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 . . .
The Power and Importance of Trusting Your Gut Feelings
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 . . .
Introducing my Summer 2020 Novel: Map of Us
Come summer 2020 my second novel, Map of Us, will hit shelves! I can’t wait to introduce you all to these characters and share this love story. If you enjoyed Waiting at Hayden’s or are a fan of Nancy Meyers’ movies (think Something's Gotta Give and It's Complicated), I have a feeling you’re going to like this one! For those who haven’t seen the trailer, it’s about two different couples that set out on separate cross-country road trips—one to see if they can rekindle the spark in their . . .
Join Me at Eberjey In Lido Village For A Shopfiction™ Demonstration & Sneak Peek of My Next Novel
Are you a reader? A writer? Or a shopper? If so, I’d love for you to join me on October 24 at Eberjey in Lido Village in Newport Beach! I’ll be speaking about writing the first novel where readers can shop the characters’ clothes and demonstrating this new reading experience: shopfiction™. I’ll also be talking a bit about my writing process, answering questions, and reading a scene from my next book, Map of Us, coming summer 2020! As most of you who have been following along with me for a . . .
Sweater Dresses For Fall Weather
In the summertime I live in dresses. They’re easy to throw on so I’m out the door and at a coffee shop to write in no time. I also like to be comfortable when I’m working, but still look put together and dresses are the perfect way to pull that off. Come fall, I’ll switch to wearing jeans and button down shirts more, but if I find a sweater dress I love, I’d almost always rather reach for it. This green wrap dress by LPA is both cozy and flattering and can be dressed up with heels for . . .
My Most Anticipated Fall Reads
With crisp fall days just around the corner, I’ve been compiling my reading list for the cozy season ahead as I continue to work on my next novel. While I tend to gravitate towards reading books that are in my genre, I also like to be sure to read a handful of books each year that are outside of it. As a writer, I think there’s a lot to be learned from books that aren’t like yours. For instance, women’s fiction doesn’t typically have plot twists but I love psychological thrillers and after . . .