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 . . .
10 Page-Turning Beach Reads To Add To Your Summer Reading List
I just spent the last week in my hometown in Oregon working on my next book and working my way through this summer’s most anticipated beach reads. While I still have several books to go, so far I’ve really enjoyed The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren and The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth. Both Sally Hepworth and Christina Lauren are authors I discovered more recently. As soon as I read Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren I was hooked on their romantic stories that have a more . . .
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 . . .
Writing Advice I Wish I Knew When I Started Waiting at Hayden’s
When I took a year off school and moved across the country to Charleston, South Carolina to write the first draft of Waiting at Hayden’s ten years ago, I knew very little about writing a book; all I did know was that I needed to get my story idea down on paper. I think that’s the case for most writers—and to be honest, it’s sort of wonderful to only know that and nothing more. If you’re in the early stages of writing a book, the words are flowing, and you’re feeling that “writers high,” feel . . .
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 . . .
