Sincerely, Riley

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How To Live Your Best Hallmark Christmas Movie Inspired Life This Holiday Season

November 23, 2019

The bakeries and coffee shops in my new neighborhood look straight out of a Hallmark Christmas movie. We all know the plot. It goes something like: Big city girl is dumped right before the holidays, leaves her stressful corporate job, and hops on a plane to visit her grandmother in a snowy small town. Upon arrival girl stumbles into well-decorated bakery to ask for directions to Grandma’s because cell service (always shoddy) or phone (always breaks on plane). Bakery store owner is interested . . .

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The Power and Importance of Trusting Your Gut Feelings

November 13, 2019

This past month I officially relocated back to the South! As most of you know, I wrote the first draft of Waiting at Hayden’s in Charleston, South Carolina during a gap year in college and moved here solely because I was a diehard Nicholas Sparks’ fan. (If you haven't checked out how being a diehard fan landed me in the hospital be sure to read that entertaining story here.) After that year, I went back and finished school at Santa Clara and have lived in California ever since. I’m a big . . .

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How Learning to Act Can Help You Find Yourself: An Interview with Portland-Based Acting Coach Karen Lavoie (& Exclusive Offer!)

December 3, 2018

When I decided I wanted to bring seven scenes from Waiting at Hayden’s to life so readers could watch all the key moments in the book unfold, one of the first things I did was reach out to Portland based acting coach, Karen Lavoie, to see if she had any students she could put me in touch with. Five of Karen’s students starred in the video clips found in the story: Rachel Dewees, Crystal Smart, Elijah Price, Meredith Esquivel, Sylvia Gercke, and Karen herself even made an appearance. Not only . . .

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Gifts To Get The Book Lover On Your List

November 28, 2018

The book lover on your list can be one of the trickiest people to shop for—up there with that relative you haven’t talked to in years or that person you just started dating.  While the obvious gift—a novel—might be the first thing that comes to mind, when someone reads several books a week odds are high she might have the book you’re thinking of gifting. So, I’ve compiled a list of reading accessories that the book lover on your list will love receiving in addition to book recommendations . . .

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Your Guide To Holiday Festivities In Newport Beach (& Holiday Dresses For Cheap!)

November 26, 2018

Growing up, my family did something festive every day in December to celebrate the holidays. My mom pinned a homemade advent calendar up on the wall in the living room and each day there was a Christmas activity for all of us to do. Most days the activities were simple like pulling out all the Christmas movies from the attic and watching one, or starting a Christmas puzzle, or taking a family trip to Zoo Lights in downtown Portland. But some days my parents went all out. One year I remember we . . .

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What To Bring For Thanksgiving When You Can’t Cook Anything

November 21, 2018

In my house I avoid the kitchen the way most people avoid their nice, fancy dining rooms with expensive china; the light is rarely on and if the floor were carpeted, you would only see footprints near the cabinet where I keep my cheese plate boards and cocktail shaker. I’m not sure if I can’t cook, I just really don’t have a huge desire to. I’d much rather spend my evenings writing, reading, or out enjoying a meal at someone else’s fine establishment. So, Thanksgiving is always a bit daunting . . .

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rileycostello

My mom and I started an Etsy shop! 💕 Early on i My mom and I started an Etsy shop! 💕 Early on in the pandemic my mom shared with me that it’s always been a dream of hers to have a card company. When she was in her early thirties she and my dad worked as caretakers at a campground for six months to change things up, have fun, and work a job where they could spend time together, and during that time she attempted stitching and sewing handmade cards. While she loved the creative part, it was too labor intensive, and nothing came of it.

She showed me her original designs when the pandemic started and told me she still wished there was a way to bring them to life. So, I said we’ve got the time right now—let’s find a way. And we decided to start a shop an Etsy shop!

We’ve spent the past six months designing printable cards, wall décor, bookmarks, and more. 

It’s been really neat to see my mom’s dream come to life and to get to work together on building a brand that’s inspired by her vision. 

2020 was really tough for all of us, and creating this store with my mom was a little bit of light. I’ll always remember getting to work side-by-side with her on this. Link in bio to our store. We’ll have new designs each week! Happy New Year!💕 #bookmarks #bookstagram #etsyshop
Finished!!!! 💕✨🌟 Such a journey! Thank you Finished!!!! 💕✨🌟 Such a journey! Thank you for all your encouraging messages this weekend! This book was very challenging to write, but I also felt lucky that I had this story idea at this time & that I got to do this work during quarantine. It brought a lot of light into my life, a lot of laughs, and lots of new, interesting perspectives—and that’s what I hope it brings to all of you next. I can’t wait to share ONE PERFECT WEEKEND!! #thend #oneperfectweekend #writinganovel #womensfiction #newbook
We’ve changed the title for my next book! This w We’ve changed the title for my next book! This was a change I wanted to make for a number of reasons: the main one being that the book, at it’s core, is a love story just like Waiting at Hayden’s and I didn’t feel like The Influencer reflected that. The book’s new title is One Perfect Weekend and I feel it fits the story SOO much better. 💕 If anyone is curious about what goes into picking a book title or if you’re working on a WIP of your own, I wrote up a blog post about the topic and it’s linked in my bio. I talk more in there about the title change for this story too! #oneperfectweekend #womensfiction #newnovel #beachreads 📷: @ryanselewicz
Got my first pass edits back from my editor and sh Got my first pass edits back from my editor and she said The Influencer reminded her of Before, Sunrise - one of my favorite movies! Who has seen it? There are lots of philosophical conversations in this book just like in that movie about what it really means to live a good life, how to truly live in the moment, fate, etc etc. It’s been really interesting to write and now I’m onto draft 2! #newbook #beforesunrise #womensfiction
Though I’ve been sitting at my desk 95% of quara Though I’ve been sitting at my desk 95% of quarantine, I’ve felt like I’m here at @montagepalmettobluff - the inspired setting for my next novel. Though it’s located in Bluffton, South Carolina, I used my artistic license to move it to Charleston so my characters could go downtown to the local shops & to my favorite beaches. I like including real places in my books (even if I often change the names of them) so my readers can visit the locations and because I think it makes the story feel more real! The first half of my book is off to my editor this Sunday ✨ so today I’m tweaking a scene that takes place at this firepit and another where my characters are shopping downtown at two boutiques in Charleston that I love @graceandhudson (brand new!) & @beckettboutique. Consider shopping local and checking them both out online right now before all stores can reopen. #southernliving #montagepalmettobluff #newnovel #shoplocal
Sharing five of my favorite feel-good books on my Sharing five of my favorite feel-good books on my blog this evening for anyone looking for some light reads right now. I’ll also post all the books I’ve been reading these past few weeks in my stories for extra recommendations. Sending lots of 💕. Link in bio. #bookreccomendations @ryanselewicz
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