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The Stories of Scott D. Southard

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  • November 1, 2013

    Discover A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM

    A Jane Austen Daydream

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

    Need a book for this November? A future gift idea? Something new and different for those that feel they have read it all before?

    A Jane Austen Daydream (published by Madison Street Publishing) is a book for the “Janeites” to the everyday reader. It reimagines a new adventure for Jane, something she might’ve wanted but never got… with a very surprising and daring new twist.

    “…Lovely, thought-provoking novel. Fans of Austen will adore this book.” – Lori Nelson Spielman, author of The Life List.

    You can discover about this fun book via links on this site!

    • There are two exclusive excerpts available (here and here). In one Jane discovers her destiny, and in the other she works to fight the fates.
    • There are a series of different articles on its creation from finding its inspiration (Visiting Austen), to the courage needed to attempt it (Braving Austen), the writing of it (Finding Jane’s Voice), and, finally, the gift behind its creation (Austen in Stealth).
    • There are also interviews and reviews by different literary sites, readers, and authors. You can learn more via the main page for the book here.

    “…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

    A Jane Austen Daydream can be purchased in print ($13.46) or as an eBook for the outrageously low price of $3.99 for Kindle.

    “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.” -Julie Valerie’s Book Blog

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  • October 18, 2013

    “Challenging the Fates” My Jane Austen Book Club presents A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM (excerpt and introduction)

    An Illustration from AustenToday, I’m honored to have my novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM showcased on the popular Jane Austen site My Jane Austen Book Club.

    “Challenging The Fates” is a new introduction on the inspiration of A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM.

    Here is an excerpt from the beginning:

    The fates gave Jane Austen a bum rap.

    Yes, she is remembered as one of the most important writers in all of literature, defined for generations what it means to be in love and have a successful relationship, and inspired countless writers and genres. That is all fine and very good, but that is now… for us.

    For Miss Austen’s reality, she died young (only 41) in a cottage in a small village where she was living with her sister and mother and her books were published anonymously. Sadly, it is hard for us to even know her that well, with the destruction of many of his letters and writings by her sister. After that, we have to rely on a biography written by her nephew that seems more concerned with the family’s name as compared to the truth of this great person.  She joins Shakespeare in our mystery-lost genius category, the ones we only have our hopes and dreams to point to for truth.

    Also, on My Jane Austen Book Club is an exclusive excerpt from the novel!

    It is Chapter II from Volume I, in which Jane gets some rather surprising news. Something is afoot and her life will never be the same afterwards… You can read this new introduction and fun excerpt on My Jane Austen Book Club here. I hope you enjoy it!A Jane Austen Daydream

    A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is published by Madison Street Publishing and can be purchased in print or as an ebook for the outrageously low price of $3.99. It is available for the Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.

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  • September 17, 2013

    “…head over heels” An Interview With The Booknatics About A Jane Austen Daydream

    From PersuasionRecently, I had the pleasure to be interviewed by The Booknatics about my new book A Jane Austen Daydream. They also shared some of their thoughts on the work, which I found very flattering. You can read the interview and their thoughts on my latest novel here.

    Here is part of my reply to a question about the process of creating the book:

    Honestly, it took many years before I even had the courage to write the book!  For a long time,  A Jane Austen Daydream was my Mount Everest, and I would jump to any other project than take it on. It was my wife that argued for me to get on with it, believing wholeheartedly in the project and idea. She definitely earned the dedication in it! I read a few biographies, of course, but I wanted Jane’s own stories and words to direct the plot and the characters and the dialogue. So while I have people from her actual life in it, when it came to mapping the book out, it was definitely more fiction than fact in the end. And then I had to put some of my own plot points in so even the Austenites would be surprised.

    (On a side note, one of the fun questions I had to answer was who I would cast to play Jane Austen if the book was ever made into a TV mini-series or a movie. While I am still happy with the two actresses I reference in the article, I want to add a new name;  my new first choice for Jane- Catrin Stewart. For those that watch Doctor Who, she plays Jenny Flint and definitely would make a phenomenal Miss Austen.)

    A Jane Austen DaydreamYou can read the interview here. 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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  • September 15, 2013

    “I love, love, love this book!” New Reactions to A Jane Austen Daydream

    121610-brock-persuasionOne of my favorite things in the world is tracking the reaction to A Jane Austen Daydream. Seriously, it can turn around any day I am having. Recently, I discovered two fun reactions to my new novel.

    On her blog Tapestry of Words blogger Becky Shillington in her post “My Half-Full Glass and What I’ve Been Reading” mentioned A Jane Austen Daydream, saying:

    I love, love, love this book! Mr. Southard says up front that this is not a biography of Jane Austen, but is instead a projection of what he imagines her life to have been like. I thoroughly enjoyed reading his interpretation, and was gratified at the end of the book because I felt like Miss Austen finally had an opportunity to be the heroine of a story. It has always saddened me that she died at such a young age, but as Mr. Southard suggests, maybe there is more to her story than we know.

    You can read the rest of her post here.

    Also, I am honored that Lori Nelson Spielman, the popular author of the fun book The Life List (check it out here), wrote a review on Amazon!

