Thanks for being with us today. First, would you tell us a bit about yourself? What area of the country do you live in, do you have a family, pets, etc. 

Hello! I am from Minneapolis, where I live with my husband and teenage daughter. We also have a son, who’s a sophomore at the University of Minnesota, a fifteen-minute drive from our house. So he’s home sometimes, mostly to see our cats (there are three of them!)

Are you a coffee fiend, or do you have another “addiction” you must have on your desk at all times?

I limit myself to one cup of coffee a day, but I can’t function without it!  On my desk there are several candles which I almost never light, plus a diffuser. I just really like my space to smell good.

Is your education relevant to your writing, or have you branched off in something entirely different to create? How would you best describe your books?

My college major was in theater. I went on to get two graduate degrees, one in secondary education, and one in writing. Now I’m pursuing a certification in Adult ESL. It’s all very relevant to my books–they each have evidence of subjects I’m passionate about. My books represent a variety of genres, but there’s always a strong female protagonist, focus on personal growth, and elements of romance.

Tell us about your most recent publication/whichever book you’d like to talk about today?

The Side Project is a second-chance, contemporary romance set in Bemidji, MN. It’s about two lonely dreamers who are thrown together by circumstance and begin a “no-strings-fling.” Of course, they end up falling in love, which is complicated for multiple reasons. 

What inspired you to write this story? What interesting thing did you learn or research to write it that you didn’t know before?
After reading books by Emily Henry and Carly Fortune, I wanted to try writing something comparable, a romance with complex characters and elements of both drama and comedy. The female MC’s younger brother is recovering from a brain tumor, so I did a lot of research about that. Turns out that the most common type of brain tumors for a young person to have is also the easiest to recover from. 

What’s your favorite thing about the book featured here today? Any special memories you have in the creation of it?

I loved setting it in Bemidji, MN, and at Bemidji State University, where both characters take a graduate fiction writing class. Bemidji State really does have a highly-respected graduate writing program, and when I first started writing, I took a summer workshop there. Years later, when I was halfway through the first draft of The Side Project, I drove up to Bemidji and stayed the night. It was so much fun, walking around the town, imagining all my characters there.

What do you most like about writing? Least like? When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

I don’t think there’s anything I dislike about writing, but I’m more likely to feel blocked during the first-draft stage. I most enjoy revisions and fine-tuning. I also like it when my characters surprise me and do something unexpected. That’s when I know I’ve found my groove.

Do you belong to any writing groups? Are there any writing websites you find particularly useful?

I’m not currently in any writing groups, but I belong to CRWA (Contemporary Romance Writers Association), and I try to be active on Bookstagram, which offers a great community of writers and book lovers. The best writing & marketing advise I’ve found is on Alessandra Torre’s website and her Inker’s Con, which is a great investment. 

Is there any special music you like to listen to while writing? How does it inspire you? 

I always make playlists for books I’m writing. While writing The Side Project, I listened to a lot of Taylor Swift. I was going for a Folklore or Evermore type of vibe with the book.

Do you belong to a critique group? What do you find most valuable about the experience?
I’ve belonged to critique groups and when I was in my grad program, there was a lot of sharing and giving feedback on each other’s work. 

To encourage those still on the path, tell us a little about your path to publication. How many books have you published? How many books did you write before selling one? What do you think was the key to selling that first book?

I self-published several books before my novel, The Standout, was a Kindle Scout Winner and published by Kindle Press. That program went away years ago, and being traditionally published wasn’t the magic pill I’d hoped for. I self-published another book, and then for my next book, I found an agent. She tried, but was unable to get me a publishing contract. So, I found a small press publisher who wanted it. I published two books with them, but then, when I wrote The Side Project, I chose to look for someone who specializes in romance, which led me to The Wild Rose Press. I think there are pros and cons to both traditional publishing and to self-publishing, and I’m not sure how I’ll pursue publication for my next book.

What are you writing now? What’s next for you? 

Right now I’m working on a contemporary romance set in the fictional small town of Sugar Pine, Colorado. It’s loosely inspired by the 1980s movie Cousins, starring Ted Danson and Isabella Rosselinni, and if it goes well, I might turn it into a series. 

Social Media Links:

https://www.instagram.com/laurel_osterkamp/

https://www.facebook.com/authorlaurelosterkamp

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/970925.Laurel_Osterkamp

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