Nantucket . . . the Perfect Setting for a Romance

 by Courtney Walsh

Many years ago, I had my first introduction to Nantucket. My kids were little, and I was not a go-with-the-flow kind of mom. I’m still not, if I’m honest, but when you’ve got kids who need naps and you know the value of the schedule, it’s hard to relax.

I don’t think I appreciated the island or its beauty at all. (Side note: I don’t travel well. I’m working on it.)

But then a couple of years ago, a mom with older kids now, we took a vacation to Cape Cod. We stayed in a house my kids swear was haunted, and we ventured out to do all the touristy-type things. One day toward the end of our trip, we decided to take the ferry over to Nantucket.

The island needed to be redeemed, I think, and I am so glad we went.

Looking at Nantucket through more relaxed eyes, I was instantly smitten. The charm of the cobblestone streets, the brick buildings, the cedar-shingled cottages, the lighthouses, the beaches—it was all breathtaking. And every single bit of it lent itself to romance.

"For many books, the setting is another character..."

For many books, the setting is another character, and getting it right can bring the story to life. I knew after this second visit that this was a place I could get lost in. This was a place where I would love to spend more time.

I’m not sure if this is an actual quote, but someone gave me the advice once that if you want to be inspired, change your routine. I couldn’t agree more. Getting outside of my Illinois town and letting my mind wander as I walked those streets and took in every single bit of the island was exactly what I needed to get my imagination going.

"there are stories everywhere. You just have to slow down long enough to find them."

The truth is there are stories everywhere. You just have to slow down long enough to find them. Millions of what-if questions floating through the air, waiting to land on someone willing to play along. Sometimes it starts with a setting: “What if two kids who had the same birthday spent their summers together on Nantucket and what if they made a pact to revisit the island on their shared golden birthday and what if something happened to drive them apart . . . ?” 

For me, that’s how this story began.

Filling in the blanks and answering those questions made the process of writing this book so much more enjoyable, and setting it in a place that I absolutely love was like a mental vacation. My hope is that everyone who reads it will get to experience a sliver of Nantucket, whether they’re leaving their home or not.

I, for one, feel like it’s the perfect romantic escape.

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Welcome back Courtney, and thank you for sharing your story with us! 

About Courtney:

Courtney Walsh is the author of more than ten contemporary romance books. Her debut novel, A Sweethaven Summer, was a New York Times and USA Today e-book bestseller and a Carol Award finalist in the debut author category. In addition, she has written two craft books and several full-length musicals. Courtney lives with her husband and three children in Illinois, where she is also an artist, theater director, and playwright.

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About Is it Any Wonder

Can a promise made as kids bring them back together as adults? In this Nantucket-set beach read, “master of the genre” (Midwest Book Review) Courtney Walsh delivers a sparkling inspirational romance about first love and second chances. 

Twelve years ago, Cody Boggs and Louisa Chambers made a pact that no matter where their lives took them, they’d return to Nantucket Island’s Brant Point Lighthouse on July 30, their shared golden birthday, and continue their tradition of exchanging birthday wishes. But that was before a tragic accident upended both of their lives, irrevocably pulling them apart.

Their worlds collide just months before that particular day when Louisa’s fledgling event planning company is hired by the local Coast Guard station, where she discovers Cody has recently returned to the island as the second in command. As they plan a regatta fundraiser, hoping to promote positive PR in the community, neither can deny the fireworks each encounter ignites. But working together also brings up memories of the day Cody’s father died, revealing secrets that have Cody and Louisa questioning everything they thought they knew and felt about their families and each other.

GIVEAWAY

Leave a comment for Courtney to enter for a chance to win a copy of Is It Any Wonder, releases on April 6, 2021.  

Giveaway prize courtesy of Tyndale Publishers. (Seekerville's Giveaway rules applied. Open to US residents with a US mailing address only.)

Five Things to Let Go of Today By Courtney Walsh Seekerville

Annie here! I'm excited to welcome Courtney Walsh on Seekerville today! 

If life were as easy as a Disney movie, all of us would’ve figured out how to “let it go” after Elsa’s stirring and emotional power ballad. It feels like something we ought to know how to do, especially once we reach a certain age, but letting go isn’t as easy as the song suggests.

When I began work on my upcoming novel Just Let Go, I prepared with that in mind—the fact that so many of us (myself included) struggle to let go. I’m not sure why it’s human nature to hold on to things, but whether it’s tickets from your very first concert (New Kids on the Block) or a hurt that happened ages ago, we are collectors.

And some things we’re collecting are doing more harm than good. Here are five things to let go of today.

1. Grudges

Okay, this one’s a bit obvious. After all, it’s biblical to forgive and move on. But just because something is obvious doesn’t mean it’s easy, and letting go of the way we felt when someone hurt us is no small feat. We all have different methods for dealing with our pain, and when someone hurts us—especially when they don’t apologize—it can eat us up inside if we let it. We can’t let it. The hurt then compounds and becomes something even more damaging. Forgiveness, though sometimes hard to give, is always the best way to move forward.

