Fiction – Page 12 – The Stories of Scott D. Southard

December 2, 2014

Writing a Good Christmas Story: Four Things to Consider
I totally get it.

Each year the media world is starving for new holiday stories. They want them for the bookshelves, for the TV screens, and the cinemas. So why wouldn’t any struggling writer (which is 98% of us) not want to give the old Santa Claus an adventure or two?

It pays the bills and, maybe, you will unwrap the golden present. In other words, create a holiday tale that becomes a classic, one that audiences return to yearly… which can also pay the bills yearly as well.

The problem is that for all of the attempts to make that blessed holiday classic it so, so rarely happens. Most holiday tales disappear at the end of the year. The books and the DVDs end up in the bargain bins, and the TV specials and movies are shown at random times in the early morning (if they are shown at all).

Recently, I reviewed a new collection of holiday short stories called My True Love Gave to Me (edited by Stephanie Perkins). My review will be on WKAR’s Current State later this month. I don’t want to say too much about my review here, but the book, in the end, just left me feeling sad.

Not exactly a Christmas feeling, I know, and probably not the one most of those contributors were hoping for. But it is a common feeling for me each year as I dare to check out the new holiday samplings from my fellow writers.

So why is it so difficult to write a good Christmas story? Basically, it is because most holiday writers seem to forget four important stocking-stuffing-ho-ho-ho points. These points are what separate the classics from… well… anything on the Hallmark Channel. (more…)
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November 26, 2014

Buy Books for Black Friday and Cyber Monday!
If you enjoy my blog or my books why not consider sharing the love with other readers? I promise that they have each been painstakingly constructed to fit in stockings and under trees…

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.

You can find it in the following formats:
- Print version for $13.25 on Amazon (here)
- eBook for Kindle for only $3.99 (here)
- The NEW audiobook on Audible.com (here) or iTunes
Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare

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 bodyguard) 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 find it in the following formats:
- In print for just $9.49 via Amazon (here)
- An eBook for Kindle at the low prices of $3.99 (here)
My Problem With Doors

Jacob is lost in time.

He has been that way ever since he was a child for doors don’t work for him like they do for the rest of us. A door can take him to the past or the future, into any house, into any country. This is Jacob’s plea for help.

This novel is an unpredictable adventure filled with thrills, romance, horror, and even the occasional cameo from historical figures like Lord Byron and Jack the Ripper.

It is available as:
- Print for $15.75 on Amazon (here)
- A NEW eBook edition(!) with an exclusive afterword for just $9.99 on Kindle (here)
Megan

This is the story of Megan Wane.

To me and you, she is just a normal worker in a drab office, but in her imagination there exists an entire world, one she has escaped into ever since she was a child. It is the land of Prosperity and it is filled with dragons, castles, trolls, moon people, and wizards, And in Prosperity, Megan is a princess and a super hero.

This is the story of her worst day and how Prosperity saved the real her.

It is out now as:
- Print for $15.95 on Amazon (here)
- A NEW eBook edition including an exclusive preface by the author (me). It is $9.99 for Kindle (here)
Me Stuff

Thieves, psychics, evil poets, mad men, car companies, literary greats, tornadoes, models, vasectomies, bankers, children, Satanists, princesses, truckers, comics, rock stars, strippers, superheroes…

This is a new collection of some of the most popular blogposts from this very site! Made for both the fan and the newbie, this book has something for everyone… Well, except for those who don’t like entertaining stories. This book can’t help those people.

You can find it as:
- In print for just $8.99 via Amazon (here)
- As an eBook for only $3.99 for Kindle (here)
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November 20, 2014

“Fresh, funny and wonderfully evocative” The Review takes on A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM
We all know that Sally Field moment when she won the Oscar. Yeah, it was over thirty years ago, but people still quote it and it appears on TV from time to time. There she is on screen happily declaring “You like me! You really like me!”

Well, that is how I feel after this new book review from the website The Review. It is a very well-crafted review and, for me the author, so very, very satisfying. Because, this reader obviously got everything I was attempting to do in the work. Yup, I went all Sally Field. Here is what the reviewer said about Jane:

Southard’s research is solid but not intrusive and he really succeeds in placing Jane in the story. He brings her into vibrant, appealing life, crafting a living, breathing woman of many dimensions and by populating her world with characters real and imagined, he creates a village rife with gossip, intrigue and quiet excitement.

