Book: Slipping the Grid: A Novel

A story of love and romance with a mystical twist. The protagonist, Skylar, a professor and authority on Native American Art, returns to the US after teaching in Japan. Fortune falls on her. While coping with a life changing career move Skylar must come to grips with Takeo, her soul mate and left-behind lover. Love can not be denied. She and Takeo meet in Italy for holiday. Skylar wrestles with the choice of her female contemporaries – love vs career. Their relationship is tested and questioned as they experience Italy. Travel through Tuscany and Rome is told short-story like.

Skylar does not see herself as a mystic. However, while sightseeing at the colosseo a deja vu moment permits her to recall her life as an Etruscan gladiator. Another vignette tells of her beginnings as a foundling on the steps of the Church of Santa Croce in Florence and of her struggles through life as a woman of the Renaissance. Her creative aspirations allow her to mingle with the wealthy, tangle with the Florentine Guilds and the Catholic Church, find love, and endure the turmoil of the times. This is the sequel to “Ancient Echoes” (2013) in which Skylar’s life in ancient China, Japan, Mongolia, Indonesia, and the American old West unfold. Both books treat the reader to forays into ancient history with a strong focus on the arts and culture of the era.