Tag Archives: Review

“Bravo, bravo, bravo!” Booktalk With Eileen reviews the audiobook of A Jane Austen Daydream

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Audible Book Cover_A Jane Austen DaydreamNow this is cool!

Booktalk with Eileen recently reviewed the audiobook of A Jane Austen Daydream. I think Louisa Gummer did an amazing job bringing the book to life and I am thrilled that it got such a great review! Here is an excerpt from the review:

Readers who enjoy books that use Jane Austen’s characters in their writing will get much more from this book. We get to meet Jane Austen herself as she is writing her books and experience the moment when she finally becomes published. I applaud Scott D. Southard for this marvelous, delightfully written story which I place in literary fiction genre. I cried for Jane. I cried for another of the characters whom I can’t share his name—no spoilers here. I laughed at how the characters were described, acted and how outlandish some reacted to events. I’m sure this will be one of my better reads/listens this year and will stay long with me. A most laudable book with a laudable production. Bravo, bravo, bravo!

You can read the entire review here (and I hope you will!).

The audiobook of A Jane Austen Daydream is available on Audible, iTunes, and Amazon right now. And on each of the sites you can hear a different sample of the wonderful performance by Louisa Gummer. Check it out and grab your copy today!

  • You can find it on Audible.com here.  It is free for members, or it can be purchased for $24.95.
  • It is available on iTunes (here) for $21.95.
  • And on Amazon (here) where it is free to members, or $21.83

TWritingShow_logoColorAnd remember…

I’ll be part of a panel speaking about Jane Austen and writing this Wednesday! It will be on The Writing Show hosted by James Rivers Writers in Richmond. You can register to attend the event here. I hope to see you there!

Blog Tour Day 4: “Fun” New Review, Interview, and Spotlight for A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM

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This is the fourth day of the blog tour for A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM!

These blog tours are pretty busy! Two giveaways (with more on the way), spotlights, reviews and now an interview!

The interview was with Jorie Loves A Story. This was a very indepth interview about my writing style and my thoughts on Jane Austen (from her characters to adaptations on her work). She even asked me about my dog, Bronte! You can check out the interview here.

On the website Diary of an Eccentric there is a new review for the book. It’s a great review since it acts so well as an introduction to the book and plot. Please be aware though there are spoilers (at the end of the review and in the comments) to the big twist in the book. You can check out the review here.

Let’s see… what else? Oh, yes!  A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is being spotlighted on the site What Is That Book About. You can check that out here.

One last bit! While the eBook giveaway on Bookish is done (and congrats to the winner), there is still one other eBook giveaway running at To Read or Not to Read. It is going on for a few days more, so jump over and enter! Here is the link. A Jane Austen Daydream

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).

Two Book Giveaways! A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM and MEGAN

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I can’t explain why, but I am a sucker for a sweepstakes or a giveaway. They reason I say sucker is my track record has never been so great. The fates are not kind to this Southard.  The only time I can remember winning anything recently is a few years ago I entered a contest for a family Disney Parks trip. I didn’t win the trip, but I did win an autographed book by Julie Andrews for my daughter. I like Julie Andrews fine (Mary Poppins rules), but it was not exactly something I was going to break into song about. A Jane Austen Daydream

Speaking of autographs and giveaways, unlike me, there is a strong chance you could win something this time. Two of my books are in the midst of a giveaway!

There are only a few days left to enter to win an eBook copy of my novel A Jane Austen Daydream. You can enter this giveaway (and read a really flattering review of the book) via the Bookish website here.

The second giveaway is on Goodreads.com. Two lucky readers will win an autographed copy of my novel Megan! You can enter via the link below.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Megan by Scott D. Southard

Megan

by Scott D. Southard

Giveaway ends September 16, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

“A great achievement” New book review and interview for A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM

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Jane AustenAuthor and blogger Christoph Fischer has recently given a wonderful review for my new novel A Jane Austen Daydream.  Here is an excerpt:

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.

I also agreed to be interviewed about the book and my writing. It was a very interesting interview with some fun and serious questions mixed in. This was my response to the question about how the idea of the book came to me:

It was in reading a biography on her that I realized how little her life actually mirrored her books. She did not have a Darcy waiting for her at home, and died far too young and only with her sister and mother for company. So at the heart of A Jane Austen Daydream is my hope to give Jane an adventure she might have wanted for herself… with a few post-modern twists to it. The big twist in the book (which I won’t ruin here) actually grew out of a joke I made once. I still can’t believe I had the guts to do it. But there you go, it’s out there now forever. Let’s see what happens.

A Jane Austen DaydreamYou can read the complete review and interview on Christoph’s website here. I hope you will check it out. If you would like to learn more about A Jane Austen Daydream, you can do so on this page for the book (here). A Jane Austen Daydream is available via Amazon (here), where you can find it for the low price of $3.99 for eBook and $13.46 for print.

Discover the strange new book MAXIMILIAN STANDFORTH AND THE CASE OF THE DANGEROUS DARE

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Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare, Cover“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.” A five-star review from GoodReads.com

Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare  is a book pretending to be a gothic Victorian-period mystery. From it’s dashing hero to foggy London streets and abandoned castle, all the markings are there… but hidden underneath is a book questioning the very nature of storytelling.

For a limited time more the book is on sale on amazon (here). You can find the eBook for only $1.99 and the print version (my original vision for the work) for only $9.89. Here is the description of the mad tale:

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.

