A Road of Her Own

$18.00

Red Light Lit Press published Kimberly’s debut novel in May, 2026.

Meet Mira. She writes about the dead. Now she’s ready to finally live.

At twenty-nine, Mira’s stuck writing obituaries, caring for a once-wild, now-blind mother, and living in a fish-scented apartment that smells like failure. Her dream of becoming a photojournalist feels distant—until a last-chance artist fellowship offers a shot at something more. With a camera in her hand and nothing left to lose, Mira sets out on a solo, cross-country road trip through America’s national parks. Along the way, she skydives, breaks down (in every sense), and meets women who remind her what it means to want, to risk, and to live. But the road has its own demands. As old grief and family secrets rise to the surface, Mira must finally face what she’s been avoiding: the truth about her past—and the life she still has time to claim.

Wondering what’s the best way to buy my book?
Through my site is #1. #2 is ordering it from your local bookstore. #3 is Bookshop.com
(Amazon takes the majority of funds from authors/publishers, so I highly recommend avoiding that beast of a thing ;) —gracias!)

Red Light Lit Press published Kimberly’s debut novel in May, 2026.

Meet Mira. She writes about the dead. Now she’s ready to finally live.

At twenty-nine, Mira’s stuck writing obituaries, caring for a once-wild, now-blind mother, and living in a fish-scented apartment that smells like failure. Her dream of becoming a photojournalist feels distant—until a last-chance artist fellowship offers a shot at something more. With a camera in her hand and nothing left to lose, Mira sets out on a solo, cross-country road trip through America’s national parks. Along the way, she skydives, breaks down (in every sense), and meets women who remind her what it means to want, to risk, and to live. But the road has its own demands. As old grief and family secrets rise to the surface, Mira must finally face what she’s been avoiding: the truth about her past—and the life she still has time to claim.

Wondering what’s the best way to buy my book?
Through my site is #1. #2 is ordering it from your local bookstore. #3 is Bookshop.com
(Amazon takes the majority of funds from authors/publishers, so I highly recommend avoiding that beast of a thing ;) —gracias!)

Available Wherever
You Buy Books

BOOKSHOP
BARNES & NOBLE

Want to support your local bookshop?

Just call and ask them to order A Road of Her Own by Kimberly Gomes (Red Light Press) and it’ll be there in no time!

Local Bookstores Carrying A Road of Her Own

Two Birds Books, 41st Ave. Santa Cruz

Stories Bookstore & Cafe, Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles

"A sweeping, heartfelt tale of emotional exploration and physical adventure... One woman's independent journey through America, facing deep-rooted fears to get to the center of her emotional core. Guaranteed to make you itch to explore new terrains, both inside and out."

—Jessamyn Violet
Author of Venice Peach and Secret Rules to Being a Rockstar

Why I Wrote This Book

I wanted a book that centered on a woman’s self-discovery, her shadow-facing, her cycle-breaking. Not just her capability to love or leave a man.

It was alarming how few fiction novels existed in this camp. I found countless adventure-laden male protagonists, though. Kerouac, Steinbeck, Hemingway had written plenty—all men on the road, out in the world, all expanding.

But why couldn’t I find characters who were at a juncture like I was?

So this is for the women who live lives that are winding and worry whether they should straighten out.

If you need some inspiration to bet on yourself …
If you want to travel without going far, or get some gusto to take a journey of your own …

This is a book of the road teaching lessons.
The road giving you sages in the form of strangers.

This is a book of individuating from the past, so you can step into a soul-resonant future.

I hope it inspires just one person to go out there and pave a road of your own.

Reviews

  • Evocative of Cheryl Strayed’s Wild

    "In telling the story of a young woman facing down debt, the gig economy, and illness while caregiving for her once free-spirited hippie mother, Kimberly Gomes has written an extraordinarily moving book that shows women daring to pursue their dreams despite very real obstacles. Evocative of Cheryl Strayed’s Wild and Chloé Zhao’s filmography of women reveling in nature while entirely Gomes’s own distinct voice, A Road of Her Own is an unforgettable inter-generational adventure story. What a trip indeed!"

    —May-lee Chai
    Author of the American Book Award-winning collection, Useful Phrases for Immigrants, and Tomorrow in Shanghai & Other Stories.

  • Experience the Thrill of Heading into the Unknown

    “A Road of Her Own offers us not only a powerful story of self-discovery, but a poetic testimony of what can be gained by leaving the safe boundaries of the known world behind. As this tale unfolds, you are given a chance to experience the thrill of what it’s like to head out into the unknown, to find what awaits you beyond the comforts and confines of home, sights and experiences that you may have imagined but never experienced. As you read, you may well be inspired to see the world yourself, to leave the sofa, the chair, and be released from whatever confines you to head towards a horizon where revelation and freedom awaits. Kimberly Gomes has written a book that will inspire you to do just that. To go.”

    —Toni Mirosevich
    Author of Spell Heaven

A Road of Her Own
Book Tour

May 9
Santa Cruz Book Launch
8pm

Lilleaske
3160 Highway 9
Boulder Creek, CA
SOLD OUT / THANK YOU!

Thurs., May 14
Red Light Lit @Joshua Tree
7 PM

Secret Location
(Msg for Details)
SO GREAT MEETING YOU ALL!

Sun., Aug 2
A Road of Her Own @ Red Light Lit

7 PM

Four Star Theater
2200 Clement St.
San Francisco
SUCH AN INSPIRING EVENT

Sept 12
Panelist, Printers Row Lit Fest
1-2pm

Grace Place, 1st Floor
Chicago, IL

Tues., May 26
The Racket @ San Francisco
7 PM

The Sycamore
2140 Mission St
San Francisco
MY HEART IS FULL. THANK YOU, THE RACKET!

Wed., June 10
Red Light Lit @ Los Angeles
7 PM


Stories Bookstore
1716 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA
LITERALLY A DREAM COME TRUE
THANK YOU STORIES!

Thurs., Aug 27
A Road of Her Own @ Literary Speakeasy

7 PM

Martuni’s
4 Valencia St
San Francisco
WHY I LOVE SAN FRANCISCO

Sat., Oct. 3
A Road of Her Own @ Capitola Library
1:30 PM


Capitola Library
2005 Wharf Rd
Capitola, CA