As most of you know, Waiting at Hayden’s is the first book to be published in the new reading experience format shopfiction™, which I coined and branded last year. Links in the digital version of the book and web addresses in the print take you to video highlights where you can watch key scenes come to life and shop the characters' clothes. There are also links the in the digital version each time an outfit is described. You can click on the link and see the character come to life in the . . .
My Favorite Beach Bags and Cover-Ups
This past weekend my cousin and blog photographer, Ryan, moved right onto to the beach, so I got to spend some time in the sand! Though the water is still too cold (for me!) to swim, the temperatures are heating up in Newport Beach and with my brother, mom, and dad coming into town Wednesday, I know we’ll be spending lots of time when I'm not working reading on the beaches in CDM or down the street from my cottage on Balboa. I’ve been looking for a new cover-up for a while now, and . . .
A Carrie Bradshaw Inspired Wardrobe and Everything I Recently “Couldn’t Help But Wonder” About Love
What do Carrie Bradshaw and I have in common? We both seem to ponder over one million things about love each day before breakfast. And we often feel like all we have to offer the world when it comes to relationships is our own confusion—and maybe some fun fashion trends. Here’s a list of everything Carrie wondered about on Sex and the City. And since the show has ended and she ran off into happily ever after wedded bliss with Mr. Big, my mind has continued to ponder matters of the . . .
Rainy Day Reads and Clothes To Curl Up In
With the exception of one seventy-five degree weekend, we've been having an unusually rainy February in Orange County. Although I moved from Oregon to California to escape the rain, I do love any excuse to get cozy! I've been living in this cable knit sweater all winter long and throwing on a pair of jeans and Hunter Boots with it when I go out, then pairing it with these leggings and my favorite slippers when I'm home. My cottage on Balboa Island is an old historic house that . . .
Look for Love or Let Love Find You?
I am someone who has always preferred to look for love. After my gap year in college, which I took to write the first draft of Waiting at Hayden’s, I was debating transferring schools. I hadn’t loved the school I’d started at for many reasons, one being that I hadn’t seen anyone on campus I was remotely excited about dating at some point during the next several years. Yes, I know I wasn’t going to school to meet someone, but I didn’t want to be somewhere for three more years where there . . .
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 . . .