Novel – Page 11 – The Stories of Scott D. Southard

May 8, 2013

“Universally Charming” A New Book Review for A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM
Today, I am happy to share a great review for my new novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM. It was written by the site Austen Hill where I gave an interview earlier this week (you can read it here). Here is a quote from the review:

I found myself thinking of it as a love letter to all of her novels. Readers will recognize characters from each scattered amongst her real-life family and acquaintances. A meddling matchmaker, a loving sister, a dashing suitor. Obstacles and misunderstandings…….triumphs and tragedies. Not to worry though, despite their appearance these plot devices don’t seem contrived in the least. Split into three sections, it’s also worth mentioning that I found myself drawn to the prologues for each. They offer quite a bit of hefty inspiration and create a wonderful frame for the reader’s subsequent experience. The novel also does a great job of showing how Jane’s own adventures in love might have influenced the lives of her characters.

You can read the rest of the review here.

And don’t forget there is a book giveaway going on right now for a copy of the book on English Historical Authors through May 12! You can enter here.

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is available exclusively via amazon.com where you can get as an eBook for $3.99 and in print for $13.46. You can purchase the book via this link.
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May 6, 2013

A New Book Giveaway for A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM on English Historical Authors
Today begins a new book giveaway for my novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM! This book giveaway is being held on the site English Historical Authors.

From May 6 – May 12, you can enter to win a paperback copy of my new novel simply by leaving a comment on this page (http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2013/05/giveaway-of-jane-austen-daydream-by.html) with your e-mail address. Easy and fun.

I hope you will consider entering the contest and, of course, checking out my new novel! It is available exclusively via amazon.com (here), where you can find it in print for $13.46 and as an eBook for only $3.99.

Thanks for reading (and entering)!
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May 4, 2013

The Novel Travelist’s First Thoughts on A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM
One of the really fun things about being a writer in today’s internet world is seeing when your writing inspires someone else to write. Sometimes they write good things, sometimes bad. Heck, I had both this week!

(That is not a joke. My blog post about so many authors choosing to write a series still generates a response.)

The Novel Travelist is currently reading my new novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM and had to write some initial thoughts on my characterizations in the book. Here is a quote from the piece:

Rarely does a real life person or scenario completely transpose themselves into a novel. We, as authors, take pieces of events and people and mix and match to our liking. I’m pleased that Mr. Southard realized this when creating the fictional character of Jane Austen. All of Southard’s characters incorporate pieces of Austen’s characters, but nothing is blatant, it is all subtlety, as Austen is herself.

You can read the rest of the article here.

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is out now exclusively via amazon. You can get it in print for $13.46 and $3.99 as an eBook by clicking here. I hope you will check it out.
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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 29, 2013

Austen in Stealth: Introducing My New Novel 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 via amazon.com here.

–

My wife doesn’t like to buy me presents.

This is not an anti-love or an anti-affection thing. No, not at all. This is because I am the King of Presents. Seriously, I could teach classes on the subject. I remember conversations, take notes, and buy things early when inspiration hits. And birthdays and Christmases, because of my mad skills, are filled with tears and exclamations of “How did you know?” or “How did you remember that?”

How did I remember that? I’m the King of Presents, that is how I remembered!

The fact is when it comes to receiving gifts, I try to make it easy for people. This goes back to a mistake by “Santa” when I was in fourth grade. I wanted a CD player, and by mistake the old man in red got me a tape deck. Since then, I keep a gift list up to date with ideas (which I forward to family members, including my wife, before every holiday) and I even highlight the stuff that means more to me that year (last year it was the new Indiana Jones blu-ray set). Yes, I go away happy with every holiday, but there are no tears, no surprises, and the exclamation is usually a nice “Thank you.”

It is one of the sacrifices of being the king.

(more…)
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April 26, 2013

NovelTravelist.com is sharing “Visiting Austen”
My article “Visiting Austen” is being shared today on the NovelTravelist.com. In the article, I share how a visit to the Jane Austen’s House Museum in Chawton led to a breakthrough for me in understanding Jane and how I would write her in my novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM. You can read the piece here.

The Novel Travelist is a fun site for those that love experiencing the world and the impact it can have on one’s perception and fiction writing.

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM will be released exclusively through amazon.com on April 30. It will be available in print for $14.95 and $3.99 as an eBook. You can learn more about the book via the A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM page as well as other articles around the book on it. I hope you like the article (and the book too).
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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 22, 2013

Visiting Austen: Introducing My New Novel 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 via amazon.com here.

I went to England to find Jane Austen.

To be honest, I also went to find Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, George Elliot, John Keats, William Shakespeare (or whoever wrote his plays), J.R.R. Tolkien, and Winnie-the-Pooh.

(Winnie-the-Pooh? Yeah, with some research, I figured out where the real 100-Acre Woods is located and spent a day wandering the fields, visiting Roo’s Sandy Place, sitting at the Enchanted Place, finding the north pole, playing poohstick on the actual poohstick bridge. As a kid who has fond memories growing up with A.A. Milne’s classic books, I was in children literature heaven. It is a magical and natural place, please don’t tell Disney!)

That was me at age 23, Scott the explorer, the new college grad, future “bestselling” author (in my mind), chasing down the legends, my heroes. I’m not sure what lofty goals I had, per se, in making the six-week solo trip to England. I mean, I wasn’t expecting any “haunting” encounters or secret treasures to discover, but it was a voyage I needed to take. I needed to escape the confines of my small West Michigan world, and chase down the locations that made my heroes… well… heroes. (more…)
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