This weekend it felt like summer in Orange County, so I was able to catch up on some reading poolside! While I’ll occasionally pick up a psychological thriller like The Woman Inside, or a self-help book like The Untethered Soul, you can almost always find me reading a love story. Since I was little and read my first Nicholas Sparks’ book, love stories have been all I’ve been drawn to. I’m constantly fascinated by the choices people make when it comes to matters of the heart. And while writing . . .
Flirty, Feminine Dresses to Add a Touch of Romance to Your Life
I’m all about finding ways to add romance to my life. Last year I spoke about what romance means to me in this blog on Redefining Romance. I consider something to be romantic when an everyday moment feels extraordinary. Or when you catch yourself—or someone else—off guard in a good way. Or when you feel extreme aliveness. A romantic life is my favorite life to live. And it doesn’t depend on another person. This past winter I booked a plane ticket like Cameron Diaz does in the holiday and . . .
Learning From Love Actually: Embrace Vulnerability
One of my favorite scenes in Love Actually is when Mark (Andrew Lincoln) brings cue cards over to Juliet (Keira Knightly’s) character’s house and confesses how he feels about her on her doorstep. Is it wrong? Most would probably say so. She’s married to his best friend. But it’s brutally honest. And as I was watching the romantic comedy the other night, I couldn’t help but think… why aren’t we all showing up with cue cards at each other’s doorsteps more often? Why do we hold so much of how we . . .
How to Date On a Budget (and why it’s more romantic to!)
A while back I spoke with a guy who said he’s not dating because it’s too expensive. “It’s not the same for women,” he said. “You just have to show up and everything’s paid for.” His first point was valid. In Orange County a cocktail alone can cost upwards of $18 and a ticket to a movie, $22. (Fun Fact: when I first moved to the OC and went to a matinee alone, I was sure the cashier misheard me and rang me up for two tickets when he told me the cost. “I just need one,” I reiterated. “That is . . .
Second Chances: Can An Ex Change His or Her Stripes?
In our friendships, we forgive and forget all the time, but when it comes to our exes is it good or bad to give second chances? I’m someone who has gotten back together with exes more times than I care to admit. As an inherently nostalgic person, I tend to remember the good, totally forget the bad, and it’s not until I’m back in the relationship again that I think: oh yeah, I remember why this didn’t work out. I think this is because I’ve been fortunate enough to never have had a really . . .
How Being a Diehard Nicholas Sparks Fan Landed Me in the Hospital
To say I’m a Nicholas Sparks fan girl is an understatement. As most of you know, I up and moved across the country to the setting of his novels to write the first draft of Waiting at Hayden’s. So during my recent book tour, where I traveled through the South and then the East Coast introducing shopfiction™ to bookstores, I knew I had to stop in his hometown. The drive there was filled with excitement. And lots of missed exits and wrong turns (hence why I ended up having my sister’s friend, . . .