Author Spotlight Interview - Scott D. Southard

5 Prince Publishing Author, Scott D. Southard

Please welcome 5 Prince Publishing author, Scott D. Southard.
Scott D. Southard is the author of Permanent Spring Showers, A Jane Austen Daydream, Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare, My Problem With Doors, Megan, Me Stuff, and 3 Days in Rome. His eclectic writing has also found its way into radio, being the creator of the radio comedy series The Dante Experience. The production was honored with the Golden Headset Award for Best MultiCast Audio and the Silver Ogle Award for Best Fantasy Audio Production. Scott received his Master's in writing from the University of Southern California. Scott is also the book reviewer for WKAR's radio show Current State. You can check out his reviews here- http://wkar.org/people/scott-d-southard. Scott can be found on the internet via his writing blog "The Musings & Artful Blunders of Scott D. Southard" where he writes on topics ranging from writing, art, books, TV, writing, parenting, life, movies, and writing. He even shares original fiction on the site. His blog can be found at http://sdsouthard.com.

 What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

This may sound weirdly egotistic, but it’s not how I see it in my head.

See, I like being part of the history of literature. Literature is filled with such amazing creativity, artistic expression, life-changing stories, inspiration, and fascinating (and sometimes odd) authors. Even if I am never more than a very small cog in that wheel, I like being along for the ride.

I love being inspired by the past, finding those influences in my own work, winks to the greats that came before me (having them in my own writing DNA). Writing a book is never simply writing a book, it is taking part in something much bigger than me. This artform will go on long after I (and maybe my books) bite the dust.

If I am not writing, you can usually find me reading.

What genre(s) do you write?

This is always a hard question to answer since I never easily fit into any one category. In many ways I have always felt that working towards a genre limits the possibility of a story. I’m always excited to see what new ground in a plot I can discover.

Some would, for example, say A Jane Austen Daydream (my last novel) is regency or historical fiction, but it doesn't fit easily in there. Not at all (especially when you consider the big post-modern twists in the work). Another example is my British-period mystery, Maximilian Standforth and the Case of the Dangerous Dare. In many ways I use the norms of that genre to have a unique conversation about reality and art.

My new novel Permanent Spring Showers can only safely be called literary fiction since it is really all over the place. Yes, it is sexy, witty, romantic, but there are a lot of exciting surprises in it. It is a lot of fun. 

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Permanent Spring Showers was a novel created in “real time.”  I was inspired by what Charles Dickens did in much of his work, creating a novel in serial format. Basically, I wondered if I had the chops to pull it off. His books appeared in papers, mine appeared on my blog (“The Musings & Artful Blunders of Scott D. Southard at sdsouthard.com).  One chapter a week for 25 weeks.

What was different (and Dickens didn’t do) is I gave updates on the creation as well. So my readers not only followed the book, but followed my experience creating it. If I was stressed about an upcoming chapter I would share that; if I was happy it would be there as well. It was a very immersive experience for the reader and me.

After completing the novel, it was picked up by 5 Prince Books. I could not be more proud of the final product. (Of course, I can’t imagine creating a book like that again!)

What else would you like readers to know about you or your work?

I love to be surprised as a reader, experience something new and I aim for that in each of my creations.  If an idea comes to me that sounds like something I have already read, it doesn't happen. So if a reader wants something new, something unpredictable, check them out!

Permanent Spring Showers begins with an affair.

Professor Rebecca Stanley-Wilson discovered her husband had an affair (and it was with one of her students!). After way too many drinks at a convention, she has one of her own, but hers was with an up-and-coming painter. That night of passion will inspire one of the most important paintings of our generation.

Permanent Spring Showers is the story of that painting and the people that were around during its creation (lovers, artists, authors, and dreamers).

What books or authors have most influenced your life?

One of the things I do on the side is the book reviews for my local NPR station (WKAR). Every other week you can hear me on their show Current State discussing what I am reading and what I think about literature.

To be a fair book reviewer I try to experience every genre, but I have always been like that. I just love literature and you never know where you will find inspiration. For example, Permanent Spring Showers has a lot of different “grandparents” to it. Charles Dickens and George Elliot I think dared me to create a book with this size of a cast and plot, but I see a lot of hints to recent books I discovered while doing the reviews.

Generally, I point to Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, Richard Brautigan, Virginia Woolf, and Mark Twain as big influences.  Mark Twain could write everything, we always seem to forget that thinking of only Sawyer and Finn. I really respect his creativity and ability.

How do your family and/or friends feel about your book or writing venture in general?

I am lucky. My family is very supportive of my writing, though I do have to remind my two young kids from time to time when I am busy. And usually when I am reading I will have at least one of them climbing on me or reading their own book on my knee.

My wife is great around my books, and each weekend I get to sneak away and work for a few hours at a local coffee shop. I go there so often that the workers know what I am going to order before I say anything. It is only a matter of time before they start my order before my arrival. 

You can find Scott D. Southard at the following places online:

Website: sdsouthard.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScottDSouthard

Twitter: @SDSouthard

You can find the buy links to PERMANENT SPRING SHOWERS on Scott D. Southard's page here on the 5 Prince Publishing Website.

Professor Rebecca Stanley-Wilson is having a very bad season. Her husband has just admitted to having an affair. And it was with one of her students.

Blame it on a desire for revenge (or way too much alcohol), she then has had one of her own. Unfortunately for her, her affair was with one of the great upcoming painters of his generation. The ramifications of that one torrid evening will not only be felt across her life but over the entire art world.

Sexy, funny, and very surprising, Permanent Spring Showers is the tale of one very memorable springtime and how it impacts a group of unique artists and dreamers. From the writer who is creating a new literary movement (through outright manipulation) to the hopeful Olympian with the failing marriage to the romantic wondering what he did wrong to drive his love from him, each tale walks the line between reality and fantasy. And waiting at the end of the line is a very important painting… and possibly the revolver used in the Lincoln Assassination.



Keep reading for an excerpt on Permanent Spring Showers

---

Read More