2. Regrets

I think of regrets as grudges we hold against ourselves. It’s so easy to replay our mistakes on a continuous loop in our minds, but friends, this is a path to destruction. We all make mistakes, but dwelling on them is no way to live. Your past doesn’t determine your future unless you let it. Choose to forgive yourself, to ask for forgiveness if necessary, and make amends—and then move on as best you can. If God is love and love keeps no record of wrongs, then we shouldn’t either.

3. Unmet expectations

You know how it goes. You’re expecting something really amazing to happen—a job or promotion you’ve been waiting for, a proposal from a significant other, a pregnancy, a positive report . . . the list goes on—and that thing that’s supposed to change your life never comes. They hire someone else. He decides it’s time to move on. You never see that purple “plus sign.” We all have disappointments. We all have those things we were counting on or hoping for that don’t come through. But if you stop and look back, it may be that the closed door was actually there to guide you on your path. What if God has a different job, a spouse more suited to you, better timing for a pregnancy? These unmet expectations can turn into bitterness so easily if we cling to them with both hands. This is when “letting go” becomes synonymous with “trusting God.” Because even when it’s hard, he’s still got our very best interests at heart.

4. Control

Some of us struggle with this one more than others do. Some of us want to be in control of every aspect of our lives. The heroine in Just Let Go is neat and orderly and likes everything in its place—but life doesn’t always allow for that. Sometimes we have to let others take the lead. Sometimes we have to lay our will down in front of Jesus and let him take the lead. Life is about the give and take, and needing control in every situation is a sure recipe for disappointment. Control freaks may not find it very easy to give up their own will. Start small. Let someone else choose the restaurant. Let your kids load the dishwasher and don’t rearrange everything before starting it. Then move on to the bigger things one day at a time.

5. Perfection

Our world is full of images and phrases and people who will try to make us feel like we are not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, skinny enough. I thought this would go away after high school, but I’m forty-two and I still battle these feelings. Perfection is unattainable. It’s such a no-brainer, and yet it bears repeating—perfection is unattainable. Why, then, do we strive for the perfect home, the perfect marriage, the perfect career, the perfect body? We have this standard (set by whom?) that we think we need to attain. Friends, it’s time to let go of that. We will never be perfect. Life will never be perfect. And you know what? That’s okay. It’s not meant to be. Instead of striving for perfection, strive for goodness. Strive for happiness. Strive to please your heavenly Father instead of the strangers on the internet. And revel a little in the messiness of life . . . after all, that’s what makes it fun!

Letting go, in all of its forms, is tricky and challenging, and it takes practice. Day by day, little by little, if you find ways to let go of these things, life will be fuller and more relaxed.

Can you think of one thing you’re holding on to that you could let go of today? Maybe we could take baby steps together? 

Courtney Walsh is a novelist, artist, theatre director, and playwright. Just Let Go will be her eighth inspirational romance novel. Her debut, A Sweethaven Summer, hit the New York Times and USA Today e-book bestseller lists and was a Carol Award finalist in the debut author category. A creative at heart, Courtney has also written two craft books and several full-length musicals. She lives in Illinois with her husband and three children. Visit her online at www.courtneywalshwrites.com.

About the Book:

For Quinn Collins, buying the flower shop in downtown Harbor Pointe, Michigan, fulfills a childhood dream but also gives her the chance to follow in the footsteps of her mother, who owned the store before leaving town twenty years ago and never looking back. Completing much-needed renovations, however, while also preparing for a prestigious flower competition with her mother as the head judge, soon has Quinn in over her head. Not that she’d ever ask for help.

Luckily, she may not need to. Quinn’s father and his meddling friends find the perfect solution in notorious Olympic skier Grady Benson, who had only planned on passing through the old-fashioned lakeside town. But when a heated confrontation leads to property damage, helping Quinn as a community service sentence seems like the quickest way out—and the best way to avoid more negative press.

Quinn finds Grady reckless and entitled; he thinks she’s way too uptight. Yet as the two begin working together, Quinn sees glimpses of the vulnerability behind the bravado, and Grady learns from her passion and determination, qualities he seems to have lost in his pursuit of Olympic gold. When a well-intentioned omission has devastating consequences, Grady finds himself cast out of town—and Quinn’s life—possibly forever. Forced to face the hurt holding her back, Quinn has to choose: let go or risk missing the adventure of a lifetime.

Includes discussion questions.

You can find out more and to purchase the book on Tyndale's website HERE.

Tyndale House Publishers is giving away one copy of Just Let Go to one reader. Just leave a comment for Courtney or whatever you'd like to share to enter. Winner will be announced in the Seekerville WE this Saturday. (Sorry, US mailing addresses only.)