The Stories of Scott D. Southard

July 8, 2013

The Summer of the Doctor: Introducing My Wife to Doctor Who (Series 1 & 2)
Let me begin by saying my wife is rightfully a little annoyed with me. I almost ruined a family tradition.

She is a teacher, and during her summer break we like to have themes for our TV watching. For example, last summer was the WA summer (which meant we watched nothing but Wes Anderson and Woody Allen films); the summer before that was Agatha Christie (David Suchet is a genius!); and before that- Charles Dickens.

For this summer it was to be the summer of the Doctor. Yes, Doctor Who, and I am talking just about the new series run of Doctor Who, starting with the 9^th Doctor.

For years, we have had friends recommending we take on the series. And we even had tried before, watching random episodes to see what we think (we both had nightmares because of “Blink”), but it was not something we had taken serious… until this scheduled summer. Summer 2013- the summer of the Doctor.

Yes, that was the plan- starting with episode 1 and taking on each and every one of them together… Well… Until I very selfishly ruined it. (more…)
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July 5, 2013

“Genius or bonkers” Reviews and a sale (1.99) for Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare!
For a limited time, the eBook of my experimental mystery/thriller novel Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare is on sale! You can find it on amazon (here) for only $1.99!

So if you enjoyed my A Jane Austen Daydream recently and want to read more this holiday weekend or just want a new kind of book to read, why not check out this other new work?

Reviews are starting to come in for this fun and odd little novel. For example on amazon.com one reader wrote in a 5-star review titled “Couldn’t put it down”:

I really wasn’t sure what to expect since I’d never heard of Scott Southard, but I loaded it onto my Kindle and headed out the door to drive to my son to his orthodontist appointment. As you might imagine, normally I’d be excited when my son was done and we could go eat lunch, but this time I was disappointed. I was only about a third of the way through the book and didn’t want to put it down… a real page turner.

And there is this from a review on amazon.co.uk that begged the all-important question if the book is genius or bonkers:

I started this book expecting a Sherlock Holmes style mystery with a bit more humour and got so much more than I bargained for! Don’t be fooled by the first half of the book, it isn’t what you expect, and then it isn’t what you expect again! If you have read any Jasper Fforde, imagine him writing whilst tripping on acid.

You can find this surprising book on amazon.com here. (or on any Amazons on sale for that matter). If you want to learn more (or read an excerpt), please visit the page for the book on this site here.

I hope you have a nice weekend!
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July 3, 2013

Shock, Awe and a Call to Arms: A Writing Update
There are a few moments in my life I have been truly shocked.

Hearing my son cry for the first time (even though I was anticipating it) shocked me. Meeting my wife definitely turned my head. Getting into grad school at USC was a nice surprise… But this was a new one for me as an author.

This week Madison Street Publishing, the publisher of A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM, did a two-day free eBook promotion of that new book and… The numbers were extraordinary!

People from all over the world in just 48 hours jumped to grab my novel, bringing the total to… 7392.

7392!

Over 7000 people have found my book and may begin it; not all may finish it, of course, but the possibility is there. If these were sale numbers those two days could have dropped my book on lists I have only dreamed about approaching. (more…)
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July 2, 2013

I am the new fiction reviewer for WKAR’s Current State! Hear my first book review-
I’m proud to announce that I am the fiction reviewer for WKAR‘s radio show Current State. It is a daily show airing at 9 AM and 6 PM. My reviews will appear bi-weekly.

Curious to hear what Scott D. Southard sounds like? You can hear my first review here.

My first review is for Steve Hamilton’s new crime adventure Let It Burn. You can read a transcript of my review (with links to the author’s site and amazon) below. (more…)
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July 2, 2013

Last day to get your FREE copy of A Jane Austen Daydream!
For only the rest of today (July 2), can you grab a free copy of my new novel A Jane Austen Daydream on Amazon! Yes, this is the LAST DAY people! Jump to the link! Tell a friend!

On Sunday it was reviewed by the Calico Critic who said:

Daydream is an interesting, entertaining look at a life that Jane could have had. Scott Southard takes her through his own dream for her, holding onto much of the reality of her life, but also offering her possibilities that could only transpire on the pages of a novel. I enjoyed Southard’s choices as a writer, and wish that Jane could have actually experienced them herself. Fans of Austen’s works will enjoy this love letter to Jane, one that both entertains as well as cherishes her as she truly was: An amazing writer and a woman who deeply loved, even if only in the written word.

You can read the rest of the review here.

The free eBook (last day!) can be found on amazon.com here (http://amzn.com/B00CH3HQUU), in England here (http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CH3HQUU), and in Canada here (http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00CH3HQUU).

I hope you enjoy A Jane Austen Daydream!
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July 1, 2013

Free eBook! The new book A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is free for a limited time!
This July 1st and 2nd, the publisher of A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is sharing it as a free eBook on amazon!

“I consider this novel one of the best not only in regency era literature, but also in mainstream fiction.” -NovelTravelist.com

The free eBook (for a very limited time) can be found on amazon.com here (http://amzn.com/B00CH3HQUU), in England here (http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CH3HQUU), and in Canada here (http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00CH3HQUU).

“If asked to sum up this book in one word, I would have to choose “unpredictable”… you will, in the end, be rewarded by a quick paced novel unlike any you can ever have read, which injects new ideas and possibilities into the world of Jane Austen.” -The Jane Austen Centre

Pick up your free copy today! Here is the description of the work from the back cover:

All her heroines find love in the end–but is there love waiting for Jane?

Jane Austen spends her days writing and matchmaking in the small countryside village of Steventon, until a ball at Godmersham Park propels her into a new world where she yearns for a romance of her own. But whether her heart will settle on a young lawyer, a clever Reverend, a wealthy childhood friend, or a mysterious stranger is anyone’s guess.

Written in the style of Jane herself, this novel ponders the question faced by many devoted readers over the years–did she ever find love? Weaving fact with fiction, it re-imagines her life, using her own stories to fill in the gaps left by history and showing that all of us–to a greater or lesser degree–are head over heels for Jane.

“…universally charming… a love letter to all of her novels… when we need a tale that makes us laugh and hope for love we read Austen. Now I will also read Southard. I hope you will too.” -AustenHill.com

And if you do take advantage of this very limited offer for A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM, please consider…
- Telling a friend
- Choosing it for your book club
- Writing a review or a blog post about it
- Suggesting it to your local library
- Tweeting about it, sharing it on Facebook, or recommending it on GoodReads
- Checking out my other new books, including the new MAXIMILIAN STANDFORTH AND THE CASE OF THE DANGEROUS DARE (Available on amazon in print and eBook- just 3.99).
I would love for more readers to find the work. I am very proud of it and I believe it has something new and surprising for everyone, even those not inclined towards Miss Austen.

“This is a must read for any Jane Austen fan. And it’s a perfect summer read for anyone.” -Definitely Not for the Birds.
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June 29, 2013

“…perfect summer read.” New book review for A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM
The book review site Definitely Not for the Birds has just given a glowing review for my latest novel A Jane Austen Daydream! Here is an excerpt:

The tone of this novel goes hand in hand with the title – it is whimsical and lovely… much like what you’d expect from anything associated with a daydream.

There’s also wonderful passages that detail Jane Austen’s inspiration/dedication to her writing. These were my favorite parts. These parts also showcase the great respect that Southard has for Jane Austen and just for writers/the process of writing in general. It was wonderful.

This is a must read for any Jane Austen fan. And it’s a perfect summer read for anyone.

You can read the entire review here.

My new books A Jane Austen Daydream and Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare are both available on amazon.com right now.

You can find them via my author page on amazon here, available in print and eBook (just $3.99).
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June 28, 2013

The 1996 version of me is alive and well, thank you very much
In 1996, I was about to graduate from college and with diploma in hand I was preparing to take on the world. Oh, I had so many plans in play!

First, I was going to disappear, six week or so, into Europe, solo. Then I was going to apply for graduate schools around the country. I wanted to study literature while focusing on my writing (the end game being either I make it successfully as a writer or I end up as a Ph.D. in English Literature). I could see it all in front of me, so solid I could have touched it.

The strange thing is that this year is I seem to be having a lot of flashbacks to that me, that time in my life. It’s like I can’t escape that guy. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind that version of me. Yeah, he could be a little too over the top in his sarcasm and his opinion of himself, but he was still me.

I’ve been trying to pinpoint exactly where this began. The obvious answer is my high school reunion last year, But to be honest, that really didn’t hit me that hard, I would have rather just spent the weekend someplace with some of my friends than take part in what felt like an awkward reunion special for a TV show.

Maybe it could have also been the death of our first Beastie Boy last year? From the first time, I heard the Beastie Boys, they represented something for me and my friends. We didn’t listen to them all the time, but when we did it was because of a certain mood or a certain feeling about being young dudes we wanted to capture. And now MCA is gone, so when I listen to the music now (which is a lot) it feels like unbottled memories, and the energy is a shadow. A great shadow, granted, but a shadow nonetheless.

Or maybe this is all just related to the fact I turn forty this year. The possible halfway mark. The turned corner. The end of youth. A whole new smack of drama I had not considered before. It’s like in politics when a president starts their second term and the newspapers start talking about how the president needs to think about legacy.

That’s me… I guess I am on legacy time now. (more…)
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June 27, 2013

New Interview on Clean Romance Reviews for A Jane Austen Daydream
Today there is an interview with me up at Clean Romance Reviews for A Jane Austen Daydream. In it, I dive into my writing, Jane Austen, blogging and even Disneyland. (Yes, I said, Disneyland.) Here is a snippet from the interview, my answer to the question “What is your favorite genre to read?”

One advice I give writers a lot (and I hope this is not seen as a cop out), but I think writers should read as many genres as they can, explore all possibilities. See, it is my opinion that the groundbreaking works in any genre, the ones people remember the most, are the ones that break the mold. To see new possibilities like that, a person has got to have an open mind not just of what to read, but of life in general. I like to think I did something like that with A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM, but time will tell.

You can read the entire interview here.

My new books A Jane Austen Daydream and Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare are both available on amazon.com right now. You can find them via my author page on amazon here, available in print and eBook (just $3.99).

I hope you enjoy the interview.
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June 24, 2013

Dreaming for a Holodeck. Thoughts on Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation has become comfort food for my soul.

While I always enjoyed the original cast, and even dig the new film series by J.J. Abrams, there was something about the Enterprise D that called to me. I wanted to join that crew. Visit Ten Forward, go on that holodeck. It was the Enterprise I dreamed of.

The show was originally on when I was a kid in high school and I used to collect the episodes on old VHS tapes, stocking them on my bookshelf, as if they were precious treasures; not realizing then that in a few years, videotapes would be nothing more than junk, a lost piece of technology.

Of course, now that is all twenty years ago. The show is off the air for the most part and the cast has moved on as best as they can. Even the universe The Next Generation seemed to fit so snuggly at the top of (being the show that all of the later shows owed some of their success and beginning to) has moved on.

And yet, for me, while the rest of the world is chasing after Captain Kirk again, I am rewatching the show on Netflix. It is more than a homecoming in a way, it is a return to a different time, a different way to look at life. A different me, one that was much younger and dreamed of owning his own holodeck and wanted nothing more than to be assigned to an away mission… no matter how dangerous.

(more…)
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