Publication Date: October 6, 2026
In this warmhearted and witty debut, a mysterious gift spurs a widow to take a cross-country journey to find its sender—and along the way, she rediscovers herself.
Evie Walters has lived most of her seventy-one years according to others’ expectations. But on the day of her husband’s funeral, she receives an anonymous delivery: an egret orchid. The same flower a Montana ranch hand once gave her decades ago—Novel Daniels, the boy who thought she could do anything.
So now, she does.
Defying her children’s plans to move her into a retirement home, Evie buys a camper van and leaves life in North Carolina abruptly behind. Accompanied by her devoted rescue dog, she heads west to find her cowboy, befriending an unlikely cast of characters along the way. Free-spirited young vanlifers, roadside waitresses, eccentric billionaires, and kindhearted widowers all show Evie a side of life worth living.
But Evie’s drive toward the future takes her back to the past, to memories of the family ranch and childhood dreams. Now, with a second chance as open as the road before her, there’s no telling who Evie Walters will become.
After the death of her husband, a woman boldly starts a new chapter full of adventure.
Author Kathleen Fox serves up a heartfelt story that reminds readers age is simply a number in Evie Walters Takes the Wheel.
In spite of attempts from her adult children to be regulated to a luxury assisted living facility, Evie is reminded of her unfinished past in Montana. A run-in with two young women lights a spark of adventure, leading to a camper van purchase.
Depending on where you are in life, this may generate concern (her children’s perspective) or hope (anyone worrying about being “too old”). As the story progresses, we learn more about her teenage years and the handsome cowboy, Novel, through flashbacks to the past.
Evie’s character provides encouragement while acknowledging that a radical decision to travel alone from North Carolina to Montana at 71 can be scary. Along the way, though, she encounters people from all walks of life who inspire her in unusual ways.
Evie Walters Takes the Wheel delivers a main character determined to chart her own path and embrace life.
Kathleen Fox is a wanderer, happiest when her van is packed, her dogs are snoring in the passenger seat, and the road ahead promises at least three good stories and one questionable decision. An explorer of backroads, small towns, and the wonderfully weird corners of the world, Kathleen’s fictional work is grounded in underrepresented rural voices and unexpected moments that only “van life” brings.
After years of writing educational material, Kathleen decided to take a journey of a different kind—into women’s fiction. Her debut novel, EVIE WALTERS TAKES THE WHEEL (Lake Union) hits the road October 2026!
When she’s not chasing horizons, Kathleen calls the coast of South Carolina home.