I don’t want to share more from the review, just point you to the link. You need to check it out! Seriously, go— You can find it online here.

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).

You can find the fantastic audiobook version on Audible and iTunes.
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October 30, 2014

New WKAR Book Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
For Halloween on WKAR’s Current State I reviewed one of the greatest works in literature… which is also freaky scary.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley has always been important to me and my writing and I had a lot of fun with this review. Check it out!

You can listen to my review here: http://wkar.org/post/book-review-mary-shelleys-frankenstein-wkar

If you would rather read the review, you can do so below.

If you would like to read this classic (and you should) you can find it on Amazon here. You can also check out my other book reviews via links on this page.

I hope you enjoy my book review and Happy Halloween! (more…)
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October 24, 2014

Fingers Forever Crossed
So yesterday I got this really cool image in my e-mail….

The picture is from Clare who is the person handling the marketing for my new book Permanent Spring Showers (set to be published in early 2015 by 5 Prince Books). They are going full in with the book and are hitting many of the bigger book reviewers with a galley copy, like The New York Times in the pic.

I would love it if the New York Times picked up the book and read it. I’m not sure exactly what my chances will be, I’m sure they get drowned in galley copies of new books each day. But this image definitely put a spring in my step yesterday… what can I say? I had to share it. It is just awesome, and for me the stuff that dreams are made of.

I hope to have the release date for the book for you soon. Stay tuned…

Until then... have you entered the book giveaway for my novel My Problem With Doors? Two lucky readers will win an autographed copy of my novel (which was just recently released for the Kindle with an exclusive afterword- here). The competition on GoodReads.com ends on October 28. You can enter by clicking below.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

My Problem with Doors

by Scott D. Southard

Giveaway ends October 28, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

AND that is not all! The audiobook for A Jane Austen Daydream was just released. You can find it on Audible and iTunes! I’m in awe of the performance Louisa Gummer did in the recording. I hope you will check it out. No wait… correct that… you need to check it out (and there are samples on both sites!). Definitely just the thing for roadtrips, iPods, iPhones or lazy afternoons.
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October 23, 2014

“Inspiration” Author Susan Jordan writing about A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM
One of the unexpected joys I have experienced since the publication of A Jane Austen Daydream is discovering the impact that my book has on some of its readers.

I have received numerous e-mails, tweets, and Facebook messages from readers. For example, I received an e-mail from one reader who wanted me to know she was re-reading the book while sitting in Jane Austen’s garden in Chawton.

You save e-mails like that, let me tell you.

Author Susan Jordan (Eli’s Heart) tweeted to me yesterday about how she finished the book in one day and then wrote a 5-star review of it on Amazon! She has gone on to write a post on her site about how the book has impacted her own writing and life. Her post is called “I Read This Book…” Here is an excerpt from the editorial:

His book, A Jane Austen Daydream, looked intriguing, so I ordered the e-book and lost myself for many hours in the wonderful world he created. What I read was the most charming mixture of fact and fantasy I believe I’ve ever read and was utterly delightful. More than that, he gave voice to Jane Austen’s deep emotional feelings about writing, and reduced me to tears and inspired me at the same time.

You can read the entire post via her site (here). I hope you will check it out. And Susan, I am glad you enjoyed my book!

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). It has also just recently been released as an audiobook! Narrated by the amazing Louisa Gummer, you can find it on Audible and iTunes.
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October 22, 2014

Only a little while left! Enter to win an autographed copy of MY PROBLEM WITH DOORS!
On October 28, the giveaway for MY PROBLEM WITH DOORS ends on Goodreads.com. Two lucky readers will win an autographed copy of this surprising time-travel novel.

Jacob is lost in time. He has been that way ever since he was a child for doors don’t work for him like they do for the rest of us. A door can take him to the past or the future, into any house, into any country. MY PROBLEM WITH DOORS is Jacob’s plea for help. This novel is an unpredictable adventure filled with thrills, romance, horror, and even the occasional cameo from historical figures like Lord Byron and Jack the Ripper.