Here are some more options to learn about the work on this site:

I hope you will take this opportunity to check out this novel. If I can promise anything it is that you will be surprised. For nothing in the castle is at seems…

“If you have read any Jasper Fforde, imagine him writing whilst tripping on acid.” A reader from amazon.co.uk

New WKAR Book Review: The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)

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Current StateI have a new book review on WKAR’s Current State this week! This time it is for the new J.K. Rowling novel The Cuckoo’s Calling, which she wrote under the pen name of Robert Galbraith.

You can listen to my radio review via this link- http://wkar.org/post/book-review-jk-rowlings-cuckoos-calling

If you would like to purchase a copy of The Cuckoo’s Calling or learn more about it, you can do so on Amazon here.

A transcript of my review is included as well below. Continue reading →

“…perfect summer read.” New book review for A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM

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A Sketch of JaneThe book review site Definitely Not for the Birds has just given a glowing review for my latest novel A Jane Austen Daydream! Here is an excerpt:

The tone of this novel goes hand in hand with the title – it is whimsical and lovely… much like what you’d expect from anything associated with a daydream.

There’s also wonderful passages that detail Jane Austen’s inspiration/dedication to her writing.  These were my favorite parts.  These parts also showcase the great respect that Southard has for Jane Austen and just for writers/the process of writing in general.  It was wonderful.

This is a must read for any Jane Austen fan.  And it’s a perfect summer read for anyone.

You can read the entire review here.

A Jane Austen DaydreamMy new books A Jane Austen Daydream and Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare are both available on amazon.com right now.

You can find them via my author page on amazon here, available in print and eBook (just $3.99).

Free eBook, New Reviews, a Guest Post, and a New Book!

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This has been a really fun week. With the release of my new novel Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare, there has been a lot going on. Let’s star with new Max news, before Austen…

Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare

Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare, CoverFor only a little longer, Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare is a FREE eBook on amazon.com. This is not just for the US Amazon, but also Canada and the UK! So if you are interested, this is the best time. The special ends on June 15 (where it will return to the low price of 3.99 for eBook and about $10 for print). You can find it on amazon here: http://amzn.com/B00CXSDEBE

Now those who read my blog could probably sense I was a little nervous about how people would react to this book. I use the word “experimental” and I mean it. I am doing something very unique here. Well, the first reader review has emerged on GoodReads. And to my great relief it is 5-stars! Here is a quote from it:

It is beautifully written. It reminded of these old fashion books I read as a child, that I used to read hiding from my parents and books that I understood without understanding them. Complicated I know but it is how I felt when I finished The Case of the Dangerous Dare (and dangerous, it was, believe me).

And remember you can read an excerpt from the book as well as learn about it via my posts on the Max page (here). I hope you will check it out.

A Jane Austen Daydream

A Jane Austen DaydreamOver the last day a new 5-star review has come out on amazon for A Jane Austen Daydream. I love this review. It is the kind that can make an author smile for days. Here are some excerpts:

Mr. Southard is an expert at writing in such a fashion as to induce feelings of hate, love, joy, sadness, and righteous fury. I wept, I laughed (out loud, scaring my cats, no doubt), I talked back at the characters making foolish decisions, I railed (in my mind) against those standing in the way of Jane’s happiness…In short, this author is a king at character development and mood setting… this book just might become a classic.

I had a guest post on The Undercover Soundtrack on the music inspiration around A Jane Austen Daydream, Belle and Sebastian. You can read my post here.

A Jane Austen Daydream is available via amazon.com where you can find it in print for just $13.85 in print and only $3.99 for the eBook. Here is the link: http://amzn.com/0983671923

Thanks for reading everyone!

Thank you, Arrested Development, Thank You…

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Arrested DevelopmentDear Arrested Development,

I don’t usually write letters to TV shows. It is not in my nature to fawn over things (especially TV shows). I mean, come on!, do you see the stuff on TV these days???

It is a part-time job to find something that isn’t mind-numbing painful. It could almost be said in today’s culture- you go to school to be educated, you go to TV to lose it.

Okay, a lot of people who have blogs or write on entertainment like to focus on the negative. It’s not surprising really, it is easier to write negative than positive. I mean, how many different ways can you say good? Seriously, I’m sure if you were to weigh the word options between good and bad, good would be this little pile and bad would be this giant memorial to insults.

Where was I?

Okay, I am rambling. I am nervous. I’m like a teenager on a first date trying to make the person in the passenger seat of the car laugh. But the fact is, honestly, I am fawning, because the fourth season of your show is a piece of genius. Continue reading →

“Delightful and insightful.” A new review of A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM

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A Jane Austen DaydreamDay by day it seems people are starting to find my book A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM. It’s a lot of fun for me to read people’s responses to it via Twitter and reviews and blogs (and no one has yet to ruin the big surprise of the book!). This review is by the blog “MamaBeanablog.” Here is an excerpt:

From the first page, I was hooked by the wit and intelligence of the main character which is the love-searching Jane Austen. The story twists and weaves Jane, the Austen family, and other comical characters cunningly through the entire book.

You can read the rest of the review here.

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is available via amazon.com where you can find it in print for just $9.85 in print and only $3.99 for the eBook. Here is the link: http://amzn.com/0983671923

…and remember there is a book giveaway going on now for my book MAXIMILIAN STANDFORTH AND THE CASE OF THE DANGEROUS DARE on GoodReads. You can enter the giveaway here.

Thanks for reading!