Interview and Excerpt: November Surprise by Laurel Osterkamp
Thanks to Laurel Osterkamp for stopping by with a Q&A and excerpt from November Surprise. Please visit her tour page on CLP Blog Tours for more information and a giveaway!
**Interview**
When did you know writing was for you?I’ve always loved writing, ever since I was a kid. But it wasn’t until I took the plunge, and wrote my first novel, Following My Toes, that I realized it was something I could do long term. I thought it would be hard to write an entire book, but the hardest part was letting go of my fears and excuses for why I shouldn’t do it.
How would you describe your books?Intelligent women’s fiction. I try to create books with real people and real relationships. I want my books to be at once funny and thoughtful. That’s what I’m going for, anyway.
Why was November Surprise a book you wanted to write?Well, I’m a political junkie, and I’m also a sucker for a good love story. I thought it would be fun to combine the two.
What made you want to write about politics, and what kind of research had to go into this book?I follow politics like a lot of people follow sports, and my entire family is that way. We can sit around and analyze political situations for hours, arguing without really disagreeing about anything. Because of that, I remembered a lot about past elections without having to do tons of research, but I did look up a lot of stuff on the internet to verify the details. The 2000 election was the hardest, because there was so much going on! I couldn’t find what the Florida recount guidelines were ANYWHERE – it turns out there weren’t any! It varied county by county. Finally, I netflixed the movie Recount, watched it, and took a ton of notes.
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?Describing the setting! I always forget to provide details like that.
What are your favorite genres to read?I love chick-lit, YA, some literary fiction, and dystopian tales.
What do you want readers to take away from your story?Lucy, the main character, states the theme towards the end. “It’s our history that brought us to this point, and it’s made us who we are.” Since the whole book is about finding parallels between Lucy’s personal dramas and the country’s public dramas, I think that’s what I want readers to take away. While I obviously make my political leanings pretty clear, the book isn’t meant to influence readers in that way. People are going to think what they want, but hopefully my book will get them thinking.
How important do you think social media is for authors these days?It’s very important! I wish I was better at it. I never know what to say in tweets or in Facebook posts.What would be your advice to aspiring writers?
Stick with it, and don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. Find someone you trust and share your writing with them. Writing can be so solitary; you need to expose yourself to other perspectives.
**Excerpt**
Monty and I have been dancing together all evening. The slow songs are the best, but we also do the Macarena and even the Chicken Dance. I can’t stop laughing the entire time I’m quacking my hands.Jack and his new wife, Petra, have fed each other cake. Petra has thrown her bouquet, and all the toasts have been given. The night is winding down, and Monty leads me off the dance floor.“I’m really glad neither of us had dates,” he says.“Yeah, me too.” My heart beats just a little bit faster than normal.“And I’m sorry about earlier. Hitting on you like that. It was clumsy. Will you forgive me?” His face is flushed and his tie is loosened. I’m sure I’ve noticed before how good looking he is, but this is the first time I’ve let myself appreciate it.“There’s nothing to forgive.” I look around, make sure nobody is watching, and then I stand on my tip-toes and plant a kiss on his cheek. When he doesn’t flinch or pull away, I give him the barest whisper of a kiss on the lips.It’s all the encouragement he needs.With a conspiratorial smile, he takes my hand and leads me outside the reception hall. I follow willingly. When we get to a dark, hidden spot, he wraps his arms around my waist and kisses me deeply. I can feel it everywhere, my entire body is tingling, my knees are weak, and I’m sure that at any moment, my heart will explode.I don’t want him to stop. But he does.“Where are you staying tonight?” he asks.“I was going to drive back to my parents’ house.”“Hmm…” he leans in and kisses me some more. I press up against him like I can’t get close enough. He tilts his head back ever so slightly, so he can talk. “That’s a long drive. Do you want to stay with me, instead?”“You have a hotel room?”“It’s close to the airport,” he whispers. “I fly back to New York really early tomorrow.” Then he baby kisses my eyes, nose, and chin. I don’t answer immediately. I’m trying to steady my breathing. “So you can make a clean get away?”“It’s not like that.” he smiles. “And you haven’t even said yes, yet.” But he knows I’m going to. “You can’t ever tell Jack,” I say.“He just got married, Lucy. Do you really think he’ll care?”I rub my hands down his back and across the taut muscles in his arms. “I never had sex with him, and we dated for months. If he finds out you and I had a one night stand…”Monty cuts me off with another kiss. “I promise I’ll never tell him,” he murmurs, between kisses.We make out a few seconds more, but our kissing is interrupted when I’m consumed with a fit of giggles.“What’s so funny?” Monty asks.I shake my head. “Sorry. It just occurred to me. I’m about to do it with the homecoming king.”Monty chuckles. “Does that turn you on?”“Yeah,” I admit. “Kind of. Is that okay?”He kisses my neck. I tilt my head back and sigh in pleasure. “Are you kidding?” His lips are a mere centimeter from my skin as he mumbles, and his arms tighten around me even more. “If I had known, I would have worn my crown.”Now we’re both laughing.“You know this isn’t the sort of thing I usually do…”He raises his face so he’s looking me in the eye. “I know,” he says, and he smiles. Crinkles form around his green eyes, and I feel a moment of panic. There’s no way I’m casual enough to be with him for just one night.“Let’s make it special, okay?” He reaches down and clasps my hand, and I let him lead me somewhere, again. This time, I follow him to the parking lot. Tonight, I’d follow him anywhere. *********************************************************************************
**Everyone who leaves a comment on Laurel's tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases their copy of November Surprise before November 12 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**
Author Bio:
Laurel Osterkamp was a comedy writer in Minneapolis before she began writing novels. Her first novel, Following My Toes, has been a Kindle best seller and won the 2008 Indie Excellence Award for Chick Lit. Starring in the Movie of My Life received honors in the 2011 Indie Excellence Awards for Chick Lit, and in the 2011 International Book Awards for Women's Fiction and Young Adult Lit. Both books are indie approved at indiereader.com. She currently teaches high school, and is working on her next book, which is inspired by her recent jury duty. Connect with Laurel!
http://www.laurelosterkamp.com/ - my websitehttp://www.laurelosterkamp.blogspot.com/ - my bloghttp://www.novembersurprises.blogspot.com/ - blog written by "Lucy" that continues the story of November Surprise, about the 2012 campaign Buy the Book! http://www.amazon.com/November-Surprise-ebook/dp/B008TWYW0U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1350654507&sr=8-3&keywords=laurel+osterkamp
**Interview**
When did you know writing was for you?I’ve always loved writing, ever since I was a kid. But it wasn’t until I took the plunge, and wrote my first novel, Following My Toes, that I realized it was something I could do long term. I thought it would be hard to write an entire book, but the hardest part was letting go of my fears and excuses for why I shouldn’t do it.
How would you describe your books?Intelligent women’s fiction. I try to create books with real people and real relationships. I want my books to be at once funny and thoughtful. That’s what I’m going for, anyway.
Why was November Surprise a book you wanted to write?Well, I’m a political junkie, and I’m also a sucker for a good love story. I thought it would be fun to combine the two.
What made you want to write about politics, and what kind of research had to go into this book?I follow politics like a lot of people follow sports, and my entire family is that way. We can sit around and analyze political situations for hours, arguing without really disagreeing about anything. Because of that, I remembered a lot about past elections without having to do tons of research, but I did look up a lot of stuff on the internet to verify the details. The 2000 election was the hardest, because there was so much going on! I couldn’t find what the Florida recount guidelines were ANYWHERE – it turns out there weren’t any! It varied county by county. Finally, I netflixed the movie Recount, watched it, and took a ton of notes.
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?Describing the setting! I always forget to provide details like that.
What are your favorite genres to read?I love chick-lit, YA, some literary fiction, and dystopian tales.
What do you want readers to take away from your story?Lucy, the main character, states the theme towards the end. “It’s our history that brought us to this point, and it’s made us who we are.” Since the whole book is about finding parallels between Lucy’s personal dramas and the country’s public dramas, I think that’s what I want readers to take away. While I obviously make my political leanings pretty clear, the book isn’t meant to influence readers in that way. People are going to think what they want, but hopefully my book will get them thinking.
How important do you think social media is for authors these days?It’s very important! I wish I was better at it. I never know what to say in tweets or in Facebook posts.What would be your advice to aspiring writers?
Stick with it, and don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. Find someone you trust and share your writing with them. Writing can be so solitary; you need to expose yourself to other perspectives.
