Hi Beaufort Fans! I’m pretty new to the Beaufort Books family, so I’ll begin with an introduction. My name is Riley. I’m originally from a tiny town in Texas. My hometown is basically the Anti-NYC, but we do have a Wal-Mart and a Whataburger. And if you knew what either of those things were, you’d be really jealous. I moved to the Big Apple for school. I’m currently working on a Master’s in Publishing at Pace University. Feel free to call me Master Lauderdale.
My blog is about something New Yorkers have probably never struggled with: boredom. Growing up in a small town, most of the time there is absolutely nothing to do. And with boredom, comes disaster. Once I was bored and I ended up with 24 stitches on my face. There’s more to that story, it includes football and teeth, but the moral is that boredom is a national safety hazard. So, how do small town kids combat the negative effects of boredom? We read. Well that’s not true. I probably shouldn’t speak for all small town citizens. Let’s just say, I read.
During school semesters, my days started to feel a lot like Groundhog Day – the Bill Murray movie, not the actual holiday where we think it’s acceptable to annoy a magical groundhog for our own personal gain. Every day is the same: wake up at noon, leave the castle, arrive at school, return to the castle, force butlers to finish homework, eat a nutritious snack of chicken wings and cupcakes, and finally hang out with Emma Watson.
Life in a small town is tough people.
If only!
My life was a constant cycle of school, athletics (because everyone in Texas is sporty), home, homework, and sleep. Repeat! School, athletics, home, homework, sleep. It doesn’t take long for this to become dreadfully monotonous. The only way I was able to reach beyond this lackluster loop was by reading.
When I was reading I didn’t have to be small town Riley that had algebra homework due and no movie theatre for miles. I didn’t have to be 16, surrounded by adult rules, and drowning in high school politics. I could be anywhere and anyone. Heck, I didn’t even have to be human. I went through a pretty serious fairy book phase in high school.
But I’ve realized that just because I’m “technically” an adult and have moved to the greatest city on the planet, I can still feel stuck in my situation. Now, instead of reading books about grand adventures, I look for Midwestern settings, small town characters, and mentions of Texas. Books have the never-ending power to transport you to wherever you want to be.
Thanks for reading!
Maybe next time I’ll tell you more about my stitches.
Riley,