Skip to content

The Stories of Scott D. Southard

  • In Jerry’s Corner
  • A Jane Austen Daydream
  • Permanent Spring Showers
  • Megan
  • Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare
  • The Dante 3
  • Me Stuff
  • Man Behind the Curtain
  • January 2, 2013

    What will you be reading in 2013?

    Happy 2013, my loyal and wonderful readers!

    Have you enjoyed my editorials on this site and my original fiction here, Permanent Spring Showers and Upon the Ground? As you plan your reading in 2013, why not check out one of my three available books? Below are their descriptions and some links on where you can find them. I hope you will consider checking them out (and did I mention how wonderfully affordable they all are as well?).

    My Problem With Doors

    Jacob’s life changed in a single moment when, as a toddler, he walked through his bedroom door only to find himself in the office of a British officer in Capetown, 1870. This would begin a thirty-year journey which would take him from ancient to future civilizations, and innumerable places and times in between. Through all of his travels, Jacob seeks for the purpose of his predicament while meeting pirates, poets, loves, and even Jack the Ripper.

    My Problem With Doors is available as a paperback (on amazon here), an eBook (on Google Play here) and even as a downloadable audiobook (here).

     Megan

    Megan Wane is caught in a life of dull dreariness. She goes to work in a dead end job with a boss she can’t stand, and comes home to a silent apartment with only a standoffish cat for company. She can only get away through her imagination. And there, in her thoughts, there exists a fairy-tale kingdom with wizards and dragons. A place called Prosperity, where she is both a princess and a hero. On this day, both Megan’s external reality and her interior world will suffer tragedy that will turn her life upside down and shake her to the foundation. Can Megan turn disaster into deliverance?

    Megan is available as a paperback (on amazon here), an eBook (on Google Play here) and even as a downloadable audiobook (here).

    A Jane Austen Daydream

    A Jane Austen DaydreamJane Austen thought she knew everything about love, but was there something she wasn’t telling us? A self-confessed dreamer, gossip, and matchmaker, Jane emerges from a prophetic meeting with gypsies and sets out to discover her soul mate. As Jane writes through the twists and turns of her turbulent romances, Southard ponders the question faced by many devoted readers over the years – did she ever find love? What would the story of that love be like if Jane could write it? Binding fact with fiction, courting brace new literary twists, and written in the style of Jane Austen herself, A Jane Austen Daydream is the tale of Jane’s life as a novel. It contemplates the eventual fate of Jane’s heart, and uses her own stories to fill the gaps that history left to the imagination.

    A Jane Austen Daydream is available on all major sites in print and eBook including amazon.com (here).

    …and thanks for all of your support of my writing over the last year!

    Share this:

    • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
    • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
    • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
    • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
    • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
    • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
    • Print (Opens in new window) Print
    • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
    • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
    Like Loading…
  • December 27, 2012

    My Online Literary Experiment: Time to Catch Up!

    Feeling the ShowerPermanent Spring Showers is a new novel, but it is also an experiment… an experiment around creation, instinct, and a heck of a lot of literary luck.

    To begin with, I grew up a fan of Charles Dickens, and one of the things he is well known for is how he wrote many of his novels, sharing them via his papers one chapter at a time; many times while still creating them. So to start, I wondered if I could do the same thing. That was the basis right there for my challenge.

    Using an old screenplay I wrote years and years ago as the starting point, I first created 25 chapter titles. Those chapter titles now are the only direction I really have in the writing. See, the book is nothing like the screenplay, only a few scant remnants remain. (I can’t even remember the last time I have even opened up the screenplay file!) If having to guess, I would say only two plotlines remain, and only that many of the original characters are still like their former selves. Everything else is so sparkly new, and many times when I start a chapter, I have no idea where the characters are going to take me next. Thrilling and terrifying.

