In the year 1888 amidst the vibrant and widely divergent backdrop of post gold rush San Francisco, Bali is an 11-year-old girl living in a Chinese Catholic orphanage, who begins to question her family origins while longing to be a writer of songs and stories.

When Bali discovers a cryptic and terrifying secret in a lacquer box, she runs away to perform on the street with the son of a former slave and a genius on the keyboard, George, and young pirate boy, Johnnie who conveys them around the bay on a small skiff.

As they push an old piano through the bustling streets of high-end society, and the notorious Barbary Coast, the trio unexpectedly meet Willaim Burns, a young and fresh secret service agent, (the real-life figure known as the Sherlocks Holmes of America), who has been tasked with protecting Mark Twain from a threat. Though the Chinese Tong in nearby Little China are the prime suspects, Burns employs the unusual children and his creative wit to discern the culprit's elaborate disguise, soon uncovering Bali's past and the possible key to unmasking the assassin while preventing the annihilation of an entire people.

Part Ragtime, part The Little Princess, Bali's Muse is a fast-paced, coming-of-age historical fiction that delves into the lives of marginalized people from Mexico, China, Ireland, and indigenous tribes as they strive to break free from stereotypes and envision a new future. This book will captivate readers who enjoy the works of E.L. Doctorow, Jack London, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Harper Lee.