The Stories of Scott D. Southard

August 26, 2013

Hey writers! Do you need an editor?
You ever see the movie Rocky?

Of course, we all have!

And one of the things that make the movie so personal for so many people is that Rocky Balboa is the everyman making good, chasing his dreams. And while the other movies later on turn him into something akin to a Captain America taking on all of Russia and Mr. T, in this first movie he was like us… except with a lot more muscle.

So why am I bringing this up? Do you remember his coach Mickey? He was played by the tough Burgess Meredith, and the character was honest, always pushing him forward. He in many ways symbolizes the kind of coach we wish we all had in our corner. Yeah, he could be gruff but he believed in Rocky and supported his dream. Rocky would never have gotten as far as he did if it wasn’t for Mickey.

Okay, this may sound like I am rambling… but there is a point.

Writers and my fellow daydreamers of future New York Times Bestseller Lists, I can now be your Mickey! (more…)
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August 25, 2013

Hidden Away: The Marvel of Disappearing Writers
With the announcement on different entertainment and book sites (including this article on Entertainment Weekly- http://shelf-life.ew.com/2013/08/25/jd-salinger-new-books/), of possible new Salinger titles coming, it made me think of this book/author post I wrote earlier this year. To be honest, I’d be intrigued to know more about the possible new books. Between you and me, I was hoping that what he was working on all these years to be a little newer, more revolutionary, different than what is described here… so I guess that means I am speculating on the speculating.

The Stories of Scott D. Southard

It takes courage to be an artist.

Many people don’t realize this in that first moment they pick up a pen or paintbrush, but they are put on display with the creation the second of its completion.

My favorite example of what I mean comes from being married to a dancer and choreographer. See, when a dancer performs, especially in a piece that they have created, their audience is watching many things.

Yes, the hope is that the audience is focused on the artistic performance, expression and emotional message of the piece, but an audience does so much more than that. They also may compare the dancers in the piece (which are better, which are worse), they might try to find the artist’s personality in it, they may look for mistakes, they may even study the bodies of the dancers. Of all of the art forms, this is in my opinion the most exposed and bravest.

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August 22, 2013

Author Lori Nelson Spielman is reading A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM!
Recently, popular women’s fiction author Lori Nelson Spielman (author of the wonderful debut novel The Life List, which I reviewed for WKAR here) gave an interview for a site called Laura’s Little Book Blog. The question came up about what she is reading right now.

Her response?

I’m reading a novel called, A Jane Austen Daydream and it’s lovely. Scott Southard, who lives in the same city as I do, is the author. I’m really enjoying it.

That is very cool!

You can read Lori’s interview and learn more about her fun book The Life List on Laura’s Little Book Blog here. (They are also giving away two copies of the book!) And you can hear my book review I gave on Current State (and get a link to an interview she gave before the review) via this link on my site.

If you would like to learn more about A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM, you can do so on this page for the book (here). A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is available via Amazon (here), where you can find it for the low price of $3.99 for eBook and $13.46 for print.
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August 21, 2013

Toto the Spy: Dealing With My Little Brother
There is a legend around my brother’s beginning that may or may not be true. But really stories like this are best with partial truths, so I would rather not know how right this may be.

I was in preschool and my friend Gabe Gaddy (Yes, that is his name; I may have misspelled it though) brought his little baby sister in for show-and-tell. The reaction from the kids in the room and the teacher hit a nerve with me. Maybe it was jealously, I’m not sure, but when I went up for my turn I announced my mom was pregnant and I was going to have a little brother.

Yeah, I did that. Made up the entire thing.

Here is where things get a little muddy, either the story got back to my grandmother (who was head of curriculum for the school district) or it was the teacher calling my mother to congratulate her (I always like to imagine the story making it to my grandmother and her reaction), whatever the case my parents heard, putting them into a little bit of a pickle. Either they break the heart of their only son and have him announce his mistake in class (something that surely would have been memorable), or…

Less than a year later I had a little brother. (more…)
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August 20, 2013

Discover the strange new book MAXIMILIAN STANDFORTH AND THE CASE OF THE DANGEROUS DARE
“If you like your supernatural books where reality mixes with the impossible, the inexplicable, then this is the book for you…. It is beautifully written.” A five-star review from GoodReads.com

Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare is a book pretending to be a gothic Victorian-period mystery. From it’s dashing hero to foggy London streets and abandoned castle, all the markings are there… but hidden underneath is a book questioning the very nature of storytelling.

For a limited time more the book is on sale on amazon (here). You can find the eBook for only $1.99 and the print version (my original vision for the work) for only $9.89. Here is the description of the mad tale:

The cursed and foreboding McGregor Castle is the most terrifying and haunted location in all of the British Empire. Only a brave (or foolish) soul would consider visiting it, let alone staying within its walls for five days. In other words, a perfect dare for a man like Maximilian Standforth!

Maximilian Standforth, famed playboy aristocrat and private detective, is a genius with dangerous tastes. With Bob (his trusty carriage driver, biographer, and body guard) and Maggie Collins (actress, spy, and maid) by his side, Maximilian will experience horrors and madness unlike any seen before. For it is at McGregor Castle that the team will discover more than they ever could imagine in this very experimental and genre-breaking thriller.

