How long have you been writing?
I started when I was a little kid in grade school. I’ve always loved writing and growing up, I spent lots of weekend voluntarily sitting in my room, writing short stories or plays. In college, I majored in theater, and while acting was my first love, I took as many writing classes as I could. Later, when I was in my twenties, I wrote sketches for the comedy groups I performed with in Minneapolis. But once I started teaching high school fulltime, I retired from my comedy career, and novel-writing became my creative outlet instead. That was around fifteen years ago.
Is this book part of a series?
No, it’s a standalone. I’d been writing about the same set of characters for the last few years, so I wanted to try something new.
What did you find most challenging about writing your book?
Just Like the Brontë Sisters rotates its focus between four characters, and in my first draft, all the chapters were written in first person POV. Then I realized it would work better if some chapters were written in third person-limited POV instead. I’m not used to writing in third person, and revising those chapters was definitely a challenge! Also, getting the male character’s voices right took a lot of second guessing.
Which aspect of writing do you enjoy the most?
I like it best once my first draft is done, and I can go back through and improve what I’ve already written: adding clever lines, heightening the emotion and suspense, or becoming more descriptive with the imagery.
About the Book
Title: Just Like The Bronte Sisters
Author: Laurel Osterkamp
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Sisters Skylar and Jo Beth adore skiing and they virtually share the same soul. After an accident, Jo Beth flees to Brazil, leaving Skylar behind in Colorado to obsessively read the Brontë sisters. While abroad, Jo Beth meets Mitch and her life takes some unexpected turns, until tragedy leads free-spirited Mitch right into Skylar’s empty arms. With their Heathcliff/Catherine romance in full swing, Skylar wants to trust Mitch, but did he harm her sister? Loving Mitch could make Skylar lose everything. Just Like the Brontë Sisters is an unconventional romantic page-turner inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s My Cousin Rachel, full of magical realism, literary references, a ghost, and some healthy doses of suspense.
Author Bio
Laurel Osterkamp is a Kindle Scout/award-winning author of women’s fiction and suspense. Her “day job” is as at Columbia Heights High School, where she teaches creative writing, college writing, and AP Lit. She resides in Minneapolis with her husband, two chatty children, an overweight cat, a gecko, and a hissing cockroach (don’t ask). Her other loves include chocolate, jogging, and boots.
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