This past year what’s interested me more than what people have been sharing on social media and even in day-to-day conversations with co-workers, friends, and romantic partners, is all the things people aren’t saying. How often in our lives are we completely vulnerable and real? Who are we when we’re not putting on a front? It’s tentatively titled The Influencer and primarily takes place during one weekend at a hotel on the marsh in South Carolina. It's about an unexpected connection 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 . . .
The Importance of Dressing Up for Work (even if you work from home)
The other day I was working out of a coffee shop, and a sixty-something woman, dressed to the nines in a silk blouse, tailored pants, and black heels, sat at the table next to me talking to her friend. “I don’t get young people, today,” she said. “They’re always dressed for yoga, but none of them are ever at the gym.” “I know,” said her friend. “There’s this brand called Lululemon. Apparently it’s “in.”” I sunk into my chair, hoping they wouldn’t turn around and notice me dressed head . . .
Bad Apples? How To Deal With Toxic Relationships
It’s easy to toss the bad apples when we’re apple picking, but in life, toxic relationships are a bit more difficult to spot and often can be the most challenging relationships to get out of (I mean look at the great lengths Amy Dunne went to in a failed attempt to disentangle herself from Nick in Gone Girl). At my “core” (I apple-ogize now for all my apple picking puns in this post) I don’t believe any one person is a “bad apple.” Quite the opposite, actually. I think most people are . . .
Heartbreak: Why It’s Okay (and Important) to Risk it Again
The other week, while traveling on my book tour, I fell for somebody. It was one of those instant, mutual connections—the kind you don’t have to question, or ask your best friend: what do YOU think about him? I love anything in life that doesn’t need to be questioned, because I am naturally someone who questions everything. (The other week I was in an online chat with someone in tech support for GoDaddy, and after three hours going back and forth with the guy about a problem with my website, I . . .
How To Make Transitions—In Our Wardrobes & In Our Lives
When it comes to our wardrobes, most of us love the transition from one season to the next. I’m currently loving this fall top, these high-waisted jeans, and these scalloped flats. But in our personal lives, we tend to fear transitional phases. During a recent flight to Boston I was delayed for seven hours in the airport. With time to kill, I started talking with another passenger from my flight. He was traveling for work, but told me he didn’t really love his job. “Why don’t you find a . . .