Here are some more options to learn about the work on this site:
- You can read two different excerpts from this odd book. The first is part of the first chapter (here); and the second is from later in the book, when our team of heroes is approaching the foreboding and very haunted castle (here).
- There are many influences to the novel. The first is, of course, Sherlock Holmes- “Chasing the Ghost of Sherlock.”
- Not every literary creation is inspired by a giant talking dog, but this is not a normal book- “The Joy and Inspiration of Scooby-Doo.”
- “My Favorite Literary Oddities” a post on three authors who inspired me to try something new can be read here.
- Finally, a post on the creation- My Mad Genius Moment: The Thrill of Writing Something Radically New
I hope you will take this opportunity to check out this novel. If I can promise anything it is that you will be surprised. For nothing in the castle is at seems…

“If you have read any Jasper Fforde, imagine him writing whilst tripping on acid.” A reader from amazon.co.uk
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August 19, 2013

The Issue With My Clock or the Post With Breaks
My clock has switched.

I’m not sure how this happened, but everything is upside down and it is the new norm I have to accept. I’m Alice in a world where the ceiling is now the floor, and that is just how reality will have to be. We are all mad here.

Let me explain this better: When you are young you are always counting up to experiences.
- When I am 16, I will learn to drive a car.
- When I am 18, I graduate and go to college.
- When I am 21, I can drink (well, I don’t like alcohol very much, so I watch my friends drink…. I just have never liked the taste or smell of beer or wine. Okay, I do admit I drink a little but the stuff I do enjoy, the mixes, usually involve chocolate or fruity flavors and they can come in glasses that some would find embarrassing. Well, just the color would be embarrassing for many to be near. So I keep to the soda when I am out in public, because I like to believe I have a certain swagger in my step and a coolness that I aim to keep, and the fruity drinks don’t help).
More counting! Then there is a wedding… and a house…the first baby… and a second… And suddenly, right there, when you have reached your limit on kids, and they begin to age out of diapers and clothes… everything turns.

It’s like in one of those cartoons from the 1940’s where the clocks have a face and the hands are attached to the nose and they spin in a strange fashion. Well, that is my internal clock, and now with 40 fast approaching, I feel the face’s confusion.

I have begun counting down to things… The outcome at the end, I don’t want to even imagine.

(I need a break, just a second. I have a soda around here someplace.) (more…)
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August 16, 2013

“Go get it!” Julie Valerie’s Book Blog gives A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM 5-Stars! Review, Interview and Excerpt.
Book reviewer and book blogger extraordinaire Julie Valerie has just given a wonderful review for my novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM. I am really flattered by it (and a little overwhelmed). Here is an excerpt from the review about the book:

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM by Scott Southard, a fictionalized account of Jane’s life, is a book that should be placed on the shelf of every book-loving fan of Jane Austen because she’s absolutely “alive” on the pages of this book. She walks, talks, dreams. Her family (especially her older sister, Cassandra) moves about influencing Jane and the events around her. You’ll find a hauntingly accurate reading from a gypsy who predicts Jane will never die. (Through her words, I believe she is immortal.) And with Jane, you’ll explore love and explore deeper the age-old question: Did Jane ever find love in her own life?

I also gave an interview for the site that you can read below the review. We talk not just about the writing of the book, but also about my blog and my other books. Here is an excerpt:

Like the voice, I also had to walk a line between how “Austen” to go in it. Yes, the book can be considered a treasure hunt for the Austenities, but I also like to imagine that it is unique enough to be entertaining for those outside the Darcy fan clubs. At the heart of it, it is still my book, and I couldn’t help putting in fun post-modern twists and turns (including one very new literary surprise which I won’t ruin here).

You can read the review, the interview and an excerpt from the novel on Julie’s website here. I hope you will check it out.

If you would like to learn more about A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM, you can do so on this page for the book (https://sdsouthard.com/a-jane-austen-daydream/). A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is available via Amazon (http://amzn.com/0983671923) where you can find it for the low price of $3.99 for eBook and $13.46 for print.
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August 13, 2013

New WKAR Book Review: The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman
I have a new book review on WKAR’s radio show Current State!

This time it is on The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman.

If you would like to learn more about this new novel, Spielman also gave an interview on the show, which you can hear by clicking this link (http://wkar.org/post/local-author-explores-relationships-dreams-and-goals-life-list), or you can find it on Amazon here.

My review of the novel can be heard via this link (http://wkar.org/post/book-review-lori-nelson-speilman-s-life-list) or read below after the jump.

(more…)
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August 11, 2013

A Haiku For My 800 Followers-
Today, I just passed 800 followers on my site!

Thank you!

To celebrate this fun moment I created this haiku.

800 kind souls

Inspire this poor writer

Better than caffeine-

I hope you continue to enjoy my writing blog and books!
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August 11, 2013

The Empty Theater: Writers on Twitter, Facebook and Good Reads
Never again. I promised myself never again.

A few years ago, my novel My Problem With Doors was published by iPublish Press, a publisher out of Canada. Being a new press and from a different country, it was quickly proven difficult to get the book on shelves in bookstores or to get the work any attention on Amazon and elsewhere.

I was (and still am) very proud of the novel, and began to make as many calls as I could to make my book a success, in the very least in the area I live. First, I met with the local arts council and garnered their support. Working with a popular bookstore in the area, a reading and event was planned around the book. The local newspaper reviewed this novel ahead of the event (gave it a great review!) and even my local NPR station promoted the reading as an event coming up.

Yet..

When the event took place only friends, co-workers, and family were there.

Not even members of the local arts council showed up!

While everyone there were very positive, bought all the books available (and I was grateful they showed up), I felt a little ashamed, like somehow I had failed my book and my dreams. I know that sounds a little dramatic, but, hey!, I am a writer and I get dramatic about a lot of things. It’s in my blood.

It was that evening that I promised myself I would never put myself in that position again. The next time I give a reading or an event I would be at a place in my writing career where I wouldn’t feel like I was standing in front of an empty theater.

Never again. (more…)
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