Anne Osterlund's Blog

Peter Pan is my favorite book, as you probably know if you have read any of my interviews. The first version of Peter Pan that I remember was a Disney picture book that I had memorized as a child. I did not learn to read until I was six, but I remember pretending to read this book for guests at a younger age.
In the third grade, I read the real book. I had no idea, at the time, of what a challenging read it is for an eight-year-old. I just loved the story. I loved that there were elements of...

“Go get the seam ripper!” is the most common quote I remember from my sewing years growing up. A seam ripper, FYI, is a small device used to rip out one’s work. For me, sewing was frequently a process of one step forward and two steps back. The machine would jam; the material would pucker; the edge of the seams would catch.
Today I decline to sew.
I do, however, upon occasion find myself living a sewing metaphor, and that is what I am living this week. You see, I have a brand new manuscript rea...

I had the amazing opportunity to attend the 2019 Willamette Writers Conference this past Friday! I love to recommend this conference to the following: new writers hoping to learn how to write and submit to publishers, experienced writers looking to challenge themselves with new ideas and/or tackle new dilemmas, and even writers interested in film.

My favorite takeaways from this year’s conference:
-The chance to talk about my newest manuscript with a plethora of industry experts. They may all d...

I never do the research first.
That probably sounds irresponsible, but the story has to come first. The characters—they have to be alive. They must have a story to tell. And that story always exists first, at least in my mind.
Alex—I’ll introduce her to you eventually—has existed for no fewer than seventeen years. That seems like forever, but she actually introduced herself after both Aurelia and Aerin so she’s been kindly waiting her turn until now.
Since Alex’s story is historical fiction, I’v...

So . . . as I was saying. My major achievement after the first wave of research for my new writing project was selecting the specific dates for my novel.
Followed by the completion of a first draft.
After which, I had a whole NEW set of questions to research.
Such as . . .What songs might be sung at a school concert in1904?What serious diseases might last a full month and spread in the dead of winter? Did students receive a diploma upon graduation from the eighth grade?
The list goes on.
And on.
A...

My next book—the one after REDEMPTION—is true historical fiction. Not historical fantasy, like Aurelia and Robert’s series. But real HF.

Which means the research has to be more real. (In other words, I can’t cheat).
Don’t get me wrong. I do a lot of research for Aurelia and Robert’s novels. And it’s a blast. Scimitars. Loading rifles. Battle plans. Eighteenth century furniture, torture devices, high-heeled shoes. I get to use all kinds of crazy historical details within Aurelia and Robert’s boo...

1.    Assassins. When you have a mind of your own, people seem to want to kill you.
2.    Vultures. AKA unwanted suitors with lots of power and very little hair.
3.    Sisters. Always a challenge, whether one is headstrong or not. But Aurelia’s sister definitely belongs on this list.
4.    Stepmothers. Like we haven’t all read enough fairy tales to know this. And I admit that Aurelia’s stepmother bears an unfortunate resemblance to t...

From Jean at Miz Writer Lady:
“It was one of the things I had forgotten about Anne Osterlund’s storytelling: her ability to sucker punch you with emotions. Being the end of a trilogy, emotions were running rampant as Aurelia and Robert face impossible choices and worse, their own feelings. Anne Osterlund brilliantly crafted a story that wove together themes of duty and love . . .
Check out the rest of Jean’s review for Redemption, as well an brand new interview by yours truly, on her Miz Writ...

From Jennifer at YA Book Nerd:
“I liked watching both Robert and Aurelia come into their own. I liked the strategies, the defiance, and the determination . . . A fantastic ending to a wonderful trilogy."


Check out the rest of Jennifer’s review for Redemptionon her YA Book Nerd blog! http://yabooknerd.blogspot.com/2016/10/redemption-blog-tour.html

Check out Heidi’s review for Redemption on her YA Bibliophile blog! Also Redemptionis now available at Barnes & Noble on the following page:
Barnes & Noble's Redemption Page http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books

From Heidi:
As I said, I read Aurelia before I started blogging regularly. I was immediately captivated by the characters. I read Exile as soon as I got my hands on it in 2011 and have been dying for Redemption ever since! It was so great to finally find out what happens with A...