I realized that Tourist Town would appeal to people with deeply human values: curiosity about other cultures, respect for difference, and longing for a sense of community. The book works for both: people who want to enjoy a simple fun story and people who like to discover what lies beneath the surface.
Willa Goodfellow – 15 May 2026
The Back Flap
When Willa and her wife travel to Costa Rica to visit family, they discover far more than they expected in the sleepy little fishing village of Playas Del Coco. At the local bar Pato Loco, they meet a vibrant cast of characters, from Mama, the blind 72-year-old co-owner of the bar, to Richie, an aging hippie, to the unforgettable expats who have come looking for both paradise and a cheap beer.
Through a collection of humorous, sharply observed, and big-hearted stories, Willa tackles questions like “how does a tight-knit community face the pressure of development?” and “how do you perform CPR on a fish?” all while discovering connection and community.
About the book
What is the book about?
A Gritty Little Tourist Town: Bar Tales from Costa Rica is a memoir in short stories collected at the Pato Loco, the hotel/restaurant/bar owned by the author’s mother and sister where expats gather daily, looking for paradise, or at least cheap beer.
Meet Mama—the blind 72-year-old co-owner of the Pato Loco (Crazy Duck) along with her daughter and partner Mary—the bartender and installation artist, Richie—an aging hippie who speaks seldom but you always want to hear it, and more. Humor, adventure, pathos, family—strangers who become a community by telling one story at a time.
When did you start writing the book?
I started collecting bar tales in 2006, while staying in Costa Rica and working on my first memoir, Prozac Monologues.
How long did it take you to write it?
The book began simply as a record of funny stories that I heard around the family table at the Pato Loco. I spent 4-6 weeks in Playas del Coco once or twice a year, 2006-2022 with a couple breaks, and went to happy hour most afternoons to listen to the chat over my beer. The story collection grew slowly over that time. In 2020 (COVID) I joined a writer’s group and started turning what was essentially notes of dialog into real stories with setting and character descriptions. In 2022, I had a completed draft, and finished the last major edit the next year. I seem to write slow.
Where did you get the idea from?
That’s the first bar tale! One morning I heard my very hungover condo neighbor yelling at a mynah bird—in two languages. I had to tell this story. So I walked over to the Pato Loco at 11 a.m. and found a friend who said she was in need of some de-stressing. The story did the trick. So I went home to write it down. After three years of collecting other people’s stories, I realized I had the start of a book.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
There were two. First, I am not a person who notices my physical environment. My writer’s group was invaluable for asking questions like:
- What are the colors and odors surrounding the family table
- How did Abuela make tortillas? Tell me the process
- What does a howler monkey sound like
- Help me feel that lumpy mattress
Then, since the stories were first written as I heard them, I needed to rearrange them into a rough narrative arc, and then fix the continuity difficulties.
What came easily?
The research! Once I learned to write description and had turned a collection into a coherent narrative, I made one final trip to Coco for my last editing pass. Working on one story at a time, I walked around this gritty little tourist town, recording its sights, smells, sounds, asking Ticos the names of trees, jogging my memory of little incidents that filled out the book, and confirming my passion to record this charming place before “development” erases its peculiarities.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
Though it reads like fiction, A Gritty Little Tourist Town is nonfiction. The characters are all real-world people. There is one story which is fictionalized—it really did happen, but when I was out of town. For narrative purposes I inserted myself into the story. But the dialog of all the other stories is nearly word for word, written down within an hour of when I heard them.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Oh my, it feels so pretentious to throw the name John Steinbeck out there. But I have been reading him since high school, appreciating his respect for and honoring of the “common” person and especially the underclass. One chapter in Prozac Monologues, a story about a leaping iguana, is dedicated to Steinbeck. I wrote it with the turtle that opens Grapes of Wrath in mind. In that first book, my chapter titles were unconsciously modeled after Tortilla Flats. A Gritty Little Tourist Town is more consciously modeled after it, a love letter of sorts to a group of rascals, preserving a time and place that might be overlooked and never known. Steinbeck inspires me to develop weighty themes beneath the surface of ordinary lives.
Do you have a target reader?
My first target reader was the person who was on vacation or wanted to be. It’s a good, funny read. Over time, I realized that Tourist Town would appeal to people with deeply human values: curiosity about other cultures, respect for difference, and longing for a sense of community. The book works for both: people who want to enjoy a simple fun story and people who like to discover what lies beneath the surface.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
One writing rule to which I am faithful is to keep to a regular schedule. I write when it’s time to write, not when I feel inspired. For me, that time is the morning when my brain is the clearest and energy the highest. Afternoons are for walking or physical chores while my mind works out phrasing and segues.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
Nope—pantser here. Both A Gritty Little Tourist Town and Prozac Monologues were accidental memoirs, half written before I even realized I was writing a book. I found the structure and order after the second drafts were written
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I edit while I breathe. That’s the writing rule I totally ignore. I love editing, moving words around on a page like they are on stage, until they hit their marks. The meaning emerges as I write, as I hear the sound of the accents and consonants at the end of the sentences. I have to push them around until they tell me where the next line is going.
Did you hire a professional editor?
I do. The professional comes much later in the process, but I am willing to invest in every opportunity to become a better writer and turn out a better piece of work.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Not usually, and not when I am on a wave. I have ADHD and if I find myself lagging, I turn to a Spotify list for concentration, with the volume on low enough that I can barely hear it. That might be a placebo, but it helps me focus.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
No—when I started on my publication process with the first book, I couldn’t figure out how to get started with finding one.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I had been pitching indie publishers and traditional for a couple years and ran out of energy. A friend had published with She Writes Press and encouraged me to submit there. The hybrid process made sense to me, giving me the support I needed for aspects I could not do myself (design, the legal pieces, and most importantly—distribution.) SWP worked with me for a developmental edit on the first book.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
I just don’t have those skills. Cover design is one of SWP’s strengths and I have been delighted with both covers that they have created for me. Each cover tells the book’s story at a glance.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
Right now, I am investing in publicity—pushing the marketing issue down the road. I have some ideas, specific markets where I will sell books myself.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
- Look closely at the realities of publishing with the big companies. Don’t get overinvested in a fantasy that isn’t going to pan out in reality.
- Find out as much about the publishing process as you can, what happens between finishing a manuscript and holding a book in your hands. You’ve got a whole lot of work yet to do.
- After that, find out how distribution works.
- Get professional help to make your book look professional.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I grew up on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains in Loveland, Colorado, when it was a small town.
Where do you live now?
Ireland! In a tiny village in County Kerry. It’s just as beautiful as it sounds.
What would you like readers to know about you?
My core values are curiosity, courage, and respect. I want everything I write to reflect that.
What are you working on now?
I write a lot! I am an Episcopal priest, now working for the Church of Ireland. So I write a sermon every other week, sharing the preaching load with my wife. I also write on Substack, “What’s Next” at willagoodfellow.substack.com about my “fourth quarter” as an immigrant in Ireland and aging with adventure. I also have a daily Substack “On the Way” at wgoodfellow.substack.com. These pieces are reflections on the bible readings assigned for the day, through the lens of my spiritual discipline, the Way of Love.
Is there another book coming? I don’t know. Today somebody at the village coffee shop said that the village was filled with stories, and I needed to write another book—but leave her out of it! So that would be a challenge!
A next book hasn’t revealed itself to me yet. I’ll know once it’s half written!
End of Interview:
For more from Willa Goodfellow check out her substacks, linked above, as well a her website. You can also follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
Get yourself a copy of A Gritty Little Tourist Town from Amazon US.