**Excerpt**
Monty and I have been dancing together all evening. The slow songs are the best, but we also do the Macarena and even the Chicken Dance. I can’t stop laughing the entire time I’m quacking my hands.Jack and his new wife, Petra, have fed each other cake. Petra has thrown her bouquet, and all the toasts have been given. The night is winding down, and Monty leads me off the dance floor.“I’m really glad neither of us had dates,” he says.“Yeah, me too.” My heart beats just a little bit faster than normal.“And I’m sorry about earlier. Hitting on you like that. It was clumsy. Will you forgive me?” His face is flushed and his tie is loosened. I’m sure I’ve noticed before how good looking he is, but this is the first time I’ve let myself appreciate it.“There’s nothing to forgive.” I look around, make sure nobody is watching, and then I stand on my tip-toes and plant a kiss on his cheek. When he doesn’t flinch or pull away, I give him the barest whisper of a kiss on the lips.It’s all the encouragement he needs.With a conspiratorial smile, he takes my hand and leads me outside the reception hall. I follow willingly. When we get to a dark, hidden spot, he wraps his arms around my waist and kisses me deeply. I can feel it everywhere, my entire body is tingling, my knees are weak, and I’m sure that at any moment, my heart will explode.I don’t want him to stop. But he does.“Where are you staying tonight?” he asks.“I was going to drive back to my parents’ house.”“Hmm…” he leans in and kisses me some more. I press up against him like I can’t get close enough. He tilts his head back ever so slightly, so he can talk. “That’s a long drive. Do you want to stay with me, instead?”“You have a hotel room?”“It’s close to the airport,” he whispers. “I fly back to New York really early tomorrow.” Then he baby kisses my eyes, nose, and chin. I don’t answer immediately. I’m trying to steady my breathing. “So you can make a clean get away?”“It’s not like that.” he smiles. “And you haven’t even said yes, yet.” But he knows I’m going to. “You can’t ever tell Jack,” I say.“He just got married, Lucy. Do you really think he’ll care?”I rub my hands down his back and across the taut muscles in his arms. “I never had sex with him, and we dated for months. If he finds out you and I had a one night stand…”Monty cuts me off with another kiss. “I promise I’ll never tell him,” he murmurs, between kisses.We make out a few seconds more, but our kissing is interrupted when I’m consumed with a fit of giggles.“What’s so funny?” Monty asks.I shake my head. “Sorry. It just occurred to me. I’m about to do it with the homecoming king.”Monty chuckles. “Does that turn you on?”“Yeah,” I admit. “Kind of. Is that okay?”He kisses my neck. I tilt my head back and sigh in pleasure. “Are you kidding?” His lips are a mere centimeter from my skin as he mumbles, and his arms tighten around me even more. “If I had known, I would have worn my crown.”Now we’re both laughing.“You know this isn’t the sort of thing I usually do…”He raises his face so he’s looking me in the eye. “I know,” he says, and he smiles. Crinkles form around his green eyes, and I feel a moment of panic. There’s no way I’m casual enough to be with him for just one night.“Let’s make it special, okay?” He reaches down and clasps my hand, and I let him lead me somewhere, again. This time, I follow him to the parking lot. Tonight, I’d follow him anywhere. *********************************************************************************
**Everyone who leaves a comment on Laurel's tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases their copy of November Surprise before November 12 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**
Author Bio:
Laurel Osterkamp was a comedy writer in Minneapolis before she began writing novels. Her first novel, Following My Toes, has been a Kindle best seller and won the 2008 Indie Excellence Award for Chick Lit. Starring in the Movie of My Life received honors in the 2011 Indie Excellence Awards for Chick Lit, and in the 2011 International Book Awards for Women's Fiction and Young Adult Lit. Both books are indie approved at indiereader.com. She currently teaches high school, and is working on her next book, which is inspired by her recent jury duty. Connect with Laurel!
http://www.laurelosterkamp.com/ - my websitehttp://www.laurelosterkamp.blogspot.com/ - my bloghttp://www.novembersurprises.blogspot.com/ - blog written by "Lucy" that continues the story of November Surprise, about the 2012 campaign Buy the Book! http://www.amazon.com/November-Surprise-ebook/dp/B008TWYW0U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1350654507&sr=8-3&keywords=laurel+osterkamp
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