    Scott Southard captures Jane Austen’s voice in this lovely, thought-provoking novel. Southard deftly weaves fact with fiction, giving readers a glimpse into what might have been for our beloved Jane. Fans of Austen will adore this book.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.  It is available for the Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.

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  • September 12, 2013

    “Utter shock” The Book Brothers review A Jane Austen Daydream!

    Jane AustenThere are reviews and then there are reviews by The Book Brothers. I had no idea that they got their hands on A Jane Austen Daydream, but they did and I got a catfish.

    A giant catfish, actually. (You have to read the review to see what I mean). And after a debate whether I am an actual guy (the verdict is yes, I am one), they get into the review. Here are some of my favorite lines:

    • “To my surprise (shock actually, utter shock) this guy pulled it off!”
    • “You would have to be a heartless murderer not to be taken back while reading the dialogue.”
    • “This is a must read for any fan of Jane Austen’s works.”

    A Jane Austen DaydreamYou can read the entire fun review (as well as see a classic video of The Police performing “So Lonely) by clicking here.  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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  • September 11, 2013

    New WKAR Book Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

    Current StateIn this installment of WKAR’s Current State, I review the new book by famed YA author Holly Black. It is entitled The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.

    You can listen to my review on WKAR’s site here (http://wkar.org/post/book-review-holly-blacks-coldest-girl-coldtown). You can also read the script of the review below, after the jump.

    Holly Black also was interviewed on Current State about the book and her successful career in young adult fantasy. You can hear her interview via this link.

    You can find Holly Black’s new book on Amazon.com here. I hope you enjoy my new book review. (more…)

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  • September 9, 2013

    Happiness Forever in Waiting: A Writing Update

    GrumpyI expect never to be happy in my writing.

    Never happy with a final draft of a book, never happy about the success (or non-success) of any work, and all together grumpy, grumpy, grumpy. Yup, that’s my dwarf… at least as a writer. Usually, I would consider myself somewhere between Dopey and Doc as an actual person. Of course, Doc can play the organ. I can’t, even though my grandparents had one while I was growing up. It didn’t have birds and all that wooden trickery, but it did have great buttons with options for fun noises…. Okay, I lost my train of thought.

    Happiness! Lack of it in writing!

    This is all not a bad thing really in my opinion (I have even wrote about this before on this site as a writing lesson here). I’ve trained my brain to always consider the next step, to accept when something is done and immediately begin to think what needs to happen next. Happiness would probably just delay everything else. It is frankly too distracting. (more…)

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  • September 6, 2013

    Free eBook for the weekend! Only a little longer left to grab Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare

    Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare, CoverThe clock is ticking and the haunted McGregor Castle is awaiting your arrival!

    At the end of Sunday (September 8), the free ebook giveaway for Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare will come to an end. You can grab a copy by visiting Amazon.com here: http://amzn.com/B00CXSDEBE. Throw it on your Kindle now!

    I have always had a great fondness for this story, and have written on its creation a few times on this site (which you can read on the page for the book here). It’s a mad experimental tale, trying to capture that excitement I used to get finding a dusty book at a library, filled with mysteries and new literary surprises. Anything is possible in a story like this, as you will soon see…

    Here is the description from the back of the book:

    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.

    MaggieIf you do take this opportunity to download my free novel, please consider checking out my other books as well- A Jane Austen Daydream, My Problem With Doors, and Megan. If I can promise anything with MAXIMILIAN (and my other tales) it is that you will find something very, very new.

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  • September 4, 2013

    Free ebook for a limited time! Gothic, quirky, spooky, unexpected- Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare

    Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare, Cover

    “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 its 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 the book is a FREE EBOOK on Amazon! Here is the link-  http://amzn.com/B00CXSDEBE.

    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.

    MaximilianIf you do take this opportunity to download my free novel, please consider checking out my other books as well- A Jane Austen Daydream, My Problem With Doors, and Megan. If I can promise anything with MAXIMILIAN, and my other tales, it is that you will be surprised.

    “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 30, 2013

    “A bit of fun” Austenprose Reviews A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM!

    An Illustration from AustenWhen A Jane Austen Daydream was released there were two reviews I was the most nervous about. The first was with the Jane Austen Centre (which you can read here), the second was with Austenprose, probably the most prominent voice in new Austen literature. Seriously, if Entertainment Weekly or the New Yorker found the book, I wouldn’t feel this amount of stress. (Okay, I might as well… and I would love to be tested on that, by the way! Do you hear me book reviewers?)

    Yes, A Jane Austen Daydream is my novel and can be read by those who are not schooled in the works of Miss Austen (with some post-modern twists in it), but I really, really wanted my book to be accepted by the Austenites as well. Well, today, I got the review from Austenprose (here) and I am right now breathing a deep sigh of relief.

    Here is an excerpt from the review, the reviewer’s response to my depiction of Jane Austen:

    The good news is Scott Southard’s Jane is a delightful creature. She is clever and witty and determined to do the best she can for herself, even when things take a turn for the worst. Jane’s dialogue is one of the bright spots in the novel and her thoughts and comments had me smiling (and even laughing) on more than one occasion.

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