Enjoy the adventures of a tiny artist-spider, Michelangela, who discovers romance and herself. Searching for her place on earth, she inspires a prince who copies her intricate designs and becomes world famous. Then delight in the big-hearted heroine, Amore, who is ostracized by her family and townspeople because of her generosity and uniqueness. Follow her to one of the world's greatest cities, where she finds love and appreciation by those who see her as a "swan" rather than as an "ugly duckling." In a witty, alternative ending, a crafty lawyer markets her and enables her to become a world-renowned icon. Dr. Joan Thomson Kretschmer, Artistic Director and founder of the Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York, attended Smith College, graduated from Barnard College, and received her M.A. and Ph.D. in musicology from Columbia University, where she was a Clarence Barker Fellow. A pianist and teacher, she has been a music critic for The New York Post and has written articles about music for The New York Times and other publications. Joan is the author of Yona: Discoveries, Doorways and Musical Superpower.