    When I started it felt so wonderfully easy, with the first chapter oddly being the shortest one in the book. It was a lie! When the third chapter reached over 25 pages I realized I might be in a little bit of trouble. I wasn’t drowning, but I was enjoying the deep end of the pool a little too much, let me say that.

    To help you, the readers, feel part of the process, I’ve also been creating occasional editorial updates on the experience. I like to think of them as fun little glimpses into the mind of a writer at work. They are full of contradictions, conflicting goals, and seem to carry through them the one underlining thought, “I don’t know what I am doing or where I am going, but this is strangely fun.”

    And it has been a fun experience for me.

    In 2013 I will be creating the last three chapters (plus one very short epilogue) for the novel. With the end so close I thought this might be a good time for readers to consider catching up or maybe starting for the first time. You can find all of the chapters here. I hope you will consider checking it out. Below, is a brief introduction to the book and the characters in it: (more…)

    Share this:

    • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
    • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
    • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
    • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
    • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
    • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
    • Print (Opens in new window) Print
    • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
    • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
    Like Loading…
  • December 24, 2012

    My Online Literary Experiment: Holiday Break!

    One of my heroes!Sometimes like a coach, a writer has to make the right call for the team or athlete, no matter how unpopular the decision might be. (I am assuming this, I know nothing about sports.)

    See, I realized today that it would be impossible to really create a first-rate chapter in time for this friday because of the holiday.

    I have two little kids, and family to visit, etc., and the fact is I will be losing too many evenings writing. (Seriously, almost all of my evenings! It would’ve been hell and stressful. Not Christmas-y at all.) So I have decided that it would be best for the book that I delay the release of Chapter 23 by one week.

    Yup, Chapter 23 will not be released now until January 4.

    For those that might be worried that somehow the book/writing experiment might be in trouble so near the end, let me say loudly: NO WORRIES. I have a good first draft of the chapter ready, and if it was a normal week ahead there would have been no problem at all.

    And also, do I want to be stressing this week about a chapter, writing until the wee hours, or instead waiting for Santa by the window with my kids? Sorry, readers the answer was obvious to me.  I’m a believer in the man in the red suit and the white beard.

    Anyway, I hope everyone has a nice holiday. Rebecca, Jenn, Vince, Marty, Mary, Viv, Gordon, Steve, Ralph, Lilly, and even Bob will be back in the new year to end my new novel, Permanent Spring Showers.

    (… Oh, and buy my new book A Jane Austen Daydream. It is quite lovely and filled with writing surprises [and only 99 cents on amazon right now!];  and will help you as you wait for the return of my little/massive experiment.)

    Share this:

    • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
    • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
    • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
    • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
    • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
    • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
    • Print (Opens in new window) Print
    • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
    • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
    Like Loading…
  • September 5, 2012

    It’s time! The eBook version of MY PROBLEM WITH DOORS is available! (Links, samples, and a new introduction to the work is included in this post)

    The eBook for MY PROBLEM WITH DOORS is now available via Google eBooks for a mere $9.99. You can find it here.

    This version can work on any eBook reader from Kindle to your iPad or iPhone. 

    If you would rather have a paperback copy of the book, it is still available via amazon.com (here) for $15.95.

    There are a few samples from the work available out there if you would like to check it out first. You can find a sample from the work via the official Google eBook page for it (here) as well as a sample on my own website (here) of one of my favorite scenes in the work.

    If you have read the book and liked it, please consider sharing it with a friend. If you haven’t read it, I hope you will check out this unique and surprising novel. I am very proud of it. A new introduction to the creation of the work is included below. (more…)

    Share this:

    • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
    • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
    • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
    • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
    • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
    • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
    • Print (Opens in new window) Print
    • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
    • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
    Like Loading…
  • August 27, 2012

    MEGAN is now available as an eBook! (Only $9.99). The link to purchase, samples, and a new introduction in this post…

    I am proud to announce that my novel MEGAN is now available as an eBook!

    It is being sold via Google Books for only $9.99 and it can be used on any eBook reader (Kindle, etc.) or iPad or iPhone. Here is the link to my novel, MEGAN.

