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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
  • May 13, 2013

    My Favorite Writing Posts

    Even Superman writes!We writers love to write about writing. Do other artforms love discussing their own art like we do in our neck of the woods? Do painters paint about paintings? Or singers sing about singing? Okay, this is a silly notion and the answer is sometimes, but nothing like us writers. We own this.

    Yes, we writers love to discuss our artform (read and write) and I even have the personal proof to back the magnitude of this.

    See, I like to think I write on a lot of interesting topics from movies to life experience to  TV to parenting, etc. (Heck, even last week I wrote 1300 words on Winnie-The-Pooh!), but nothing beats the numbers of visits I get when I put up a new writing post. And luckily for me I love writing about writing.

    Books, and the creation around them are a passion of mine. I love throwing a thought out there and watching the responses come in via twitter and comments.  Sometimes I agree with the responses, sometimes I don’t, but it is always fun (not when they get mean, of course, which sometimes does happen).

    I thought today I would link back to four of my personal favorite writing posts with updates and new thoughts from me on them below their link.  Consider it the equivalent of a reunion special… of my mind. (more…)

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  • May 8, 2013

    “Universally Charming” A New Book Review for A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM

    A Jane Austen DaydreamToday, I am happy to share a great review for my new novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM. It was written by the site Austen Hill where I gave an interview earlier this week (you can read it here). Here is a quote from the review:

    I found myself thinking of it as a love letter to all of her novels. Readers will recognize characters from each scattered amongst her real-life family and acquaintances. A meddling matchmaker, a loving sister, a dashing suitor. Obstacles and misunderstandings…….triumphs and tragedies. Not to worry though, despite their appearance these plot devices don’t seem contrived in the least. Split into three sections, it’s also worth mentioning that I found myself drawn to the prologues for each. They offer quite a bit of hefty inspiration and create a wonderful frame for the reader’s subsequent experience. The novel also does a great job of showing how Jane’s own adventures in love might have influenced the lives of her characters.

    You can read the rest of the review here.

    And don’t forget there is a book giveaway going on right now for a copy of the book on English Historical Authors through May 12! You can enter here.

    A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is available exclusively via amazon.com where you can get as an eBook for $3.99 and in print for $13.46. You can purchase the book via this link.

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  • May 7, 2013

    My Adventure in Self-Publishing: Curse All These Fonts!

    fontI am haunted by fonts.  While the characters in MAXIMILIAN STANDFORTH AND THE CASE OF THE DANGEROUS DARE are haunted by ghosts and other demonic surprises, I am haunted by the way an “a” can curve, and what each letter may or may not say about my story.

    Yes, I have lost days, weeks, debating with myself the right kind of font to use for the book I am self-publishing. It has gotten so bad that some of the fonts are starting to take on personalities for me. For example:

    • Times New Roman is the preppy know-it-all in school. The one you would swear at under your breath when they get a better grade than you.
    • Verdana thinks it is mysterious (it is not).
    • Palatino would dot its i’s with hearts if it could. It is that overly cute.
    • Calibri… well… it is just dumb.
    • Arial is a pampering old grandmother with stale hard candy in a dusty bowl.  Yes, the best intentions are there, but you don’t want to eat them. Ew.

    I’ve changed my manuscript again and again trying to find the one that best captures my book. Now the book is a Victorian period mystery (of course, that is not without including the experimental twists in it), so a font that feels a little dated would be nice. Yet, I don’t want to go too much in that regards. I don’t want to drive readers away as if they can feel the dust on the font and story. (more…)

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  • May 6, 2013

    An Interview on Austen Hill on A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM

    Me and the proof copy of my bookThere is a new interview with me today up on Austen Hill (here). This interview was a lot of fun and she had some great questions, discussing everything from literature to inspiration to, of course, Jane Austen and my new book A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM. Here is an excerpt from one of my answers, where I give my favorite advice for new authors:

    I think what was smart for me as a young writer, looking back, is that I always wrote first for myself. In other words, I took on stories that I would want to read, not worrying about publishers, agents, marketing, etc. See, it is when you dip into that business world of the art that it gets risky, because it can kill your creativity, starve the part of the brain that just loves to see where the imagination may lead. So whenever I meet a new writer or someone asks for  advice, I will usually say write for yourself, if success comes, it comes; but if you write for yourself first everything else is a nice bonus and you will never feel like a failure.

    You can read the rest of this fun interview at Austen Hill here. And don’t forget about the new book giveaway (through May 12) which you can enter here! My new novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is available exculsively through amazon.com (here) where you can find it in print for $13.46 and in eBook for $3.99.

    I hope you enjoy the interview!

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  • May 6, 2013

    A New Book Giveaway for A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM on English Historical Authors

    A Jane Austen DaydreamToday begins a new book giveaway for my novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM! This book giveaway is being held on the site English Historical Authors.

    From May 6 – May 12, you can enter to win a paperback copy of my new novel simply by leaving a comment on this page (http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2013/05/giveaway-of-jane-austen-daydream-by.html) with your e-mail address. Easy and fun.

    I hope you will consider entering the contest and, of course, checking out my new novel! It is available exclusively via amazon.com (here), where you can find it in print for $13.46 and as an eBook for only $3.99.

    Thanks for reading (and entering)!

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  • May 4, 2013

    The Novel Travelist’s First Thoughts on A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM

    Is this Jane Austen? One of the really fun things about being a writer in today’s internet world is seeing when your writing inspires someone else to write. Sometimes they write good things, sometimes bad. Heck, I had both this week!

    (That is not a joke. My blog post about so many authors choosing to write a series still generates a response.)

