Carolyn Fox - Soul Rider: Facing Fear and Finding Redemption on a Harley

Praise for Soul Rider

Take a dose of How Stella Got Her Groove Back and mix in a portion of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and you get a taste of Soul Rider . Literature is full of stories about people taking to the road to find themselves, but this journey is unique and insightful, full of adventure and discovery.

David Fisher, author of twenty-two New York Times bestsellers

Carolyn Fox was one of the first women in modern history to venture out on her motorcycle on a (mid)life-changing solo journey. Her stories of freedom and liberation will inspire others to do the same for generations to come.

Genevieve Schmitt, Founder/Editor of WomenRidersNow.com

Soul Rider offers the unique perspective of a single woman traversing America on a motorcycleall the while conquering her fears, discovering the richness of life, and finding those things that matter most. A great read!

Kay Allenbaugh, author of the Chocolate for a Womans Soul book series

While this story will keep you invested, wondering what will happen next, its more than just entertaining; its important. There simply arent enough role models like Carolyn Fox in our world, a woman who shows us how to aim straight for our fearsand run them over.

Holly Lorincz, author of The Stonecutters Daughter

Learning to ride a motorcycle at midlife requires great courage. But that just prepares you for the external and internal journeys theyll take you on. In Soul Rider , author Carolyn Fox illustrates how you can overcome your fears to discover places of peace, power, and joy, where you can craft a new story for your life.

Liz Jansen, author of Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment , and Life Lessons from Motorcycles

Soul Rider is a lesson in how stepping out of your comfort zone and conquering your fear can lead you to the life that you are meant to live. Readers of any age will be inspired to make every one of their remaining days on Earth truly count.

Annette White, author of Bucket List Adventures: 10 Incredible Journeys to Experience Before You Die (Skyhorse)

Many people wrestle with their demons all their lives; in Soul Rider , Carolyn Fox rides a Harley to take on the darkness of her grief and reach the healing light of forgiveness. Her story is a road map to those stuck in life and needing a lift.

Bill Johnson, author of A Story is a Promise & The Spirit of Storytelling

In this inspiring memoir, Carolyn Fox takes every woman who has longed to reconnect intimately with herself on an unbelievable rideacross country and across the terrifying and miraculous landscape of the Self. This book reminds all of us that when we have the courage to answer the call of our Soul, profound healing and transformation will surely follow.

Dawn Thompson, Portland Women Writers

Carolyn Fox shows us that the world opens up when we step outside our comfort zones. The unexpected happenssometimes good, sometimes not, but always, we grow. Foxs drive is inspiring and her prose beautiful.

Ali Shaw, Executive Editor, Indigo Editing & Publications

Copyright 2017 by Carolyn Fox

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Rain Saukas

Cover photo credit : Authors collection

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-1912-5

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-1913-2

Printed in the United States of America

Dedication

For my children, Elizabeth, Brian, and Travis
And for Dennis Foster

Authors Note

When I began this journey, I carried a small tape recorder and recorded my thoughts and experiences as I traveled. I collected brochures, general information where it was available in various formats, and took hundreds of photographs. Returning home, those tapes were transcribed, resulting in over two hundred pages of notes. Kampgrounds of America (KOA) sponsored me. Upon my return, they offered copies of the newspaper articles and video tapes of the televised interviews, which theyd been tracking. I have changed most, but not all of the names of people in this book. I met many marvelous and fascinating characters on the road, but many times, my interaction was brief. On occasion, I changed some identifying characteristics to protect others privacy.

Acknowledgments

I want to take a moment and thank the people who have helped and encouraged me on my publishing journey. This has indeed been a long process and I could not have done it without the help of so many people.

When I first started writing twenty years ago, I thought I would just tell the story of my physical ride, add stories from the road, throw in a few jokes, and that would be that. Simple. That was back in my very nave days, before, as they like to say, Life got in the way.

I attended the 2014 Willamette Writers Conference in Portland, Oregon, and pitched my story to a dozen agents. There were lots of nice rejection letters, but no offers. Agent Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary, liked the story, but wrote and said that after four months of kicking it around, publishers couldnt quite get over the hump with it.

More editors, more rewrites, and finally I was done. Everything was a goI was all set to self-publish! Then one morning I woke up and said to my husband, Dennis Foster, something is wrong with the book. I hired Holly Lorincz of Lorincz Literary Services (literaryconsulting.com). Her suggestions changed everything. She encouraged me to talk about the true nature of my trip, which was my twenty-two-year personal struggle to reconcile my egregious behavior after the death of our infant daughter. I had not discussed the magnitude of that experience with anyone, not even with my wonderful mother, Daisy. Thank you, Holly, for encouraging me to return to a place I never wanted to go, but needed to.

I resubmitted the rewrite to Chip, and he became my agent. Thank you, Chip, for not giving up on me!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this process. You have no idea how much I have enjoyed working with you. Your expertise and input has been invaluable. I would like to give a special thanks to: Kay Allenbaugh, Genevieve Schmitt, Liz Jansen, Bill Johnson, Dawn Thompson, Ali McCart Shaw, Marie Prys, Elizabeth Lyons, Buzz Buzzelli, Sheila Maraigh, Suzanne Copitzky, Carol Elizabeth, Diana Martin, Joy Farmer, and Gail Porter.

Many thanks to Kampgrounds of America (KOA) for allowing me to stay at your campgrounds in exchange for media coverage. KOA was a welcome sight when I was cold, wet, and exhausted. And for assigning Annette Murray, your Communication Specialist, to keep track of me. She was a saint!

Thank you Serge A. McCabe Verriele Photography, for the terrific shot of me on my red FXE Shovelhead and allowing Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., to photoshop. They merged it into their beautiful cover.