    I hope you will check it out and share it with your friends.

    If you would like a sample of the work first, they are available as well via Google Books, or you can find a previous sample I have shared on my site here.

    If you would rather not deal with an eBook, it is, of course, still available via amazon. You can find the paperback here for $15.95.

    Here is the amazon description of the book: Megan Wane is caught in a life of dull dreariness. She goes to work in a dead end job with a boss she can’t stand, and comes home to a silent apartment with only a standoffish cat for company. She can only get away through her imagination. And there, in her thoughts, there exists a fairy-tale kingdom with wizards and dragons. A place called Prosperity, where she is both a princess and a hero. On this day, both Megan’s external reality and her interior world will suffer tragedy that will turn her life upside down and shake her to the foundation. Can Megan turn disaster into deliverance?

    Below is a new introduction to the book and my experience writing it.

    I hope you will check out the eBook of my novel, MEGAN. I am really proud of the book and I think you will like it as well. (more…)

    Share this:

    • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
    • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
    • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
    • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
    • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
    • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
    • Print (Opens in new window) Print
    • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
    • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
    Like Loading…
  • July 27, 2012

    Permanent Spring Showers, Chapter 1

    Permanent Spring Showers

    Chapter 1

    The Argument

    –

    It probably all began far before the argument.

    It might have even begun before the affair he had, no matter how brief it was. He wanted an excuse to end it, her mind cried at her. His penis only gave him the excuse he was looking for.

    … The fact it was with one of her students was just the icing on the cake.

    –

    “How many times do I have to say I’m sorry?”

    She turned back to him; it was the first time she even dared to look at him since he broke the news to her that morning before her flight. And yet all she could think right then was why did he have to chase her around the house in that old raggedy bathrobe? That damn old weather worn bathrobe he bought on their honeymoon. “God, help me,” she thought to herself staring at the pleading man, “he looks like a broken bunny in that hideous thing.” (more…)

    Share this:

    • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
    • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
    • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
    • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
    • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
    • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
    • Print (Opens in new window) Print
    • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
    • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
    Like Loading…
  • July 26, 2012

    My Online Literary Experiment: An Introduction

    I want to do something dangerous.

    Yes, I want to do something fraught with peril. Something that could literally make or break this little writing blog. Something that will put my ego (no matter how minor it is) on the line.

    When I started this blog my goal was to get my writing voice back (I explain what I mean a lot more in this recent editorial here), and after seven months and 190 entries I feel I have done much of the repair work needed. In other words, I am happy with where I am creatively and I trust myself again to create.

    My brain is back on.

    Yes, I have confidence in my ability again, it has returned, but now I want to be tested. And if you stick around this blog you will see the result of this experiment I am giving myself… and like I said this could make or break the site and that confidence I have worked so hard in over 500 pages of editorials to bring back over this year. (more…)

    Share this:

    • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
    • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
    • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
    • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
    • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
    • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
    • Print (Opens in new window) Print
    • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
    • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
    Like Loading…
  • June 29, 2012

    Recommending Four of GraphicAudio’s DC Audiobooks

    Since I wrote my initial review of GraphicAudio’s great DC audiobook series for Green Spot Blue (here), the article continues to receive visits and I occasionally get comments and e-mails asking which of theirs I would recommend for listening first.

    With summer in full swing and road trips almost every weekend, I thought this might be a great opportunity to share my four top recommendations for helping pass those long hours staring out the window at the lines on the highway.

    Also, we are in the midst of a superhero summer here in the US. With The Avengers breaking box office records and the last entry in Christopher Nolan’s Batman series as well, this is as good a time as any for imagining how much more fun (and crazy) the world would be if we had a few people in capes that could fly about.

    Justice League of America: Exterminators

    Supposedly (based on Facebook comments), GraphicAudio will be making some new DC entries in the Fall or Winter of this year.

