Guest Post and Excerpt: November Surprise by Laurel Osterkamp

November Surprise in Context

November Surprise is actually a sort of a sequel to a novella I wrote, called Campaign Promises. I wrote Campaign Promises so I could offer something free on Amazon as a way to promote my other books. It’s short; I spent only a few months writing it, but I had a really good time. The one consistent criticism I’ve received from readers is that it’s not fully developed; they wanted more information about the characters.

Well, Campaign Promises is written in vignettes. It begins when the main character, Lucy, is in high school, and the story spans twenty years. Each chapter is about a different important event in her life, whether it’s the prom, a wedding, a funeral, a baby shower, or her high school reunion. To give the novella a twist, I decided to relate each of these events to a political campaign from the past. It only made sense to have Lucy, who narrates her own life, be a political junkie. So that’s what I did.

After it was done it occurred to me: we have an election year coming up. That got me thinking even further. What was Lucy doing during the last six presidential elections? I decided to write about it, and the next book became November Surprise. The characters, and even the ending, were already established because I covered the same twenty years in November Surprise that I covered in Campaign Promises. However, different vignettes are told, and a more complete perspective on Lucy’s story is revealed.

I was close to being done with the first draft when I realized that above everything else, November Surprise is a love story. That was when I went back and put in more about Lucy and Monty’s relationship. It’s already clear from Campaign Promises that (spoiler alert) they end up together, but how? Why are they drawn to each other, and what is keeping them apart? How will it ever work out? It’s not an unusual plot line, but I like to think the way that it’s told is distinctive.

November Surprise and Campaign Promises fit together kind like the pieces of a puzzle, and they can be read in either order. While the politics play an important part in establishing the setting and character development, I’m hoping that even apolitical readers will still connect with Lucy and her journey to find love and self-fulfillment.

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.

 

Giveaway

**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.**