Sincerely, Riley

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How To Live Your Best Hallmark Christmas Movie Inspired Life This Holiday Season

November 23, 2019

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 . . .

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The Power and Importance of Trusting Your Gut Feelings

November 13, 2019

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 . . .

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1 Comment · Lifestyle

Flirty, Feminine Dresses to Add a Touch of Romance to Your Life

January 11, 2019

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 . . .

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How to Date On a Budget (and why it’s more romantic to!)

November 16, 2018

A while back I spoke with a guy who said he’s not dating because it’s too expensive. “It’s not the same for women,” he said. “You just have to show up and everything’s paid for.” His first point was valid. In Orange County a cocktail alone can cost upwards of $18 and a ticket to a movie, $22. (Fun Fact: when I first moved to the OC and went to a matinee alone, I was sure the cashier misheard me and rang me up for two tickets when he told me the cost. “I just need one,” I reiterated. “That is . . .

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Second Chances: Can An Ex Change His or Her Stripes?

November 7, 2018

In our friendships, we forgive and forget all the time, but when it comes to our exes is it good or bad to give second chances? I’m someone who has gotten back together with exes more times than I care to admit. As an inherently nostalgic person, I tend to remember the good, totally forget the bad, and it’s not until I’m back in the relationship again that I think: oh yeah, I remember why this didn’t work out. I think this is because I’ve been fortunate enough to never have had a really . . .

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A Magical Story of How My Planner Predicted My Future

November 5, 2018

Back in 2017, when I was frustrated that my novel, Waiting at Hayden's, had not yet been published, and I felt like I’d be an “aspiring author” forever, I went out and bought a planner for 2018. In it, instead of writing down the plans that I DID have for the year ahead, I wrote down all the plans I WANTED to have. In the summer, for instance, I wanted my novel to be published. So, I picked a day in July of 2018 and wrote down, “launch party at my parents’ house”! In September, I wanted . . .

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Finished!! If you loved Waiting at Hayden’s, I c Finished!! If you loved Waiting at Hayden’s, I can guarantee you’re going to enjoy this book. A little bit more 🔥 & the same amount of ❤️. This book is fun. And I hope makes you feel good next fall!
Waiting for December - the title for my September Waiting for December - the title for my September 2022 release! ❄️ Another peek here at the inspired setting in Stowe, VT. 📷 : @edsonhillvt
Waiting at Hayden’s is getting a sequel (sort of Waiting at Hayden’s is getting a sequel (sort of!) and it’s a Christmas story. 🎄Coming September 2022!
My mom and I started an Etsy shop! 💕 Early on i My mom and I started an Etsy shop! 💕 Early on in the pandemic my mom shared with me that it’s always been a dream of hers to have a card company. When she was in her early thirties she and my dad worked as caretakers at a campground for six months to change things up, have fun, and work a job where they could spend time together, and during that time she attempted stitching and sewing handmade cards. While she loved the creative part, it was too labor intensive, and nothing came of it.

She showed me her original designs when the pandemic started and told me she still wished there was a way to bring them to life. So, I said we’ve got the time right now—let’s find a way. And we decided to start a shop an Etsy shop!

We’ve spent the past six months designing printable cards, wall décor, bookmarks, and more. 

It’s been really neat to see my mom’s dream come to life and to get to work together on building a brand that’s inspired by her vision. 

2020 was really tough for all of us, and creating this store with my mom was a little bit of light. I’ll always remember getting to work side-by-side with her on this. Link in bio to our store. We’ll have new designs each week! Happy New Year!💕 #bookmarks #bookstagram #etsyshop
Finished!!!! 💕✨🌟 Such a journey! Thank you Finished!!!! 💕✨🌟 Such a journey! Thank you for all your encouraging messages this weekend! This book was very challenging to write, but I also felt lucky that I had this story idea at this time & that I got to do this work during quarantine. It brought a lot of light into my life, a lot of laughs, and lots of new, interesting perspectives—and that’s what I hope it brings to all of you next. I can’t wait to share ONE PERFECT WEEKEND!! #thend #oneperfectweekend #writinganovel #womensfiction #newbook
We’ve changed the title for my next book! This w We’ve changed the title for my next book! This was a change I wanted to make for a number of reasons: the main one being that the book, at it’s core, is a love story just like Waiting at Hayden’s and I didn’t feel like The Influencer reflected that. The book’s new title is One Perfect Weekend and I feel it fits the story SOO much better. 💕 If anyone is curious about what goes into picking a book title or if you’re working on a WIP of your own, I wrote up a blog post about the topic and it’s linked in my bio. I talk more in there about the title change for this story too! #oneperfectweekend #womensfiction #newnovel #beachreads 📷: @ryanselewicz
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