The Stories of Scott D. Southard

May 6, 2013

An Interview on Austen Hill on A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM
There is a new interview with me today up on Austen Hill (here). This interview was a lot of fun and she had some great questions, discussing everything from literature to inspiration to, of course, Jane Austen and my new book A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM. Here is an excerpt from one of my answers, where I give my favorite advice for new authors:

I think what was smart for me as a young writer, looking back, is that I always wrote first for myself. In other words, I took on stories that I would want to read, not worrying about publishers, agents, marketing, etc. See, it is when you dip into that business world of the art that it gets risky, because it can kill your creativity, starve the part of the brain that just loves to see where the imagination may lead. So whenever I meet a new writer or someone asks for advice, I will usually say write for yourself, if success comes, it comes; but if you write for yourself first everything else is a nice bonus and you will never feel like a failure.

You can read the rest of this fun interview at Austen Hill here. And don’t forget about the new book giveaway (through May 12) which you can enter here! My new novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is available exculsively through amazon.com (here) where you can find it in print for $13.46 and in eBook for $3.99.

I hope you enjoy the interview!
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May 6, 2013

My Awkward Relationship With Winnie-The-Pooh
I’ve always had an awkward relationship with Winnie-The-Pooh, starting as a child and even reaching to now, the grown author with a blog.

Above, this post, in my cover image, you have a collection of items representing my interests and writing (some of my novels and scripts, favorite books, the all-important pretzels) and in the middle is Pooh bear. He is a part of my life, a part of what drove me to write and be who I am, but still an awkward member of the company.

I can’t begin to tell you how many visitors’ eyes are drawn immediately to that silly old bear. Every time people reference that image to me, they bring up the old bear (I have yet to have anyone ask about that pile of screenplays which makes me sad). And, not surprisingly, I’ve had people taunt me because of him; bringing back to the surface that feeling we all had in elementary school when teased by a bully. (You think you forget how it feels, you really don’t, it just goes into hiding.)

So why is he there?

Shouldn’t he be out stealing a pot of honey or something?

Well, it’s complicated. As Pooh would say, “Think. Think. Think.” (more…)
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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 3, 2013

Need a book to read this weekend? Want to learn more about my new novel A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM?
Right now I am suffering from a literary internet addiction. With the release of my new book A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM I can’t stop looking at amazon.com and GoodReads.com. I want to know what people think of my new work. I know the book has only been out for a few days, but I can’t help myself. I want everyone to read this book! And I want everyone to like it. It’s kind of like the feeling of being dropped off at camp for the summer and wondering if you will have any friends. Will you be my book’s friend? Please? I’m sure we have much in common.

Seriously though, if you would like to know more about my surprising, touching, and witty new book there are some great options out there for you.
- Before the release of the novel, I gave an interview with the Jane Austen Centre in Bath. You can read that interview here.
- Recently, author and book blogger Deborah Kalb interviewed me about the book on her site. You can check it out here.
- I have written three different introductions to the book on this site over the last few weeks. The first dealt with having the courage to write the book (Braving Austen), the second was about finding the character of Jane (Visiting Austen), and the third was about how I wrote the book as a surprise for my wife (Austen in Stealth).
- Also, this week I shared an excerpt from it. It is from Volume II of the book and I think it introduces the character of Jane and the style of the book in a very fun way. You can read that here.
A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is being sold exclusively through amazon.com. It is availale for $3.99 as an eBook and only $13.46 in print. You can buy the book via this link- http://amzn.com/0983671923

I hope you enjoy my new novel.
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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 25, 2013

My Time Lost in Books…
Like I said in my post “The Five Books That Made Me” I can get pretty sentimental about books and my history in reading when one of my novels is about to be released.

It’s like a kid going off to college! Packing the bags could be working with the editor, the drive there could be finalizing everything with the publisher, and dropping them off is the big goodbye. So that’s me this week, the parent trying to hide the tears.

Okay, I’m a little surprised this analogy is working…. What would that make the aftermath of the publishing? No idea there, but the grades are reviews, right? Perfect. Hopefully, my book won’t party too much.

A Jane Austen Daydream is set for release on April 30 exclusively via amazon.com, ending a project of years in the making. I could not be happier with the novel and I look forward to hearing what everyone thinks of it. Until then I am going to continue to enjoy my sentimentality. Care to join me? Here are ten of my favorite posts on my site around books:
Only a few days left!
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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 23, 2013

The Five Books That Made Me
Our lives are filled with landmarks. And just like the sites that dot our landscape, these moments dot our lives, creating the definition of who we are. For me, I can see them like a map spread out in front of me from movies to TV shows to experiences to relationships to plays to books… oh… a lot of books.

I was the kid who would come home with a pile of library books each weekend, who later would take his bike out to only ride to libraries, having three in my vicinity to choose from with a separate card for each. If I could have had a collection of cards with aliases I would have done it. See, I would lose summer days just wandering through the aisles like visiting old friends, allowing my fingers to grace along the covers as I walked past, secretly hoping that a book would reach out and grab me.

I always get a little sentimental when a book is released (A Jane Austen Daydream). I can’t help it. This is a new kind of landmark; I’m adding to my own landscape now. And if I am lucky my work might find its way on to another’s map. See, that is the thing for me. It’s not about money, it never was. It was always about the love of a good yarn, with surprises and new adventures.

When I look back at my life there are five books that stand out the most in inspiring me. This is not to say they are my favorites, or what I consider the greatest works; no, not at all.

They are just the ones that grabbed me just when I needed them to. (more…)
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