The Stories of Scott D. Southard

May 23, 2014

Free eBook for Memorial Day Weekend! The playful, odd, and thrilling MAXIMILIAN STANDFORTH……
“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.” GoodReads.com

Need an eBook for this Memorial Day Weekend? Want something different, unique, unpredictable? Consider one of my latest novels Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare. It is free for a very limited time on amazon for Kindle. You can find it here (http://www.amazon.com/Maximilian-Standforth-Case-Dangerous-Dare-ebook/dp/B00CXSDEBE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1400851518&sr=8-2&keywords=Scott+Southard). Grab a copy today!

“I started this book expecting a Sherlock Holmes style mystery with a bit more humour and got so much more than I bargained for!… If you have read any Jasper Fforde, imagine him writing whilst tripping on acid.” amazon.co.uk

This is one of my favorites of my books. Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare is the supposed fifth book in a fake mystery series. Here is the back cover description:

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.

You can enjoy a test run of it with the first chapter below. And if you do decide to grab this free eBook, would you consider showing your thanks by grabbing another of my novels as well? A Jane Austen Daydream is only $3.99 on Amazon here. My other two novels (My Problem With Doors and Megan) can both be found exclusively on Google Play for ebook here (which will work on Kindle as well).

“This book proved to me the writing skill of Mr. Southard! I believe the man has quite the imagination, albeit a twisted one” Goodreads.com

(more…)
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April 29, 2014

Talking About Miss Austen
This week I had the pleasure of speaking to English classes at Aquinas College (Grand Rapids, MI) about my novel A Jane Austen Daydream. The classes were assigned to read my book… and after reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. So there is a tough act to follow and literary pressure for you!

It was a fun experience for me and I decided to capture one of my discussions as an audio recording. This is the first 20 minutes or so of the class.

In this recording you will hear me discussing the inspiration behind my novel and the experience of writing it (mostly fear). Understandably, there are SPOILERS in the discussion if you have not read the book. Also, I am quite the fast talker.
https://sdsouthard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/scott-talking-about-jane.m4a
Again, I would like to thank Aquinas College, the incredible Dr. Brent Chesley and his students. It was quite an honor! Thank you!

Published by Madison Street Publishing, 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. You can find it on Amazon here (http://amzn.com/B00CH3HQUU).
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April 7, 2014

“…an imaginative and entertaining escape” Historical-Fiction.com reviews A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM!
Recently, A Jane Austen Daydream was reviewed by Historical-Fiction.com! You can read it here. (You know you want to! Click away!) This is my favorite line from the review:

This marks the 35th Jane Austen variation I’ve read, and it stands out as one of the more well-written and thought provoking.

Here is a bigger excerpt from the review:

This novel, full of anecdotes, does not come across as a transparent retelling, but rather an emotional journey that fits in perfectly with the known facts of Jane Austen’s life. The inclusion of a completely fictional character, an American at that, ensures a uniqueness and the smart, humorous prose resonates the authors’ own beloved style. Jane’s experiences and thoughts are cleverly laced with phrases fans will recognize from her books, while character traits are obviously drawn from family and acquaintances unfortunate enough to make an impression on the young writer.

You can read the rest of the review on the site here. I hope you will check it out.

Published by Madison Street Publishing, 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. You can find it on Amazon here (http://amzn.com/B00CH3HQUU).
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March 21, 2014

“…lingering with a smile.” A new review for A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM
Book blogger Irene Sauman recently reviewed my novel A Jane Austen Daydream on her site.

Here is an excerpt from this very cool review:

A Jane Austen Daydream by Scott D. Southard is a story Jane could have written herself, about some other character. It captures the period and the style perfectly. Southard is clearly very familiar with Jane Austen’s novels as little phrases and characters from them pop up, and the characters of Jane, her sister Cassandra and their mother fit the Bennet profile…

This is a lovely read, well written, with intelligence and humour, holding you from beginning to end, and lingering with a smile and a feeling of satisfaction at the happy ending for one of our favourite authors. How much nicer to think of Jane Austen living on for us like the characters she so cleverly created.

You can read the entire review on her site here. I hope you will check it out. Spoiler Warning! If you have not read A Jane Austen Daydream yet she does give away the plot as well as some of the big twists in it. Consider yourself warned!

Published by Madison Street Publishing, 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. You can find it on Amazon here (http://amzn.com/B00CH3HQUU).
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February 28, 2014

“Delightful” Two new 5-star reviews for A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM
Over the last few days, two new 5-star reviews have appeared on amazon.com for A Jane Austen Daydream! So very cool.

Here is an excerpt from one of the reviews:

Aptly titled, this entertaining tale is a true daydream or reverie and the author graces his pages with not one but THREE romances for Miss Austen to consider.

The author brilliantly mashes up an authentic Jane Austen, many of her real family members, intermingles many of her own famous literary characters and tops it off with a generous helping of her most famous lines.

We are treated to a Jane, who is bright, spirited, and enjoys poking her family, friends and acquaintances with her penetrating, yet lovable wit.

You can read more reactions on amazon.com and GoodReads for my new novel. I hope you will check it out!

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. You can find it on Amazon here (http://amzn.com/B00CH3HQUU).
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February 17, 2014

Thank You eBook Readers!
Now that was a cool Valentine’s Day weekend! The publisher of my novel A Jane Austen Daydream (Madison Street Publishing) had it as a free eBook for two days on Amazon. Over the weekend, I was able to see my novel top a few genre lists on Amazon and almost break the top 100. Wow!