You can enter by clicking below.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

My Problem with Doors

by Scott D. Southard

Giveaway ends October 28, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

MY PROBLEM WITH DOORS was published by I Publish Press and was just recently released for the Kindle, with a brand new (and exclusive) afterword by me. You can find it on amazon here.

If you would like to learn more about the work you can check out a sample (here) or find more info via this page on the site.

“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
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October 20, 2014

3 Dreams of Missed Opportunities
Dream #1

Ninjas!

I awoke in bed to find I was completely surrounded by ninjas!

Adorned all in black, they were the night, they were the shadows. I began to sit up and scream when one of them lightly jumped on my chest, putting his hand over my mouth.

“No noise.” He didn’t seem to speak using his mouth (or at least I didn’t see it move through his mask), but I could hear him.

I nodded my head. His voice carried the type of gravity that it would have felt wrong to react any differently.

“You have been chosen,” he said to me in his deep and very dramatically slow voice. “The world is in peril and we need you. The elders looked into their green smoke and found you. You will be trained at the top of the great ghost mountain in the way of the specter ninjas. It is our sacred duty to protect the Earth from all of the perils the commons do not know about. You will join us in fighting the giant rock lizards of Mars, the beautiful Venus army, and the ravenous smelting beasts.”

He removed his hand from my mouth and sat up. “The specter ninjas need you. You are to be our new leader, our hope. Scott Southern…”

“Scott Southard,” I corrected.

I couldn’t exactly see the ninja’s expression, but I knew it was confused. “Excuse me?”

“My name is Scott Southard, not Scott Southern. It is a common mistake.”

The ninjas looked around at each other and in a flash of green smoke they were gone.

I woke up feeling regret. (more…)
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October 7, 2014

New for Kindle! The Time-Travel Adventure MY PROBLEM WITH DOORS Now Available! Book Giveaway!
I’m really excited to announce that my novel MY PROBLEM WITH DOORS has just been released for the Kindle! I’ve always been very proud of this book and to celebrate this release an exclusive new afterword is included in the Kindle version. Published by I Publish Press, you can find it on Amazon here (http://amzn.com/B00O6N32ZW). (And check out that cover! So 1950s sci-fi!)

“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

Jacob is lost in time. He has been that way ever since he was a child for doors don’t work for him like they do for the rest of us. A door can take him to the past or the future, into any house, into any country. MY PROBLEM WITH DOORS is Jacob’s plea for help. This novel is an unpredictable adventure filled with thrills, romance, horror, and even the occasional cameo from historical figures like Lord Byron and Jack the Ripper. You can check out an excerpt from the book here.

There is also a book giveaway going on for the work over at Goodreads.com. Two lucky readers will win an autographed copy of the novel. You can enter by clicking below.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

My Problem with Doors

by Scott D. Southard

Giveaway ends October 28, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win
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September 29, 2014

11 Questions With Louisa Gummer, Audiobook Narrator for A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM
This is going to be fun.

See, I wanted to interview the audiobook narrator for A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM, but a old print interview felt so… normal. Nah, this a professional narrator, she is the voice of Jane Austen in the book! Let’s do this with the magic of audio! Louisa Gummer, our fearless narrator, happily agreed and after sending her 11 questions I received the following files which you can stream below.

If you visit England, it is a difficult task to avoid the voice of Louisa Gummer. She does voiceover work for commercials to the BBC. She is everywhere! She is also a comedian performing on the London Comedy Circuit and is a member of the London Liars League. You can learn more about her work and expansive resume via her site (here).

I think Louisa did an amazing job capturing the energy and spirit of the novel. It truly was a treat for me to listen to her performance, and I think you will see why in the interview below. Enjoy!

1. I was thrilled when I heard you were doing the audiobook. When did you start doing narrations? How did you fall into this gig?
https://sdsouthard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/louisa-austen-questions-1.mp3
2. What has been your favorite book to work on?
https://sdsouthard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/louisa-austen-questions-2.mp3
3. Do you have any dream books or authors you would like to read?
https://sdsouthard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/louisa-austen-questions-3.mp3
4. What is the biggest challenge in taking on a book?
https://sdsouthard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/louisa-austen-questions-3-biggest-challenge.mp3
5. What made you decide to work on A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM? What was the process like?
https://sdsouthard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/louisa-austen-questions-4.mp3
(more…)
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