In the Cards

What kind of homeschool would we be without Legos? It got me thinking one day when my kids presented me with this gypsy woman, holding tarot cards. They said it was me. A surprise that I took it as a compliment.

The picture brings me to an interesting point about my writing. When I begin to write a new book, usually before I've finished writing my current one, I already have a general idea of what the story will eventually become. As ideas percolate, I will take notes while I'm making dinner, (Important tip- always have scrap paper and pencil or a voice recorder around at all times. I carry both in my purse. My favorite is a miniature composition notebook I found at my office supply), jogging on my treadmill, or showering. After a few weeks, I will have at this point, a collection of notes, including some dialogue, that when put together on my laptop under the heading “Notes”, actually make sense.

But when the question of characters arise, I tend to draw a blank. That is when I turn to my cards. I've completed three romance novels and am finishing my fourth. For each of these books, I've chosen a card from one of my favorite decks, Doreen Virtue's Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards, which she sometimes refers to as the Girlfriends. I can't think of a better deck to guide me in choosing a heroine for my story. Not only do my main characters, heroines, physically resemble the cards which inspired their existence, but I use the words on the card to tell me a little bit about what type of person they are, as well as the pictures to tell me how they present themselves to the world.

I'll start by telling you about the card I drew for my most current project and work back from there.

• The book I'm presently working on is titled, Parlor Favors. It's my fourth book, and it is about a young woman named Brigid Winnett, who grew up an orphan in 18^th century England, spent some time as a teenager in a brothel, and is currently trying to find her mother who abandoned her as a small child. This is the card I drew.

Brigit

Don't Back Down

“Stand up for what you believe is right.”

Brigit is determined to earn enough money to send herself to France and despite falling for a man whose only aim in marrying her was to inherit his fortune, she won't back down. I won't let her. Oh, and did I mention she can talk to animals?

• The next card was drawn before writing my third book titled, Shadow Walker.

 

Artemis

Guardian

“You and your loved ones are safe and spiritually protected.”

My heroine is named Bethanie Hutchinson. She is a young woman, trying to put her past behind her, finding herself on the verge of graduating from college and responsible for a clutch of barn owls whom she must protect from a mysterious skinwalker terrorizing the campus where she lives. So her card's meaning is obvious. She had to guard the only family she had, her owls, and with the help of Shadow Walker, a Native American college instructor, she discovers that she's been spiritually protected all along.

• The card I drew for my second book, A Sprinkleof Magick

Athena

Inner Wisdom

“You know what to do. Trust your inner wisdom and take appropriate action without delay.”

Main character, Thena Kanakaredes, is working on her doctoral thesis in Medieval Medicine while owning and operating a homeopathic bakery which specializes in sweet treats that not only appeal to the senses but heal the body as well. She knew that what she was doing there was important to her community, and when forces outside of her control began to close in on her, threatening her and her business, she did not have any choice but to trust her inner wisdom and take action without delay. Of course, she had the help of the delicious, independent contractor, Mitch Tanner, who has a brain for computers and a sweet tooth for Thena.

• Last, but definitely not least, the card for my first book, Second Chances.

 

Ostara

Fertility

“It is the perfect time for you to start new projects, access new ideas, and give birth to new conditions.”

In it, we meet Blythe Alexander, a young woman who discovers her fiance's infidelity just in time to cancel the wedding. After quitting her job, she takes up residence in the Victorian mansion left to her by her late grandmother, and begins the renovations necessary to make it a viable business to support herself. For the first time in her life, she will stand on her own two feet. She moves back to her hometown, creates a new business from scratch, and gives birth to a new life for herself... all with the help of Alec Harmon, the small town's hunky sheriff, of course.

Keeping in mind that art is not only self-expression but self-portraiture, each of these heroines are a piece of who I am, as the author. Each one was brought to life to teach me something about myself, and each one did. I took their journeys with them and became a better person for having known them. And I owe a debt of gratitude to God for guiding me to select the right card to help me tell their stories.