If you are one of the many that grabbed a copy of my book, I would first like to say “thank you.” I hope you like it! The second thing I would like to add is… well…

See, to make it in this very congested world of writing there are primarily three possible paths to success for today’s authors. The first is sheer luck; the second is you know someone (agent, publisher, etc.); and the third is word of mouth. I am aiming for the third option. So if you downloaded a free copy of my book, and enjoyed it, would you help?

Here are some easy options that you might consider:
- Write a review of it on GoodReads or Amazon.
- Tell a friend.
- Gift it to someone.
- Choose it for your book club.
- Write about it on your blog, or review it on the site.
- Share it on Twitter or Facebook.
- Recommend it to your local library or bookstore for stocking on their shelves.
And those are just the quickest and easiest options I came up with off of the top of my head. You might have a better option I might not have considered. Whatever the case, I would love for more readers to find my novel.

Again, thank you for making my Valentine’s Day so memorable (like this moment below).
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February 14, 2014

Something romantic for Valentine’s Day? A Jane Austen Daydream is a FREE eBook for a limited time!
“Scott Southard’s Jane is a delightful creature.” -Austenprose.com

This February 14th and 15th A Jane Austen Daydream is available as a FREE eBook! You can find it on amazon.com here (http://amzn.com/B00CH3HQUU). Grab your copy now!

“…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

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.

A Jane Austen Daydream is published by Madison Street Publishing. You can learn more about the work, read reviews, and read excerpts via this page for the book.

“…Lovely, thought-provoking novel. Fans of Austen will adore this book.” – Lori Nelson Spielman, author of The Life List
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January 24, 2014

“Gladiators and Lions!” Discover MY PROBLEM WITH DOORS
“This is a most compelling book. It pulls you in to a fascinating concept from the beginning…. I give this book 5 stars.” -The Voracious Reader

Just finished A Jane Austen Daydream? Do you enjoy my blog? Curious to learn what else I have written?

Time travel! Thrills! Adventure! Romance!

After winning a writing competition, My Problem With Doors was published by the new press IPublish. It is the story of Jacob who is lost in time. When he steps through a door he has no idea where he will turn up. It is an unpredictable book filled with twists and turns and excitement, and the occasional surprise cameo like Jack the Ripper. Below is one of my favorite moments in the novel. I hope you will check it out.

My Problem With Doors is available in print from Amazon via this link. The eBook is exclusively available via Google Play but it can work on any eBook reader, you can find it here (you can also read a sample). It is even available as an audiobook via the publisher’s website.

In this exclusive excerpt below, Jacob finds himself… well… in a very, very, very bad situation with swords and sharp lion claws. (Did I mention this chapter is all in second person?) Enjoy! (more…)
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January 1, 2014

“Nightmares and dreams” Part one of an interview with Nancy Christie
Happy New Year faithful readers!

Last month I was interviewed by novelist Nancy Christie as part of her “One on One” series. It was quite a long and fun interview, and she has turned it into a two-part series for the site!

If you ever wanted to get really into my writing head, meet the wizard hiding behind the curtain, this is that interview! The first part of her interview was released today; you can read it here. In this excerpt is my answer to the most challenging undertaking I have had as a writer:

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM was easily the most difficult book I have ever undertaken, because I had to be true to Jane. In other words, I wanted her to be alive on the pages, which means her own dialogue and spirit had to be part of the narrative.

So first, I had to research her life and her books thoroughly. I used to be able to quote entire passages of her novels! (Not anymore, now that space is taken over by cute kid songs from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood thanks to my young daughter’s obsession with the show.)

Then I had to decide what of her life I wanted to keep and what I wanted to use for the book. See, I wanted the plot to be influenced more by her own stories than her actual life (it is a daydream).

After the plot was in place (with some very notable surprises and literary twists included), I then had to write a book where her voice would feel natural, but not too dated to scare off a contemporary reader.

Yes, it was a slow process, with each sentence and chapter written and re-written numerous times. By the end, I felt like I had run a marathon (or at least what I assume that would feel like). But it was all very worth it.

You can read the rest of the interview here. Part 2 of the interview will be on Nancy Christie’s site on January 15. Thanks Nancy!

My latest novel, 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. You can find it on Amazon here (http://amzn.com/B00CH3HQUU).
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December 29, 2013

Only 1 Day Left! A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM on sale for only 99 Cents!
“I found myself thinking of it as a love letter to all of her novels…. Well, when we need a tale that makes us laugh and hope for love we read Austen. Now I will also read Southard.” -Kelly Fitzgerald, Austen Hill

Only a few hours left for the holiday sale of A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM, my latest novel. It is only 99 cents for the Kindle on Amazon!

You can grab your copy here (http://amzn.com/B00CH3HQUU).

“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

If you would still like to learn more about the book first, you can do so on this page for it (https://sdsouthard.com/a-jane-austen-d…); read interviews, exclusive excerpts, and editorials….Wait… Did I mention it is only 99 cents???

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is published by Madison Street Publishing.

“An excellent concept and a great achievement, a must read for Austen fans open for a playful read and those who wish Austen had written more. This is like a little welcome encore for us fans.” -Christoph Fischer, author
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