New WKAR Book Review: Sweet Forgiveness by Lori Nelson Spielman

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Scott D. Southard

Recently on WKAR’s Current State, I reviewed the new novel by bestselling author Lori Nelson Spielman. It is called Sweet Forgiveness. In the past on the show, I also reviewed Spielman’s first book, The Life List (you can check out that review here).

You can listen to my new review here: http://wkar.org/post/book-reviewlori-nelson-spielmans-sweet-forgiveness

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

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. Continue reading →

Five Things I Am Into Right Now, October 2013

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Scott D. Southard

Every year around this time I always wish I had musical talent. Why? Because Halloween is a surefire money opportunity for a creative songwriter.

See, across this country, from kids to adults, people have Halloween parties, but there is no real Halloween music to play. Oh, there is “Thriller” by Michael Jackson and the awful “Monster Mash,” but what is there after that? Dance remixes of famous horror movie themes?… That’s not good enough!

And that is when an enterprising music genius steps in.

You make a CD that is family friendly, has some fun danceable tracks (maybe comes with its own dance move), add enough references to Halloween memories to stir a heartfelt response (think any classic Christmas song, most are built around memories) and you will be cashing a big check once a year for decades to come.

Sadly, I don’t have music talent and the extent of my songwriting skills only brings up corny titles like “I Want My Mummy” and “Do the Frankenstein Shuffle.” That is just embarrassing. It is even more embarrassing because I am literary enough to know Frankenstein is the doctor not the monster.

Sigh.

Here are the five things I am into this month… Continue reading →

“I love, love, love this book!” New Reactions to A Jane Austen Daydream

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Scott D. Southard

One of my favorite things in the world is tracking the reaction to A Jane Austen Daydream. Seriously, it can turn around any day I am having. Recently, I discovered two fun reactions to my new novel.

On her blog Tapestry of Words blogger Becky Shillington in her post “My Half-Full Glass and What I’ve Been Reading” mentioned A Jane Austen Daydream, saying:

I love, love, love this book! Mr. Southard says up front that this is not a biography of Jane Austen, but is instead a projection of what he imagines her life to have been like. I thoroughly enjoyed reading his interpretation, and was gratified at the end of the book because I felt like Miss Austen finally had an opportunity to be the heroine of a story. It has always saddened me that she died at such a young age, but as Mr. Southard suggests, maybe there is more to her story than we know.

You can read the rest of her post here.

Also, I am honored that Lori Nelson Spielman, the popular author of the fun book The Life List (check it out here), wrote a review on Amazon!

Scott Southard captures Jane Austen’s voice in this lovely, thought-provoking novel. Southard deftly weaves fact with fiction, giving readers a glimpse into what might have been for our beloved Jane. Fans of Austen will adore this book.

A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM is published by Madison Street Publishing and can be purchased in print and as an eBook for only $3.99. It is available for the Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.

Author Lori Nelson Spielman is reading A JANE AUSTEN DAYDREAM!

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Scott D. Southard

Recently, popular women’s fiction author Lori Nelson Spielman (author of the wonderful debut novel The Life List, which I reviewed for WKAR here) gave an interview for a site called Laura’s Little Book Blog. The question came up about what she is reading right now.

Her response?

I’m reading a novel called, A Jane Austen Daydream and it’s lovely. Scott Southard, who lives in the same city as I do, is the author. I’m really enjoying it.

That is very cool!

You can read Lori’s interview and learn more about her fun book The Life List on Laura’s Little Book Blog here. (They are also giving away two copies of the book!) And you can hear my book review I gave on Current State (and get a link to an interview she gave before the review) via this link on my site.

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.

New WKAR Book Review: The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Scott D. Southard

I have a new book review on WKAR’s radio show Current State!

This time it is on The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman.

If you would like to learn more about this new novel, Spielman also gave an interview on the show, which you can hear by clicking this link (http://wkar.org/post/local-author-explores-relationships-dreams-and-goals-life-list), or you can find it on Amazon here.

My review of the novel can be heard via this link (http://wkar.org/post/book-review-lori-nelson-speilman-s-life-list) or read below after the jump.

Continue reading →