Today we visit with author and composer Kathleen M. Basi. Kathleen is mother to three active boys (read that: always breaking something) and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. A proud native of flyover country and an honest-to-goodness farm girl (as in cattle, hogs, chickens, grain bins and a combine), she spent her childhood climbing trees, jumping off hay bales and chasing cattle back into their pasture when they broke through fences. (But she never once tipped a cow.) Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Road trips are familiar territory for Kathleen, as she took several cross-country RV vacations with her grandparents as a child. She saw more national parks in her first 10 years than many people see in their entire childhood. These days, though, she likes to dig in and find the local flavor, when she can. Her degrees are in flute performance, and she has been involved in music for worship since she was ten years old. She’s been writing stories even longer than that. (School bus. Second grade. Orphan Annie fanfic.) She believes the world—and life—is beautiful, and her fiction explores the beauty that can be found even in the most difficult circumstances. Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, her fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kathleenmbasi and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kathleenbasi/ for updates on her next book, set in California's wine country. A little about today's host- Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs & Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books - https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast