Author Description

In this engaging life story, spanning seventeen moves and twelve schools by the age of sixteen, Dante shares her dreams and fears - taking us from her loving family farm in Virginia to the wacky Driftwood Shack in Florida and beyond. We travel with her to the outskirts of an Indian reservation, on to a movie location in Tucson, and to a runaway teenage girl's life in downtown Los Angeles, California... eventually to the mega-mansions of Silicon Valley. The only reliable constant in this girl's life was change - new homes, new families, new experiences - ever adapting to new lifestyles. Amid the chaos, long-term relationships were difficult to form. But Dante was full of love, and wanted to be loved. From her artistic father and loving Nana to the sometimes cruel caregivers, and on to foster homes that would become her temporary sanctuaries, there was never a dull moment. And along the way, Dante's humor overcame adversity and restored healing and faith in the face of hardship and loss. But this is a story of hope - a metamorphosis of character and spirit, a journey of survival through a dim tunnel of self-doubt and unworthy feelings, and out into the beckoning light of a blossoming future. With determination and perseverance she transcended the limitations of the past - discovering faith and trust in the loving influence of those who cared along the way. With anticipation we follow Dante out onto the ledge. And we jump... and with her we learn how to fly.