The Stories of Scott D. Southard

May 2, 2013

“Not all devils come in red.” An excerpt from A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM
I’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
Today, 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 30, 2013

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is out! My new book available on amazon.com!
I am proud to announce that my latest novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is now available for purchase from Madison Street Publishing! Exclusively through amazon.com, it is available in both print and eBook. Here are the links (and the prices) where you can find it in the USA, the United Kingdom, and Canada. (Of course, it can be found anywhere there is an amazon.)

In the United States:
- In print for $14.95- http://amzn.com/0983671923
- In eBook for $3.99- http://amzn.com/B00CH3HQUU
In the United Kingdom:
- In print for £8.96- http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0983671923
- In eBook for £2.70- http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CH3HQUU
In Canada:
- In print for CDN$ 10.71- http://www.amazon.ca/dp/0983671923
- In eBook for CDN$ 4.10- http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00CH3HQUU
For those that follow my blog and enjoy my writing, can I ask a favor? I would love for this book to have a strong opening week. Let’s surprise people! Please consider checking it out and maybe also telling your friends and family to do the same. Tweet, share on Facebook, Good Reads, e-mail, post on blog, pin on Pinterest, book club, etc., every little bit can help. I like to believe there is something for everyone in this book, even those that do not know anything about Miss Austen and her stories.

You can learn more about this surprising, funny, touching, and experimental book via the A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM page here.

–

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.

–

I hope you enjoy my new novel!
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April 24, 2013

My new book A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is almost here! Only a few days left on the book giveaway!
On April 30, next Tuesday, my new novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM will be released!

It will be sold exclusively via amazon.com in both print and eBook. The price for the print version will be $14.99 but the eBook will be only $3.99. (Links will be suplied later.)

Also, there are only a few days left on the book giveaway for the novel on GoodReads.com (a really fun site for readers). Two lucky readers will win a free copy of my new novel! I hope you will consider entering, you can do so here.

To prepare for the release of the book and introduce the work to readers I’m writing a series of articles on this site around the creation and inspiration for this experimental, fun, and surprising novel. So far I have written two. They are “Braving Austen” and “Visiting Austen.” I hope you will check them out.

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.

The countdown is almost over!
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April 15, 2013

Two weeks left! What is A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM? A Book Giveaway.
On April 30 my new novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM will be released. It will be available from amazon in both print and eBook (I’ll share the links once they are up). At this time there is a book giveaway where two lucky winners will win a free copy of it on Good Reads. You can enter it by clicking here.

Also, over the remaining weeks, I’ll be writing posts on my experience around the book. The first post “Braving Austen” was released last week. You can read it here.

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM stars Jane Austen, but this is a novel. Yes, it does have romance, but it is also a story about a writer finding their voice, creativity and inspiration. While I truly think the work has something special for fans of Austen (the Janeites and Austenites), if the book was only that… well… it wouldn’t be my book. In many ways, when I think of A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM, personally, I think of it as a love letter to literature, to books that we love and cherish. And because of that it includes many of the things I hold the most dear in reading- characters, surprises, wit, and something unique to experience. Unique?

More than unique, A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM has something very revolutionary in it. If you enjoy my posts, my fiction on this site, I hope you will check out the book. Trust me, I got something very new up my sleeve.

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.

Again, you can enter the competition by just visiting this page. The competition runs through April 29.
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April 8, 2013

Three weeks until the release of A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM! A Book Giveaway!
In three weeks my latest novel, A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM, will be released by Madison Street Publishing. I can not wait to share this new book with you.

Over the next few weeks I hope to be able to discuss more about the work on this site and share many different things going on around the release from editorials on other sites to reviews to interviews. If I can promise my readers one thing around this moving and humourous novel it is that it is surprising with a few neat (and possibly new) literary tricks. I look forward to hearing what readers think of it!

To anticipate this release my publisher is having a book giveaway for the novel on GoodReads. Two copies will be given to two lucky entries. To enter, simply visit this page here (http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/48730-a-jane-austen-daydream) and click on the “Enter to Win” button.

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.

Again, you can enter the competition by just visiting this page. The competition runs through April 29.

Let the countdown begin!
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March 29, 2013

“…a great time.” A new book review for MEGAN
Heidi from the book review site Definitely Not For the Birds has just reviewed my novel MEGAN! Here is an excerpt from her review:

I love the format of this book. I’m sure most of us—as children or even now as adults—have made up worlds within our imaginations and spent hours daydreaming or play acting what occurs in our imaginary worlds. Our protagonist, Megan, is stuck in a boring job, with coworkers she barely coexists with, with a boss she hates, and nothing interesting or exciting happening in her life. She escapes this monotony and the dreary reality of her life by imagining the world of Prosperity.

You can read the rest of the review here. She ends the review by saying that she had a great time reading my novel.

If you would be interested yourself in reading MEGAN, you can find it in print via amazon here or as an eBook via the publisher’s website (here) and GooglePlay (here).
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March 6, 2013

A Battle With Pirates! An Excerpt from My Problem With Doors
Today I am sharing a scene from my novel My Problem With Doors. It is currently available in print via amazon.com (here) and in eBook format via Google Play (here).

My Problem With Doors is the story of Jacob who is lost in time.

–

The pirate ship the Bloody Scourge was the bane of the Caribbean isles in the 1680s. Its ten years of brutality and pillaging were legend throughout the world. Many a dark pirate tale originated with that ship, though over time other crews and captains tried to claim the yarns as their own.

To be found at sea by that ship was to be confronted by the very face of death. The soldiers of port cities, naval sailors patrolling coastlines, and harbormasters all found themselves working long hours with little rest when even just a hint floated about that the

Bloody Scourge had entered their waters. There was no vessel more perilous, no crew more dangerous, and no captain more bloodthirsty. (more…)
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February 26, 2013

“Compelling… Fascinating… Original.” A new review for MY PROBLEM WITH DOORS
The Voracious Reader has reviewed my novel MY PROBLEM WITH DOORS. This is what she said about the book:

This is a most compelling book. It pulls you in to a fascinating concept from the beginning. Jacob at the age of three goes through the door of his bedroom to another time and place. This starts him on a life long journey through time as another door opens time and time again. He has many trials and few good times. He finds his Love only to lose her as another door opens to another time and place. He finds many dangers. The author does an excellent job of working great historical detail into Jacobs life. From his influence on Lord Byron and the poet Shelley to the events on September 11 at the world trade center. It is a fascinating and original concept. I give this book 5 stars.

You can read the review on the Voracious Reader here.

My PROBLEM WITH DOORS is available in print via amazon.com here and as an eBook via Google Play here.
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February 25, 2013

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM, Coming this April from Madison Street Publishing
Madison Street Publishing is excited to reveal the cover for A Jane Austen Daydream, by Scott D. Southard. The book will be available in April of this year, the same year that Pride and Prejudice celebrates its 200th birthday.

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.
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