Welcome to the first of several A-Z blogs which will serve as shameless promotions for Just Like Gravity, my paranormal romance due out in March/April. You have been warned!!
The protagonist, Anna, is a fortuneteller. She’s skeptical, though, and doesn’t really believe in divination though her mother taught her all the ways to do it. Then the bad dreams start—dreams so intense they leave her shaken and terrified of what is to come. She uses tarot cards to tell her own fortune and they lead her to Scotland. The book follows her on her quest to decode and overcome her nightmares, but also visits a couple of her previous lives.
As I did my research, I knew I needed to find a fortuneteller. I studied different forms of divination, but there just isn’t anything like the real thing. And I was skeptical, too. First, it’s not easy to find someone here on the buckle of the Bible belt who will admit to being a fortuneteller–too many people itching to burn a cross on your lawn. Second, even if someone admits to it, how can you be sure he or she is legitimate and not one of the many frauds who prey on desperate people? The answer for me was easy: I got lucky.
I found a tarot reader at a writing group—I bet some of you know her. She was auctioning off a reading as part of the group’s fundraiser and I got it. The reading was amazing. I went away with tons of things I used in the book. She helped me with some nagging issues, as well. My kids are sure I’ve lost my mind and equally sure I was led down a garden path of some sort—you know, leading questions, offering too much info which gives a smart teller all she would need to tell me what I want to hear. Didn’t happen, but it’s not my job to convince them.
Fortunetelling is illegal in some states—New York, for one, unless the reading is presented as entertainment only. It’s looked down upon by many religious groups who cite passages in the Bible condemning divination, though other passages seem to allow it (Google it). My experience was good and I plan to try it again.
If you get the chance, I would encourage you to try it. Use your head before and after a reading and remember that the future is not set in stone. Your own actions today create your future. Divination can give you a heads up or at least make you consider your choices more carefully. Anna, the protagonist in Just Like Gravity, followed the cards and found a tall, dark Scotsman—who knows what’s waiting out there for you.
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