Author: BettyJoyce Nash and Kathleen Fox
Date/Time: Wednesday 11/04/2026 at 11:00 AM
Book: Never Mind Your Good Reasons and Evie Walters Takes the Wheel
Synopsis: We happily hosted BettyJoyce Nash's debut prize-winning novel, "Everybody Here is Kin," and welcome her highly praised second work of nine stories: A grieving widow's brief cognitive loss fails to diminish her grief; a dying brother's now-famous nude painting of his dead mother revives old hurts and rivalries between him and his twin sister; a drunk house painter steps on a woman's vintage shoe on a crowded city bus in Charlottesville; a lifeguard bonds with a swimmer who has dementia. The characters in "Never Mind Your Good Reasons" face disruption and, finally, themselves in these intimate, captivating tales. Loners who aren't quite making it, BettyJoyce Nash's people live on the outskirts of a town or city, a job, and their own lives. With her MSJ from Medill Journalism (Northwestern) and her MFA in fiction, from Queens University of Charlotte, she teaches fiction at WriterHouse in Charlottesville; she's also taught writing in college and the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail. 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. In her warmhearted and witty debut, "Evie Walters Takes the Wheel," 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 71 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. Accompanied by her devoted rescue dog, she heads west to find her cowboy, befriending an unlikely cast of characters along the way. Now, with a second chance as open as the road before her, there's no telling who Evie Walters will become.
Restaurant: Hot Fish Club, Murrells Inlet
Menu: Choice of Shrimp & Grits or Steak & Potatoes
Directions: