Novels
Readers say...
TRUST FALLS
A failed stage actress. A beleaguered pop star. Two cousins with nowhere else to go. And an unscrupulous developer, poised to bulldoze their rural sanctuary.
Charley Dupree’s family Christmas tree farm is everything to her: a place of beauty, a refuge from a world that has offered nothing but betrayal, and home to her mother Penny, her oldest friend Julian, and his cousin Mark, a former baseball star who might just be Charley’s soul mate, if she can learn to trust again. But with foreclosure looming, Charley is short on time and options—until a stroke of luck and an act of kindness bring acclaimed singer-songwriter Maya Santoro to her doorstep, seeking a secluded place to finish her overdue album.
But the more Charley tries to balance Maya’s demand for privacy with her fight to keep the farm afloat, the more her relationships suffer. And when a scheme that should be the farm’s ultimate saving grace goes catastrophically wrong, Charley must decide what matters most: her home, or those she shares it with.
Emotionally resonant and brimming with hope, Trust Falls is a story of friendship, found family, and claiming one’s place in the world.
Advance Praise for
"Trust Falls"
“I’ve fallen for Basi’s moving story and the delightful characters she brings to life. Trust Falls captures a Christmas tree farm in ruin, a pop star in hiding, a failed stage actress, and a love for the ages. Brought together by fate and circumstance, Basi knows how to spin a tale full of heart and sacrifice. A beautiful, affecting read.”
Rochelle B. Weinstein, Bestselling author of We Are Made of Stars
*****
With lyrical prose, a vivid sense of place, and a compassionate, nuanced portrayal of disability, Trust Falls explores the deeply relatable journey of learning to trust, both yourself and others, even in the face of profound regret. An immersive story of growth, resilience, and self-discovery.
Melissa R. Collings, award-winning author of The False Flat
*****
Kathleen Basi’s sophomore novel radiates a rare and refreshing blend of honest emotion and unwavering hope. From the moment we meet protagonist Charley Dupree and are transported to the mid-Missouri farm that’s become her sanctuary, Basi evokes our empathy: for washed up pro baseball player Mark, Charley’s dearest friend who might just become something more; for his chromosomally-gifted cousin Julian, who’s called the farm home most of his life; for the singer-songwriter desperate to hide away; and for Charley herself, as she fights her own demons from her past while trying to hang onto the land for the sake of them all.
The pages of Trust Falls are filled with heart and grit, more than a little angst, and an abundance of love, in all its messy and beautiful forms.
Amy Hagstrom, author of Now That I Know You By Heart
A SONG FOR THE ROAD
Cheryl Strayed's Wild meets Katherine Center's How to Walk Away in Kathleen Basi's debut novel about an unconventional road trip and what it means to honor the ones we love.
A year after the death of her husband and twin teenagers. Miriam Tedesco has lost faith in humanity and herself.
When she receives an automated flower delivery from her husband, she completely unravels. Realizing she has to do something to break out of her rut, she starts cleaning out her family’s things. In the process, she stumbles across a road trip phone app that her computer whiz daughter was developing for her. Miriam decides chuck it all and head off into the great unknown. Armed with her husband’s guitar, her daughter’s cello, and her son’s unfinished piano sonata, she embarks on a musical pilgrimage to grieve the family she fears she never loved enough. Along the way she meets a young, pregnant hitchhiker named Dicey, whose boisterous and spunky attitude reminds Miriam of her own daughter and forces her to look harder at what she had rather than what she’s lost.
Tornadoes, impromptu concerts, and an unlikely friendship… whether she’s prepared for it or not, Miriam’s world is coming back to life. But as she struggles to keep her focus on the reason she initially set out on this journey, she has to confront the possibility that the best way to honor her family may be to accept the truths she never wanted to face.
Hopeful, honest, and tender, A Song for the Road is about courage, vulnerability, and forgiveness, even of yourself, when it really matters.
