Crafting Sweet Escapes and Swoony Fiction with Courtney Walsh (E153)
In today’s episode, I’m delighted to be joined by Courtney Walsh, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of heartwarming, low-spice romance and contemporary women’s fiction. A Carol Award winner and Christy Award finalist, Courtney is a storyteller devoted to crafting light-hearted yet poignant, character-driven novels that offer a safe and joyful escape.
We’re here to talk about her newest novel, Everything’s Coming Up Rosie, but as always, our conversation touches much deeper themes—life, creativity and how we show up for the people and passions that matter most.
Courtney shares what she’s learned through writing: about staying present in the story, parenting through different seasons and redefining priorities as life evolves. We talk about saying no with confidence, the comfort of rom-coms over thrillers and the kind of books that soothe rather than stir anxiety. Her goal? To be the writer readers turn to in their heaviest seasons—for warmth, laughter and a little bit of swoon.
Episode Highlights:
Why setting boundaries is essential to honoring your priorities.
The comfort of reading books that don’t trigger your anxiety.
The evolution of priorities through the stages of life and motherhood.
Writing older characters as a way to bring wisdom into fiction.
The value of writing joyful stories in a heavy world.
Connect with Courtney:
Books and authors mentioned in the episode:
The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh (mentioned in Ep. 95 with Amanda Cox)
Cross Country Christmas by Courtney Walsh
Alex - The Life of a Child by Frank DeFord
Rocky Road by Becky Wade
Book Flight
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz
The Good Part by Sophie Cousens
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