    When they do, I hope they make some new Justice League episodes. While there are things I liked (and loved) about each of their audiobooks, there is something a lot more “fun” about the Justice League series. They aren’t weighed down by all of the drama that comes with Batman and the Crisis series; what you get is a group of superheroes (with voices that perfectly capture their characters) getting along and getting things done. When I return to listening to these audiobooks from time to time, I usually will go to one of these additions first. (more…)

    Share this:

    • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
    • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
    • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
    • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
    • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
    • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
    • Print (Opens in new window) Print
    • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
    • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
    Like Loading…
  • June 27, 2012

    A Bit of Jane

    So I am still working to find a traditional publisher for the work. Yes, the grind continues…

    I’ve seemed to have hit some roadblocks regarding agents.  While the responses from agents who have read it to be very kind (for example, “well-written” and “captivating”) and all note that they think it will find publication and success, I have yet to get the gold; in other words, one that feels inspired to push it for that “success” and “publication.” There is one agency I still have my fingers very crossed about, but if I hear a negative from them, I plan to try a different route- going right to small publishers and indie presses. (Oh, and if you are an agent or a publisher reading this- I don’t bite, please contact me. Seriously, I’ll send you flowers.)

    Anyway, to keep myself inspired for the possible hard work ahead, I thought I would share some of the book here, Chapter 9 from Part II; one of the big turning points in the book. (more…)

    Share this:

    • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
    • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
    • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
    • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
    • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
    • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
    • Print (Opens in new window) Print
    • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
    • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
    Like Loading…
  • June 26, 2012

    Upon The Ground: Progress

    Well, this is it. The last story from my collection Upon The Ground. It is a stream-of-consciousness literary piece entitled “Progress.” I am pretty proud of it, and if you have been reading the collection, it ties in quite a few of the other stories as well (Not that you need to know that to enjoy the story).

    Here is the beginning of the piece:

    –

    “Progress”

    …death sneaks in like a viper slithering in the mud of existence aching for some flesh to bite into, reeling it’s way into your body, up and up past your slowing heart past your feeling lungs, your paling face and eating into your brain. it takes your memories and sinks you into it’s life. oh god, i’m dying. i can see it in her eyes. she has beautiful EYES. they are so blue. i’m looking up at her and trying to smile. she is holding my hand, so sweaty. she is trying to talk to me…. shhh….. shhh…. her lips are shaking. why is everything white? is this a hospital? i’ve never been to a hospital before. ironic that the one time i go to a house of healing is to die. i’m dying. i felt fine yesterday. such a wonderful day yesterday. all my family was there and i cooked outside. the sun was a bright red and i held her close to me. such a perfect day.  the sky was colored with red, purple and blue as the sun set and her skin felt so soft. it slipped away so fast. so, so very fast. death is not a fair creature. it is hungry only, fangs glistening. i can feel it taking my body. i feel so weak. i can barely keep my eyes open. i want to look at her. i want to see her. fight this. you can fight this. you’ve fought so much. you’re better than this. you want to live. i want to live. i can fight this. she looks at me concerned. she can see the pain in my face. i need the pain. i need to stay. the pain is what make me mortal. the pain is what makes us mortal.

    –

    I want to thank GreenSpotBlue for choosing my book to share with their readers. Their support for my writing has always meant a lot to me. If you would like to check out the book, the link are up at the Upon The Ground page on this site. Thank you for reading!

    Share this:

    • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
    • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
    • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
    • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
    • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
    • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
    • Print (Opens in new window) Print
    • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
    • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
    Like Loading…
Previous Page Next Page

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
 

Loading Comments...
 

    • Subscribe Subscribed
      • The Stories of Scott D. Southard
      • Join 1,946 other subscribers
      • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
      • The Stories of Scott D. Southard
      • Subscribe Subscribed
      • Sign up
      • Log in
      • Report this content
      • View site in Reader
      • Manage subscriptions
      • Collapse this bar
    %d