I’m going through a weird phase right now with my writing It is affecting my old books, it is affecting my future works, and it is affecting this site. I still get a kick out of reading (from time to time), but there’s a certain sense of pointlessness around the entire endeavor that seems to be growing for me.
Do I write another post trying to inspire you to take on the author mantle? Create a book and get it published? Or do I write another one about the bleak possibilities/reality of the publishing world? Another doom-and-gloom piece about how the publishing world is only about the almighty dollar and self-publishing is no home for literary fiction?
One thing that has been capturing my attention (and I recommend if you have the patience for it) is Alan Moore’s epic novel Jerusalem. It breaks every rule I have known about publishing and literature. It is incredible in its audacity and I am in awe of it and him as an author. It is is long (over 1200 pages in small font long) and it is dense (it assumes that you know what he’s talking about). He does not dumb down anything! I am loving the experience of reading it and strangely it makes me think that it would be fun it to just spent 10 years working on a super crazy long book of my own.
I promise I will do more writing on the site in the future (don’t abandon me yet!), until then I need this break. I need to figure out what I am doing with my current novel and I need to find a way to care more… about everything with writing.
Right now though let’s celebrate some of the work that I think are suitable for Halloween. Here are some great books for a spooky night. These reviews were either done here or on WKAR.
Happy Halloween!
Uses of this World: Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Fear and Wonder
The fog sat uneasy on the castle grounds. It was as if the very world did not like the events about to take place and wanted to hide it away in deep and dark shadows.
It began with a shout. “Who’s there?”
A voice answered from the gray, this one scared, accompanied by the sound of a rifle cocking. “Nay! Answer me. Stand and unfold.”
Bernardo, with a sigh, slung his own gun back over his shoulder. As the young solder stepped forward, he raised his hands in the air as if he was comically surrendering. “Long live the king.”
The other solder, upon seeing the sight, lowered his gun, relief taking over his frame. “Bernardo?”
Bernardo smirked and lowered his hands. “He.”
This troubled Bernardo, he had never seen Francisco looking so tense and fearful. This was more than the fog. Bernardo was beginning to wish he didn’t agree to this foolish plan of Marcellus, or as he liked to think of him, “The Grump.” When Marcellus brought it up after the second night it seemed wise, and really why argue with the Grump.
Francisco held out his hand for Bernardo to shake, which he did. “You come most carefully upon your hour.” Bernardo couldn’t help noticing how cold the other soldier’s hand was. It was ice and the grip was tight. Continue reading
New WKAR Book Review: Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt
Today on WKAR I took on the new literary fiction and ghost story by Samantha Hunt. Check out my take on Mr. Splitfoot.
You can listen to my review here: http://wkar.org/post/book-review-samantha-hunts-mr-splitfoot
If you would rather read my review, you can do so below.
Hey, did you know Current State has a podcast? If you subscribe, you can download episodes and segments (and you can find me every other Thursday). Here is a link to find it on iTunes- https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wkar-fm-current-state/id594609653?mt=2
If you want to check out Mr. Splitfoot, you can find it on amazon here. If you want to check out my other book reviews for WKAR’s Current State, you can do so via links on this page. Continue reading
New WKAR Book Review: Dracula by Bram Stoker
This is my third Halloween on WKAR’s Current State, and I decided to sink my teeth into Dracula by Bram Stoker. (I know… I know… bad joke. Sometimes I can’t help myself.)
You can listen to my review here: http://wkar.org/post/book-review-bram-stokers-dracula
If you would rather read my review, you can do so below.
Hey, did you know Current State has a podcast? If you subscribe, you can download episodes and segments (and you can find me every other Thursday). Here is a link to find it on iTunes- https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wkar-fm-current-state/id594609653?mt=2
If you want to check out my other book reviews for WKAR’s Current State, you can do so via links on this page. Continue reading
New WKAR Book Review: Bird Box by Josh Malerman
Recently on WKAR’s Current State, I discussed another Michigan Notable Book. This time the horror novel Bird Box by Josh Malerman (I still have nightmares around this one).
You can listen to my review here: http://wkar.org/post/book-review-josh-malermans-bird-box
If you would rather read my review, you can do so below.
You can find the novel on Amazon.com here. If you want to check out my other book reviews for WKAR’s Current State, you can do so via links on this page.
I hope you enjoy my new review! Continue reading
New WKAR Book Review: Stephen King’s Revival
This week on WKAR’s Current State I took on Stephen King’s latest horror offering Revival.
You can listen to my review here: http://wkar.org/post/book-review-stephen-kings-revival
You can also read my review below.
If you want to check out Revival for yourself you can find it on Amazon.com here. You can check out my past reviews via this page on my site.
I hope you enjoy my new book review! Continue reading
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! Continue reading
New WKAR Book Review: The Quick by Lauren Owen
Hello readers! (Wow, that sounded corny, sorry.) I am back on WKAR’s Current State with a new book review, this time reviewing The Quick by new novelist Lauren Owen.
You can listen to my book review here: http://wkar.org/post/book-review-lauren-owens-quick-wkar
You can also read my book review below.
The Quick can be found on Amazon here. If you would be interested in hearing/reading more of my NPR book reviews, you can do so via links on this page.
I hope you enjoy my new book review! Continue reading
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
Book Sale on Kindle! The gothic MAXIMILIAN STANDFORTH… is only 99 cents! Check out an excerpt!
“For now, let me warn you of the morbid and sad tale ahead of you. This is a
tale filled with horror, dark passages, ghostly apparitions, and deaths I would
give my last shilling to forget.”
For a limited time (and just in time for holiday shopping and holiday travels), my novel MAXIMILIAN STANDFORTH AND THE CASE OF THE DANGEROUS DARE is on sale on Amazon!
The eBook version is only 99 cents and the print version is only $9.89! If you enjoyed my other books (like A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM) or are curious about my fiction or simply want to read something new, different, and unlike anything you will find… well… anywhere, this is for you!
Honestly, this is not a book for everyone and I adore it for all of its madness. It is the kind of book as a reader I would love to discover lost and dusty on a library shelf. My goal in it was to break down the idea of storytelling and see what remains in the ruins of it… with a lot of humor, romance, horror and mystery roped in as well.
You can find the novel on amazon here (http://amzn.com/B00CXSDEBE).
If you would be interested in kicking the tires first, there is an excerpt below and more via the page for the book on this site here. Continue reading
The Musings & Artful Blunders of Scott D. Southard 