As an author one of my favorite things to do is talk to book clubs. For such a long time I was the only person who knew the characters in Waiting at Hayden's. There were so many times during the writing process where I wished I could talk to someone other than my editor about them. I was dying to discuss the journeys they were on and the choices they were making. It sort of felt like I had all these best friends, but couldn't introduce them to anyone. Now that the book is out in the world, . . .
10 Beach Towns to Visit This Summer That Are Perfect For Beach Reading
Beach reading has always been my favorite summer activity. Come late May and early June stories by all my favorite authors hit shelves and I love throwing them in a beach bag and finding a spot to read them in the sand. This year I'm most excited about Jane Green's latest book, The Friends we Keep, which was just released yesterday. I've been a huge fan of her stories for as long as I can remember. Along with Emily Giffin and Elin Hilderbrand, she was one of the authors that inspired me to . . .
Little Black Dresses Perfect For Spring & A Breakfast at Tiffany’s Engagement Party
Yesterday we celebrated my cousin John and his bride-to-be Mikaela with an engagement party in Newport Beach at Pelican Hill. It was a Breakfast at Tiffany's themed affair so guests were asked to wear little black dresses and Mikaela showed up looking gorgeous in a black floor length gown with a Tiffany blue ribbon belt. I always think to only wear black in the winter and come spring am much more excited for florals and colorful dresses, but was surprised by how many cute springtime LBDs I . . .
How To Get Started Writing a Novel
So you want to write a novel? Congrats on this big decision and first step! 81 percent of Americans have a dream to write a book, but few actually follow through with it (something I totally get now that I've finally published a book). The novel is the greatest undertaking of the human imagination, a professor I once had told me, so it makes sense that it takes so long to figure it out. That being said, it is such an exciting challenge and a journey I highly encourage you take if you have a . . .
A Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne Inspired Wardrobe and Album Cover
I loved everything about Taylor Jenkin Reid’s latest book, Daisy Jones & The Six—from the way it was written entirely in the form of responses to interview questions, to the reveal of who was interviewing all the members of the band, to Reid’s exploration of love and fame, to the outfits described in the story. Like many people who read Daisy Jones & The Six, I was convinced the band in the story was real. I googled them several times, only to find out she’d made them up! I did . . .
My Favorite Beach Reads of All Time
This past week, with my family being in town and lots of evenings after work spent at the beach, I got to read several books in the sand. I’ve been working so much on my next novel, Map of Us, and the future of shopfiction™ that it’s been a while since I’ve gotten to really enjoy the books that made me want to be a writer in the first place. I honestly haven’t felt this great in such a long time and I really do credit the beach reads. I know they are frequently criticized for being too . . .