SYNOPSIS:

What do you do when your dream opportunity becomes a waking nightmare? In The Standout, Laurel Osterkamp delivers a psychological thriller packed with paranoia, secrets, and emotional reckoning.

Robin Bricker joins The Standout, a ballet-themed fashion reality show, expecting drama—but she never expected to be targeted. A chilling email demands she end her engagement. Then, a website emerges to publicly humiliate her. As pressure mounts and sabotage intensifies, Robin struggles to separate friend from foe—and truth from fiction. With only her brother and a cautious new ally to turn to, she must confront long-buried memories before she loses her grip on reality.

INTRODUCTION:

Laurel Osterkamp is an award-winning author whose work spans psychological thrillers, romantic fiction, and literary women’s fiction. Her novels—The Side Project, Beautiful Little Furies, and Favorite Daughters—have been recognized for their emotional depth and smart storytelling. Laurel holds an MFA in writing and spent over twenty years teaching English and creative writing. Her characters often wrestle with identity, ambition, and the messy beauty of reinvention. She lives in Minneapolis with her family and two cats. Follow her on Instagram or visit her website.

EXCERPT:

The last time I saw my old sex-buddy Robert was years ago, when he ran from Clara’s tree house, but this morning he texts me with a picture attached. He’s sprawled on his bed, wearing nothing but a suggestive pose and a cowboy hat. What’s even more horrifying is the message: I’ve been thinking about you too.

Never mind how uncanny the timing of his text is. No. My first reaction is repulsion; how could I ever have slept with a guy who’d send a picture like this? The hat is so tacky! But after I get over his poor taste in accessories, I realize there are multiple reasons to be disturbed. The feathered cowboy hat is just the tip of the pornographic iceberg.

What if Nick had been around when I’d gotten that text? How could I possibly explain it away? And why did Robert decide to text me now, with everything else that’s been going on? It has to be more than a coincidence.

So I text him back. Can we talk? Today?

Sure, he responds, and sends me his work address.

His single-story office building is on the edge of downtown and I wait outside during lunch hour. At 11:52 I spot Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome walking out and heading straight forthe Jimmy Johns. I step into his path.

“Hi, Robert.”

His face has aged little in the last few years. Unlike Clara’s mother, Robert seems virtually unchanged by tragedy.

“Robin.” He smiles like he can picture me in nothing but a lacy thong. “Hey, how are you?”

“I’m fine, good actually. I’m getting married.” I dig my heels into the sidewalk and hug my arms to my chest. The wind whips through me, but I’ll make it clear: I do not want him warming me up. “I’ve never been happier and I can’t imagine EVER doing ANYTHING to jeopardize that.”

“Congratulations.” He tugs at his tie and the realization that I’m not going to sleep with him skips across his face. “Look, it’s great seeing you, but I’m pressed for time—”

“This won’t take long. I’m sorry to hear about Clara.”

Robert’s finely chiseled jaw goes rigid. “Thanks. But we separated years ago, pretty much right after she found out about you and me. I mean, it’s terrible that she’s missing, but—”

“Missing? Her mother said she’d died.”

“She’s presumed dead.” Robert’s nostrils flare but his shoulders sag. “Clara was traveling in Greece and there was a bus accident. Lots of bodies were burned. It was pretty gruesome. But they looked at dental records and her body was never found.”

“Oh.” Images flood my mind: a bus tumbling down a cliff and erupting into flames, Clara’s beautiful face melting in the ashes, or perhaps, Clara getting up and walking away?

Robert raises his hand as if to pat my shoulder but then he changes his mind. “Sorry, Robin. I really do need to go. Good luck with your marriage; I’m sure you’ll need it.”

He’s almost become a blur on the sidewalk before his comment sinks in.

What a jackass.

MOST ASKED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:

What were the biggest rewards and challenges with writing The Standout?

Writing The Standout was both very rewarding and challenging for me. I was in grad school when I began, and two of the first courses I took were in flash fiction and in YA fiction. Flash fiction is all about using a brevity of words for a maximum impact, and leading your readers to a point where they can infer where a character is going on their journey. Several of The Standout’s chapters, especially ones from Ted’s POV, began as flash fiction assignments for that course. I would count how many words I’d written, trying to eliminate as many as possible to stay under the assignment’s limit. This really taught me a golden rule of writing, that often less is more. And, the YA fiction writing class was invaluable for me while writing from Zelda’s POV. At the same time, I felt challenged because I’d never written from a male point-of-view before, and it had been a long time since I’d attempted a teenager’s voice.

How did you research your book?

Just about all my research was done online. However, while I was researching The Standout, there was a show at The Walker (a modern art museum in Minneapolis, where I’m from) that was all about fashion. I went and bought a couple of books in the gift shop afterwards, which were a great reference when writing about Robin’s fashion design challenges. I also dug into my old childhood books to find this compilation of stories from classic ballets, like Swan and Giselle. I referenced it for the design challenges that Robin and Zelda were a part of, and for the condensed ballet stories that Zelda tells. But for everything about climbing roofs, parcour, and Ted’s private investigator course—that was all found via YouTube and Google.

Where do you write—home, coffee shop, train?

Occasionally, if I’ve dropped my daughter off somewhere far from home, and she’ll need a ride back in under two hours, I go to a coffee shop or a library to write. But it isn’t ideal for me. I like to write at home, where I can get up to get a snack or go to the bathroom, and not worry about leaving my laptop out. I also get distracted when people nearby are chatting or whatever. It’s nice to be in my own space, where I can play music and possibly pet my cat, who is my most loyal writing buddy

Exploring the Places That Inspired My Novel

I live in Minneapolis. Nearly twenty years ago, my best friend moved from California back to Kansas City (we both grew up in Lawrence, Kansas.) When she moved, we decided that once a year, we’d meet up in Des Moines, IA, which is almost equidistant from our homes. We’d book a hotel room, and spend uninterrupted time going for walks, talking about our lives, eating out, and drinking wine. This time with my friend is invaluable, but I also enjoy the alone-time that this trip affords me almost as much.

Because, I often get there first, just for the chance to explore a place where no one knows me, and where I can be invisible for a while.

So, over the years I’ve gotten to know Des Moines well. My favorite suburb is West Des Moines, home to Jordan Creek mall. The houses in that area seem nice, but not cookie-cutter, where they’re all built from the same design. West Des Moines is a suburb with sidewalks, trails, and parks. The backyards are spacious and there’s a ton of stuff nearby.

Thus, it’s no coincidence that Robin—the main character in three of my novels—is from Des Moines. So is her extended family. While my decision to put Robin in Des Moines wasn’t random, it wasn’t something I mulled over either. I’d already set a couple of novels in Minneapolis, and I wanted somewhere different, but also where I could write from an informed perspective. Des Moines seemed like the perfect spot, and now it almost feels like a second home.

Tomorrow, I leave on my annual pilgrimage to visit Des Moines and to see my best friend. It’s always one of my favorite weekends of the year! One of the first things I’ll do upon arriving is walk alone through West Des Moines’ neighborhoods. I’ll imagine Robin and her extended family living in the homes I go past, like they’re real people and I’m paying them a visit. (Or just peeking through their windows. Don’t worry—that part is all in my imagination!) It’s a wonderful chance to live inside my own head for a while, and explore a fictional life that might have been my own.