felt across her life but over the entire art world.

Sexy, funny, and very surprising, Permanent Spring Showers is the tale of one very memorable springtime and how it impacts a group of unique artists and dreamers. From the writer who is creating a new literary movement (through outright manipulation), to the hopeful Olympian with the failing marriage, to the romantic wondering what he did wrong to drive his love from him, each tale walks the line between reality and fantasy. And waiting at the end of the line is a very important painting… and possibly the revolver used in the Lincoln Assassination.

Need a sample? You can check out Chapter 1 here an a snippet of Chapter 2 here.

Permanent Spring Showers can be found on Amazon.com for the Kindle here. It is also available on many other online retailers in print and as an ebook (Barnes and Nobles, Smashwords, etc.), you can find a complete set of links via the page for the book on 5 Prince (here).

• Learn about the inspiration behind the book on this guest post.
• Check out the connection between this novel and Fiona Apple via The Undercover Soundtrack here.

Recently, I took part in a book tour around the novel, sponsored by my publisher. I appeared on 10 different sites, giving interviews or writing guest posts around the work. It’s a great way to learn more about the novel and my writing (links are below).

1. “Hope Feathers and Blogging: Advice for Being a Writer Today” Guest post on Long and Short Reviews
2. The Power of Springtime: Setting the Stage for Permanent Spring Showers” Guest post on Andi’s Book Reviews
3. “Artists, Sex, and Inspiration: The Importance of Passion in Permanent Spring Showers” Guest post on Queen of All She Reads
4. Interview on Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews
5. “The Beauty of Eccentrics: The Characters in Permanent Spring Showers” Guest post on The Crafty Cauldron
6. “Creating an Anti-Romance: The Fun of Betrayals and Sex in Permanent Spring Showers” Guest post on Unabridged Andra
7. Interview on Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews
8. “Beautiful Illogical Messes: The Art of Writing and Permanent Spring Showers” Guest post on Marlow Kelly
9. Interview on Books Direct
10. Interview on J Biggar Blog

“All in all, Permanent Spring Showers is a novel worth reading, one that has an optimism to it but without any Pollyannaism; it is in short something that is hard to find in the world: a good story.” –Green Spot Blue, “The Music of Rain.”