Lions and Gondolas

"Destiny's Consent" is a series of historical fiction, spanning 1913-1970, in which a woman of Rom, Angelica Grastende, relates the grand adventure that has been her life. In Book I, "The Gypsies Song", Angelica 's idyllic childhood among her Rom 'klan' is abruptly shattered by a grisly tragedy. Alienated her from her gypsy roots, she is thrust upon a life-long odyssey into 1920's America, where she and her family join a small traveling circus. In "Lions and Gondolas", Book II of the series, Angelica, her lion-tamer mother and Gypsy sorceress Grandmother Lena are 'on the lam' with two stolen lions. A portentous Tarot card reading guides them to California where Angelica's heart wholly embraces the magical alchemy that was 1920's Venice. No longer defined by her Rom 'klan', Angelica begins the search for her destiny.She is befriended by millionaire-wizard, Abbot Kinney, whose dreams have built Venice, a Renaissance City on the Pacific Ocean. Inspired, Angelica is catapulted into the exotic worlds of the 1920's: Prohibition; the fight for women's suffrage; the full-throttle recklessness of early aviation; as well as the mystique of newly born Hollywood.The four books, which comprise "Destiny's Consent", are a mythical road map for those who become lost during the pursuit of their own lives.