The Stories of Scott D. Southard

June 4, 2013

“Witty, Fun.” A new review for A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM
Can a book about a fictional Jane Austen be enjoyed by people outside the regency/Austenite world? Let me give you Exhibit A- Christopher Lee Deards, a book reviewer who enjoys mostly horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Well, he just read the book and said:

Scott’s novel ate into my precious sleep time…. What hooked me though, and what I think would hook any reader, no matter their genre preference, is the witty, fun and genuine dialogue…. Scott’s Jane is the kind of woman most men would love to meet some day. She is strong, witty, kind and intelligent…. She is one of the more enjoyable characters I have read in literature in some time.

You can read the entire review on his website here.

A Jane Austen Daydream is available via amazon.com where you can find it in print for just $13.85 in print and only $3.99 for the eBook. Here is the link: http://amzn.com/0983671923

I hope you will check it out!
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June 4, 2013

My Mad Genius Moment: The Thrill of Writing Something Radically New
On June 11, my new book MAXIMILIAN STANDFORTH AND THE CASE OF THE DANGEROUS DARE will be released via amazon.com in eBook and print. Currently, there is a book giveaway going on for the book on Good Reads which you can enter here (only 7 days left!).

To help prepare for the release of this odd and playful book, I thought it would be entertaining to write on the unique experience I had creating my “monster.”

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Every artist has a mad genius moment in their past that they can point to…. And if they can’t, chances are they are still in the midst of it.

My mad genius moment came when I had turned thirty. Let me paint the scene- my wife was in grad school; I was working a lousy evening temp job which made it so I only saw her one to two hours a day, if at all; my literary agent at the time was still uncertain how to represent my books, which I truly loved and thought should have been published yesterday; I was continuously hitting walls when I applied for creative writing positions on the college level; and I was turning thirty, which kept reminding me of how many writers and poets said the best work was created by people in their 20’s…. AHHHHH!!!

For any artist, feeling this level of burden and frustration, how could I not put the white lab coat on, mess up my hair and laugh loudly and evilly? (more…)
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June 3, 2013

“Finding Jane’s Voice” A Guest Post and Book Giveaway on Indie Jane
Today I am honored to have an exclusive post on Indie Jane celebrating the release of my novel A Jane Austen Daydream. The Post is called “Finding Jane’s Voice: Creating A Jane Austen Daydream.” Here is an excerpt from the beginning of my new article:

We love to put our heroes on pedestals.

 This is as true for writers and readers as it is for anyone else. Yet, in the world of literature it also feels more than the popular “don’t speak ill of the dead” rule we all follow at funerals. In literature, we seem to recreate authors as saints. For example, we think of Charles Dickens as the celebrator of Christmas and fighter against children labor and poverty… before we think of how awfully he treated his children and first wife.

 You need all sides of a person, the good and the bad, to get any clear picture of the individual, and for hundreds of years now we have looked at Jane Austen through a hazy lens. There are many reasons for this and part of it is, frankly, we have no choice.

You can read the rest of my article here.

ALSO, there is a book giveaway for A Jane Austen Daydream on the page! One lucky reader will win an eBook copy of my new book! You can enter right below the article.

A Jane Austen Daydream is available via amazon.com where you can find it in print for just $13.85 in print and only $3.99 for the eBook. Here is the link: http://amzn.com/0983671923

I hope you enjoy the new writing post (and my book)
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May 30, 2013

My Adventure in Self-Publishing: Wrestling the Proof Copy into Submission
A proof copy of your novel is a beautifully constructed illusion.

Oh, it feels like your book, it could even be argued that it smells like your book, but when you open it up… Wait! I forgot that comma! What happened to that word in that sentence? I know I didn’t mean that!

The illusion is shattered like a mirror and by the time you have gone through the entire book your hands are riddled with little scratches and nicks, and the mirror is nothing like it used to look like. It’s all funky now and so is the reflection staring back at you.

Okay… okay… I know that is dramatic, but that is how I felt going through the proof copy of my new novel MAXIMILIAN STANDFORTH AND THE CASE OF THE DANGEROUS DARE.

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One of the wonderful little surprises I had with deciding to work with CreateSpace is this option for a proof copy. Yes, they give you the option to look at the proof online for free, but I wanted to hold it.

See, I’ve never gotten into the whole Kindle thing. I just can’t get lost in a story via a screen like I do with paper. Maybe that makes me old fashioned (and, wow, I feel too young to have that feeling about anything), but it just feels more real. On paper is how I discovered all of my favorite books! We share a history, paper and me; and I want my new book to be part of that as well. (more…)
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May 30, 2013

“Delightful and insightful.” A new review of A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM
Day by day it seems people are starting to find my book A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM. It’s a lot of fun for me to read people’s responses to it via Twitter and reviews and blogs (and no one has yet to ruin the big surprise of the book!). This review is by the blog “MamaBeanablog.” Here is an excerpt:

From the first page, I was hooked by the wit and intelligence of the main character which is the love-searching Jane Austen. The story twists and weaves Jane, the Austen family, and other comical characters cunningly through the entire book.

You can read the rest of the review here.

