#TuesdayTreasures Guest post by Tyndale author Courtney Walsh

Good Morning!

It is always a pleasure to introduce to you a new-to-me and my blog author and today is no exception.

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 or http://courtneywalshwrites.com/blog


Welcome, Courtney! We're looking forward to hearing about something you treasure so take it away....

For the Love of Words

For as long as I can remember I’ve been a lover of words. More than that, I’ve been a collector of words. The day after I saw Dead Poets Society in the eighth grade, I ran out and bought a composition notebook and filled it with quotes from the movie. That notebook became the holder of every quote I ran across that sparked a reaction in me. And I still have it (and several others like it) today: 

Hidden in the pages of these notebooks are my most precious thoughts along with the thoughts and quotes of other people, and leafing through them brings much-needed perspective.  

Years later, my love affair with words continued. I spent many years working in the scrapbooking industry, creating pages to preserve our family’s memories. Scrapbooking was a fun creative outlet, and I loved taking photos and playing with paper . . . but it was the stories I could tell on those pages that kept me glued to that hobby for so long.

I always maintained that the photo, without the words, lost something. And I still believe that. It was the words that brought the pictures to life. And these days, though I’m not scrapbooking anymore, it’s still words that bring life to my life.

I suppose it’s not very original for an author to say she’s chosen to fill her home and her life with words and quotes and verses. After all, most days, I can’t keep up with the phrases that float through my mind. I’ll be sitting in the Starbucks drive-thru and a description of the man in front of me will race through my head. I’ll think, I could use that in a book, and scramble to find a pen to jot it down before the phrase disappears.

I think somehow, instinctively, I’ve always known there is power in our words. I’ve always thought I wanted to surround myself with things that filled me up, that filled my family up. I believe that what we meditate on determines our whole outlook on life, so it makes sense that we should fill our homes with these treasured reminders.

Sometimes I’m drawn to sayings or song lyrics, and other times, just one simple word. Like home. 

Really, that one word says so much.

 

So I fill my house (and my life) with words. They show my personality, which is sometimes a little messy: 

                                                         But still quite detailed

They remind me of what’s important: 

And send me (and my kids) off every morning with a proper focus:

One of my favorite writing quotes is “Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart,” and I suppose that’s what words are for me—the breathings of my heart.

And this haphazard collection is one of my favorite treasures.

What a wonderful reminder, Courtney, of the power and treasure of words. Thanks for sharing!

Now tell us about your latest novel, Just Let Go....

For Quinn Collins, buying the flower shop in downtown Harbor Pointe fulfills a childhood dream, but also gives her the chance to stick it to her mom, who owned the store before skipping town twenty years ago and never looking back. Completing much-needed renovations, however, while also competing 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 uptight and too regimented. Yet as the two begin to hammer and saw, Quinn sees glimpses of the vulnerability behind the bravado, and Grady learns from her passion and determination, qualities he seems to have lost along the way. But 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 must finally let go or risk missing out on the adventure of a lifetime.

Includes discussion questions and can be found at Tyndale!

Thanks again, Courtney. Wishing you the best of luck and God's blessings with your new book!

Hope you enjoyed today's post friends and that you'll check back weekly for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT