Portsmouth woman says never give up on your dreams as first book is published more than 10 years after she wrote it

Portsmouth City Council worker and Pompey fan Kate Osterholm has loved writing since she was a young girl and had her first poem published in The News’ Chipper Club.

Since then the 49-year-old has always seen her passion as just a hobby but finally getting her first book published, Kate is determined to follow her dreams of being a full-time author after having her first book, Finding Cary Grant, published.

She said: ‘Over the years I have almost nearly got there so many times and been shortlisted and such but never quite got the final yes.

‘I wrote Finding Cary Grant about 10 years ago and I had any agent who thought I would find a publisher but the general feedback was that the market was in a bit of a slump and many publishers weren’t taking on new writers.

‘I put the book in a drawer and forgot all about it but decided last summer to send it to Blossom Spring Publishing and they said yes. I was absolutely thrilled and now seeing the book in my hands is incredible.’

The book follows the journey of Francine, who takes a trip across Europe to find her father. She has nurtured him in her imagination as a silver-screen Hollywood hero – but the question is whether he will live up to her expectations.

Kate said: ‘I have had such good feedback already. My partner who doesn’t read that kind of female genre told me that he liked it and friends have been lovely.

‘I am now thinking about more book ideas and perhaps expanding in terms of genre.

‘Overall I think it just shows how you should never give up on your dreams and I hope it inspires someone to carry on with their goals.’

Finding Cary Grant is available online on Amazon.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.