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is available via amazon.com where you can find it in print for just $9.85 in print and only $3.99 for the eBook. Here is the link: http://amzn.com/0983671923

…and remember there is a book giveaway going on now for my book MAXIMILIAN STANDFORTH AND THE CASE OF THE DANGEROUS DARE on GoodReads. You can enter the giveaway here.

Thanks for reading!
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May 29, 2013

Dante, Tigers, & Tap-Dancing Demons, Oh My! Listen to THE DANTE EXPERIENCE
Dan Brown in his latest book, Inferno, thinks he knows Dante’s Divine Comedy.

I. THINK. NOT.

Inspired by Douglas Adams’ The Hithchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series and Monty Python, the entire award-winning unpredictable and bizarre radio comedy series The Dante Experience is available to listen to online via soundcloud. All freaking 10 episodes! If you don’t know this work of mine, you are in for a treat. Listen below!

Produced and directed by Mind’s Ear Audio Productions, The Dante Experience follows a badly-managed attempt to instill a fear of the afterlife in the next generation of man. Robert and his friends were definitely the wrong young adults to choose for the tour, as his girlfriend dumps him for Mephistopheles the devil, his friend Susan forms an army with Julius Caesar to argue for the deads’ rights, and Steve seduces famous women throughout history. The afterlife is never going to be the same.

I hope you enjoy listening to my comedy series!
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May 28, 2013

My Favorite Literary Oddities
On June 11, my new book MAXIMILIAN STANDFORTH AND THE CASE OF THE DANGEROUS DARE will be released via amazon.com in eBook and print. Currently, there is a book giveaway going on for the book on Good Reads which you can enter here.

To help prepare for the release of this odd and playful book, I thought it would be fun to write on some of the influences for the novel. This week I discuss three writers who gave me the courage to attempt the mad surprises that come in this new novel.

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There should be a warning that is given to every future English Major. It should be in bold lettering with a dark-foreboding red hue.

WARNING: This major will impact how you read and enjoy books forever.

We all scamper and leap into becoming English majors because of a love of books, imagining afternoons in classes playfully discussing our new favorite classics. The ultimate book club! Surrounded by like-minded, educated readers debating and then debating some more the next day. All that is missing is the secret handshakes, but a big part of that dream is true… What is glaringly missing in the scenario though is the in-depth analysis that comes along for the ride.

When you are an English major you are taught to deconstruct a book down to its essence, find new ways to interpret a work (maybe related to the author’s biography or the history of the time, etc.); whatever the case, when you are done with a book, it is never the book it once was to you at the start. Over time, this kind of investigation will become part of your reading makeup.

You’ve seen too much! The wizard cannot go back behind the curtain, you know it is a silly old man now! Every book is a future study, even when you don’t mean to do it. And soon you may even begin to forget what it was like to simply open a book and enjoy the tale. (more…)
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May 26, 2013

Beautiful. Entertaining. Insightful. Well Done. Three New 5-Star Reviews for A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM!
This weekend my novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM received three new 5-star reviews on amazon! It’s truly a wonderful feeling to know that my book is having such an impact on it’s readers.

“A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is an entertaining and insightful book… A delightful read, and not just for Jane Austen fans!” (From “A Delightful Daydream!)

“Good writing, great characters and I would definately read more from this author. This book was well done and I thoroughly enjoyed it!” (From “A New Favorite”)

“All and all, I loved the book. I’m just sorry that the real Jane Austen didn’t get the happy ending that Southard so lovingly creates for her.” (From “A Happy Little Dalliance”)

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is available via amazon.com where you can find it in print for just $9.85 in print and only $3.99 for the eBook. Here is the link: http://amzn.com/0983671923

I hope you will check out my new book as well.

Thanks for reading!
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May 24, 2013

Indie Author Land interviews me about A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM
Today Indie Author Land shares an interview I gave with them about my new novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM. Here is an excerpt from the interview:

My Jane Austen is kind of what we all imagine she would be like. Not perfect, certainly, but a little of all of her characters, good and bad. Witty to the point of biting, far too clever, passionate about writing and love, and large in whatever circles she appears in. This is the Jane that would have the power to create worlds we are all talking about 200 years later.

You can read the rest of this new interview here. I hope you will check it out.

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is available via amazon.com where you can find it in print for just $9.85 in print and only $3.99 for the eBook. Here is the link: http://amzn.com/0983671923

…and remember there is a book giveaway going on now for my book MAXIMILIAN STANDFORTH AND THE CASE OF THE DANGEROUS DARE on GoodReads. You can enter the giveaway here.

Thanks for reading!
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May 23, 2013

Need a book this holiday weekend? The eBook of A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is only $3.99.
“Unpredictable… a style entirely new. If you are looking for something new this summer—something light, for reading at the beach, perhaps… 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.

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

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM

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.

“Buy this, you will love it.” Amazon.com review titled My New Favorite Book.

“Beautiful piece of literature… I strongly suggest this book for all readers; not just necessarily Jane Austen fans, but any who would love a good story.” GoodReads.com

“I loved this book.” GoodReads.com

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is available via amazon.com where you can find it in print for just $9.85 in print and only $3.99 for the eBook. Here is the link: http://amzn.com/0983671923

“Well, 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
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