Thoughts
I write a lot. Essays. Articles. Blog posts. All of them sharing what I’m thinking about. Maybe you think about these things, too.
Why Stories?
Yes, it’s true: I live in my head. Wherever my current story ideas take me. To Cuba or Nepal or California. With people who sing, or tend cows, or—sometimes—commit murder. And those places and those people are real. They may not even make it out of my head, but for the time they’re there? They are still very real.
What’s in a Name?
My characters come to life as I write, not before. They shift and morph and often change the entire narrative arc of my stories. They become who they are in chapter five, or eight, or ten. So the name I started with generally just doesn’t fit the character as they emerge, as they talk with other characters, as they make choices, as they tell me where the book needs to go.
Art is on My Mind...
When I was wondering what context to give my protagonist Sydney’s next set of adventures, it occurred to me that I hadn’t yet explored the world of art.
We Are the Hurricane
What we’re not good at is realizing in this time of plague that the storm isn’t somewhere out there. That we don’t need to protect ourselves from wind and waves, but from each other. That, this time around, we are the hurricane.
Characters Who Are… Characters
The one thing I know I can do is keep some of it alive. Honor some of the people who lived and died here and whose lives were so meaningful to the town.
Interview with Sydney Riley
The off-season is slower, so we were able to catch up with her at The Canteen—one of her favorite eateries—and find out a little more about her.
Travel Lightly
We know we’re lucky to be here … and you are, too. Let’s act as if we can share these fleeting months of sunshine and beauty.