Lisa Strømme

Hi! I'm Lisa Strømme, and I've always been fascinated by the power of art to capture raw human emotion – especially the messy, complicated ones we'd rather keep hidden. (You know the ones I mean...)

Growing up in Yorkshire, England, I spent countless hours lost in Victorian novels and art history books, dreaming of dramatic landscapes and tortured artists. Little did I know I'd end up living in Norway, where the most famous scream in art history was born. Talk about fate, right?

When I moved to Norway in my twenties, I fell head-over-heels in love – not just with my Norwegian husband (though he's pretty great), but with the wild, untamed beauty of the Norwegian fjords and the rich cultural history that seems to seep from every craggy cliff and weathered fishing village. As I learned the language and settled into life here, I became obsessed with the story of Edvard Munch and the mysterious inspiration behind his iconic painting, The Scream.

But it wasn't until I stumbled across mentions of a young maid named Johanne Sofie Bjørnstad that my first novel, The Girl Between, began to take shape. Here was this fascinating teenage girl who worked for the wealthy Olsen family and formed an unlikely friendship with their daughter, Tullik – right at the time when Munch was causing scandals in the conservative coastal town of Åsgårdstrand. I couldn't resist diving into their world.

I write what I like to call "art historical fiction with a dark twist." My stories explore the shadowy spaces between fact and fiction, between genius and madness, between proper society and raw passion. (And yes, I'm a sucker for forbidden relationships and characters who break all the rules.)

The Girl Between is my love letter to Norway's artistic heritage, but it's also a story about obsession, class divisions, and the kind of all-consuming first love that can either destroy you or set you free. I spent years researching the real historical figures, walking the same paths they walked, and trying to capture the electric atmosphere of 1890s Norway – when traditional values were clashing with modern ideas about art, love, and women's roles in society.

When I'm not writing, you'll find me wandering through art museums (probably spending way too much time in front of a single painting), hiking in the Norwegian mountains with my family, or teaching creative writing workshops where I encourage other writers to find the extraordinary stories hiding in ordinary historical facts.

I believe the best historical fiction doesn't just recreate the past – it makes you feel like you're living it, breathing it, tasting it. That's why I'm obsessed with sensory details and those small, intimate moments that make history feel immediate and real. (And if I can make readers stay up way too late turning pages while they're at it? Even better.)

To my readers: expect to be transported to vividly drawn historical settings where passion collides with propriety, art challenges convention, and characters must choose between following their hearts or following the rules. Fair warning: there will be complicated relationships, moral gray areas, and probably some scandalized Victorian sensibilities along the way.

I'm currently working on my next novel (which may or may not involve another famous painting with a dark secret – I'm not telling yet!). Until then, you can find me on Instagram sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses of my research adventures, or on my website where I blog about art history, writing, and life in Norway.

Thanks for joining me on this journey through art, history, and the beautiful mess of human emotion. I promise to keep finding stories that will make you think, feel, and maybe see some famous paintings in a whole new light.

(And yes, I do sometimes stand in front of The Scream and try to figure out exactly what that figure is hearing. Don't we all?)