Recently I had a tarot reading from Alexandra Chauron of Earthshod about whom I heard on NPE's Morning Edition. (Listen to interview.) I asked about the best way I can foster the success of my novel. My regular readers here know that An Involuntary King is much more than a book to me. It is a quest to show my appreciation for and love for -- and share -- characters I developed and who were my constant friends in my tuurbulent teen years. I wrote the novel to give Lawrence, Josephine, Shannon, Rory, and yes, even Elerde lives not dependent on mine. I wanted to know how to make this a reality.
Alexandra told me right up front that she was surprised at all the Major Arcana cards that came up in the reading. I didn't tell her this happens to me all the time. I have always gotten lots of these. She said what this meant to her is that the book is itself a strong separate entity that will drive what happens to it, and that I should trust that energy. The way she put it is that the book is steering itself. The entire experience of writing the book was like that, as if collectively my characters and the stories about them were born more than merely crafted. And the birth metaphor extends to how emotional and at times painful the whole process was for me.
The first card, the "question",was The Fool, not at all a negative but instead new ventures, trust, innocence of a sort. Purity, or as my old Asatry friend said, clarity of intent, a concept by which Thyre Karing set great store.
Not surprising then that the card that came up for my past was the 8 of Cups inverted. Birthing the novel helped me grow and break through to another level. One result of writing the book was that I came to understand that writing was what either I just want or indeed was meant to do, that nothing should stand int the way. That in itself was a glorious but painful realization, since it was possible that other parts of my life might have to be sacrificed. The fact is that my very strong marriage teetered for a while, emerging stronger than before. Further, I now know myself to be a good, even excellent writer of fiction, something I had not expected in spite of my past love for it.
The Magician card points to timing and strength. I wrote this book when it should have been written. I was ready, the stories and characters were ready, the reading world is ready. I must trust this, trust my gut that this is true. This also has to do with the trickiness of communication, being sure that what I was saying by writing this n ovel is understood and for me not to be surprised if it iis not always accepted for what it is. That sounds like the old debate about historical fiction and historical accuracy. Some have looked at my book and not understood that it isn't typical historical fiction. It is more about these characters' reality to me than any particular time or setting. Abnd this has not always "taken" with some readers.
Accepting this, I must nevertheless consider the Temperance card, coming in the position of my immediate future. Impatience will do me and the book no good. I must be genrle, accepting, and work on continuing m y own growth as related to this wonderful new path to my life. My destiny card, The Hierophant, amplifies this. It says, "Things take time. Organize yourself, deal with bnarriers one by one. Know my priorities." I know that since my book came out in Septmeber I have been like a rubber ball, bouncing here and there trying to ddecide what to do next.
The Empress inverted represents me right now. Strength again, but having to take a leadership role and be an authority, something that I am not so compfortbable with. It is associated with other cards, Alexandra told me, which point to creative abundance, making choices that will not squander it, looking to people well-disposed to my purpose to help me get the word out. I need to pay attention to what writing the book reflected from me and be true to that. What this all means to me is that I could go off half-cocked writing this, that and everything, but unless it comes from that same place in me that my novel came from it won't work. Once I knwo that everything will break loose, start rolling and picking up speed on its own.
I should look to a fair-haired man to help me, and this is clearly the love of my life, my husband Jim, who first fostered this project long before it had even occvured to me to do it. He typed up my old stories so I could read them, then suggested I use the characters on Ghostletters. When it became apparent I was writing a novel, he did everything he could to encourage me and still does. I have not always been properly grateful. I know that I owe my very soul to to his love and nuruting.
Since I had one minute left, Alexandra invited me to ask a further question. I asked her if this inevitability of the project meant I should stick with the original mission and not be misdirected. She was very postive about this being the case. I have been thinking about my "writing career" and working on other projects unconnected to my old stories.. and I see now that my original mission, to serve my old and faithful companions, is where I need toconcentrate.
So, in sum, by its very existence my novel was a force of its own, it wrote me, I didn't write it. So long as I am clear on the power of this realization and not try to make it something it is not, such as a "writing career", it will move along with its own momentum. If I trust it and let it tell me what is needed and not get in the way, Lawrence and our mutual companions will achieve everything they desire.. and I want too.
I think I behan to trust my instincts and my novel's prompting when I decided to contact Alexandra. Whether she told my "fortune" or helped me get back in touch with what I already knew is irrelevant. This was what I needed.
Note: Interesting, I already have some of the tarot card images to illustrate this post because they were what Brandy Purdy called for in her book trailer for The Confession of Piers Gaveston.
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