    The Novel Travelist is currently reading my new novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM and had to write some initial thoughts on my characterizations in the book. Here is a quote from the piece:

    Rarely does a real life person or scenario completely transpose themselves into a novel. We, as authors, take pieces of events and people and mix and match to our liking. I’m pleased that Mr. Southard realized this when creating the fictional character of Jane Austen. All of Southard’s characters incorporate pieces of Austen’s characters, but nothing is blatant, it is all subtlety, as Austen is herself.

    A Jane Austen DaydreamYou can read the rest of the article here.

    A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is out now exclusively via amazon. You can get it in print for  $13.46 and $3.99 as an eBook by clicking here. I hope you will check it out.

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  • May 3, 2013

    Need a book to read this weekend? Want to learn more about my new novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM?

    Jane Austen talking to agents and publishersRight now I am suffering from a literary internet addiction. With the release of my new book A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM I can’t stop looking at amazon.com and GoodReads.com. I want to know what people think of my new work. I know the book has only been out for a few days, but I can’t help myself. I want everyone to read this book! And I want everyone to like it. It’s kind of like the feeling of being dropped off at camp for the summer and wondering if you will have any friends.  Will you be my book’s friend? Please? I’m sure we have much in common.

    Seriously though, if you would like to know more about my surprising, touching, and witty new book there are some great options out there for you.

    • Before the release of the novel, I gave an interview with the Jane Austen Centre in Bath. You can read that interview here.
    • Recently, author and book blogger Deborah Kalb interviewed me about the book on her site. You can check it out here.
    • I have written three different introductions to the book on this site over the last few weeks. The first dealt with having the courage to write the book (Braving Austen), the second was about finding the character of Jane (Visiting Austen), and the third was about how I wrote the book as a surprise for my wife (Austen in Stealth).
    • A Jane Austen DaydreamAlso, this week I shared an excerpt from it. It is from Volume II of the book and I think it introduces the character of Jane and the style of the book in a very fun way. You can read that here.

    A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is being sold exclusively through amazon.com. It is availale for $3.99 as an eBook and only $13.46 in print. You can buy the book via this link- http://amzn.com/0983671923

    I hope you enjoy my new novel.

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  • May 2, 2013

    “Not all devils come in red.” An excerpt from A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM

    From Pride and PrejudiceI’m proud to share with you today an excerpt from my new novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM. Published by Madison Street Publishing, it can be purchased in print and as an eBook for only $3.99 on Amazon here.

    In this chapter, Jane Austen is doing her best to avoid a proposal from the questionable and arrogant Reverend Blackwell. I hope you enjoy the selection

    –

    Chapter IV from Volume II

    It has often been said that good things come to those who wait, but the fault with the expression is that it does not take into consideration the especially bad things that you are doing your utmost to avoid. Do bad things travel in different paths and fashions to the good? Can bad things be avoided since they, unlike most good things, are rarely expected or hoped for? Jane had a bad thing that she wanted to avoid, and the only plan she could come up with after an evening contemplating it was to run away—fast.

    “Why do you need me to go on this walk with you?” Charles complained. He grabbed a branch from the ground and swung it around himself like a sword. Jane had to step back to avoid being hit.

    Jane decided not to answer Charles’ question. “Is it wrong to enjoy our fields and hikes, Charles? Should not the pleasures of walking and breathing fresh air be enough? This may be our last time walking this trail together.”

    “That is what you said a few days ago,” Charles moaned. “You cannot have two last times.”

    Jane stopped and looked across the valley. The shock of the upcoming journey to Bath seemed to almost take her aback more now than it had earlier.

    “I grew up here,” she said quietly, more to herself than to Charles.

    “I grew up here too,” Charles said and sat on the ground by her. “I hardly see why that is so important a detail.”

    “It is to me.” (more…)

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  • May 1, 2013

    Interview With Deborah Kalb on A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM

    Me and the proof copy of my bookToday, Deborah Kalb, author and blogger, has up an interview with me about my just released new novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM. You can read the interview here. Here is an excerpt from the interview:

    While Jane Austen is the main character and it is a treasure trove for Jane Austen fans, I don’t want people to think this book is only for Austenites. Not at all. If it was, well, then it wouldn’t be my book. There is a lot more going on here.

    Yes, there is romance in the book, but it is also very witty, touching and filled with literary experiments. I like to believe there is something in it for everyone.

    You can read the rest on the interview on her site by clicking here.

    A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM was published yesterday by Madison Street Publishing. It is available exclusively via amazon.com where it is priced at $3.99 for the eBook and $14.99 for the print version. You can visit the amazon page for the book here.

    Thanks for reading!

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  • April 29, 2013

    Austen in Stealth: Introducing My New Novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM

    A Jane Austen Daydream A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is published by Madison Street Publishing and can be purchased in print and as an eBook for only $3.99 via amazon.com here.  

    –

    My wife doesn’t like to buy me presents.

    This is not an anti-love or an anti-affection thing. No, not at all. This is because I am the King of Presents. Seriously, I could teach classes on the subject. I remember conversations, take notes, and buy things early when inspiration hits. And birthdays and Christmases, because of my mad skills, are filled with tears and exclamations of “How did you know?” or “How did you remember that?”

    How did I remember that? I’m the King of Presents, that is how I remembered!

    The fact is when it comes to receiving gifts, I try to make it easy for people. This goes back to a mistake by “Santa” when I was in fourth grade. I wanted a CD player, and by mistake the old man in red got me a tape deck. Since then, I keep a gift list up to date with ideas (which I forward to family members, including my wife, before every holiday) and I even highlight the stuff that means more to me that year (last year it was the new Indiana Jones blu-ray set). Yes, I go away happy with every holiday, but there are no tears, no surprises, and the exclamation is usually a nice “Thank you.”

    It is one of the sacrifices of being the king.

    (more…)

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