In The Lone Snake, Lisa Vihos brings Renaissance artist Sofonisba Anguissola to life as a woman yearning for recognition in a world not ready for her. When Anguissola's life intersects with a young poet, the aging artist finds she has more than just the story of her life to share. Through Sofonisba's memoir, readers journey with the artist to her early years in Cremona, to Rome where she studies with Michelangelo, to her time at the Spanish court, and eventually out to sea, where she meets the love of her life under a starry sky. Vihos's portrait of life in the 16th century is a rich tapestry that blends art history, romance, and verse to tell a timeless tale of what it means to create.