Q&A With Riley Costello 

This evening I’m doing a Q&A with author Riley Costello, who has written “Waiting at Hayden’s, and “Waiting for December,” which comes out this month.

Q:What were your favorite novels you read this year so far? 

A: This year I binge read all of Colleen Hoover’s novels! She is my current favorite author and her most recent book, Reminders of Him, is one of her best yet. 

Q: So what is your advice to someone wanting to be a writer like you?

A: Write every single day! There’s no quick and easy way to get better at writing, or to get a book written. The best method that I’ve found is to pick a word count that feels challenging, yet attainable, and hit it every single day. For me, that’s 1,000 words per day. I write first thing in the morning whether I want to or not and while it’s the most challenging thing I do each day, I always feel accomplished once I get the words done, and this daily goal has given me a quiet certainty that I can do hard things and that no matter what, I’ll continue to get books written. 

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your novel “Waiting for December,” which comes out in September? 

A: Waiting for December tells the story of a woman who is forced to choose between two different lives—and two completely different loves—during the holiday season. 

I’ve always loved the movie The Holiday, and love stories set during the fall/winter so knew I wanted to try my hand at a holiday romance. I also knew I wanted to tell a story about someone completely starting over. The pandemic forced a lot of us to pivot and question if we’re living the lives we really want to be living. I wanted to tell a story about a woman who was forced to start fresh and figure out who she really is, what matters to her, and which way her heart is leading when it comes to love.

Q: Are you working on a new novel now? If so can you spoil what it’s about? 

Yes! I can’t share what it’s about but it’s a second-chance love story primarily set in Charleston, South Carolina.