Devon Ellington publishes under a half a dozen names in both fiction and non-fiction. She writes the paranormal Jain Lazarus Adventures, released by FireDrakes Weyr. HEX BREAKER is currently available; OLD-FASHIONED DETECTIVE WORK is set to release soon.. She’s written for the Llewellyn calendars and almanacs for fourteen years as Cerridwen Iris Shea on a variety of metaphysical topics.
Visit the Jain Lazarus website:
http://hexbreaker.devonellingtonwork.com for excerpts, purchase details, and two free stories,
and visit Devon’s blog on the writing life
Ink in My Coffee: http://devonellington.wordpress.com. For more tarot information, visit http://www.cerridwenscottage.com/tarot.html.
Oh, make sure you read all the way to Lynda Again section to see how you can qualify to win a special giveaway from Devon.
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Create a Tarot Reading for Your Character
Perhaps you’ve got a character in your book who either gets or gives a tarot reading. Contrary to popular ignorance, a true tarot reading is not “fortune telling”. It’s a genuine psychological tool and can reveal a great deal about both plot and character in your work. But how do you create a credible reading in the book?
Step One: Research. Tarot is a life-long journey; you’re probably on deadline. At least do a bit of genuine research and avoid the ignorant cliché of using the Death card for physical Death (unless your point is that the reader is a fraud or the murderer). You’ll lose readers. There are plenty of lousy tarot books out there, but the good ones include Gail Fairfield’s CHOICE-CENTERED TAROT and almost anything by Rachel Pollock. Metaphysical shops often have readers on staff – ask if you can talk to one of them, or, better yet, take a tarot workshop at the store. The same card can have a vastly different meaning depending upon where it appears in the spread and what cards are around it. Decide if you will use reversed cards in the reading or not, and which interpretation of reversals you want to use (opposite, block, delay, etc.)
Step Two: Decide the purpose of the reading. What do you want the reading to reveal? Does it foreshadow something that happens in the book? Or does it contradict something that happens? Is any misinterpretation involved in the reading, and how does that affect the next chapters in the book? Formulate a simple question that the querent (person getting the reading) asks in the book. As in a genuine reading, the question must be active, direct, and simple. No complex or compound sentences; no “and”, “but”, “however” or other such qualifiers.
Step Three: Decide which deck to use. There are hundreds of different decks. Meanings are not hard and fast (refer to Step One), and the artwork has a great deal to do with the meaning. Choose what you believe supports your book best. You don’t have to mention the deck by name in the book; if you do, check on the copyright and/or trademark rules relevant to the mention.
Step Four: Decide on the spread. Will you use a Celtic Cross spread, a Yes/No spread, a Body/Mind/Spirit spread, or one of the hundreds of others? Again, do the research and know the purpose of the reading.
Step Five: Normal readings start in the first position and work to the final position. For the purposes of your fictional reading, start in the final position – the “possible outcome” slot. Chose that card. And work your way backwards. Now, actually read the cards forward, look at the connective interpretations and placements, and adjust as necessary.
If you’re stuck in your actual writing, or you want to see what would come up if your character simply had a reading, of course you can focus on the character and the character’s question and just throw the cards or on a question you, as the writer, have in relation to the book. However, if you want it to fit the plot and drive the plot, it needs a more structure. Adding a legitimate reading to a book can add another level of depth and either shore up or contrast plot points in the book.
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Hex Breaker
by Devon Ellington
A Jain Lazarus Adventure.
Hex Breaker Jain Lazarus joins the crew of a cursed film, hoping to put to rest what was stirred up before more people die and the film is lost. Tough, practical Detective Wyatt East becomes her unlikely ally and lover on an adventure fighting zombies, ceremonial magicians, the town wife-beater, the messenger of the gods, and their own pasts.
$4.00 ebook/ $6.00 on CD from Firedrakes Weyr Publishing:
http://www.firedrakesweyr.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_book_info&products_id=200&zenid=46346f40d59078889b7e04e5c3d40ea4
Visit the site for the Jain Lazarus adventures: http://hexbreaker.devonellingtonwork.com
OLD-FASHIONED DETECTIVE WORK
by Devon Ellington
A Jain Lazarus Adventure
Detective Wyatt East finds himself the primary suspect when hex breaker Jain Lazarus disappears after their romantic weekend in Vermont. In spite of the suspicions, Jain's boss, Maitland Stiles, hires Wyatt to track her down, forcing him to face aspects of his own painful past and revealing more about hers.
Saddled with two rebellious runaway paranormal teens, he's embroiled in a shapeshifter pack disagreement, and must learn to work with both a caustic dragon and a cantankerous mermaid to not only find Jain, but help her help an old friend who's in over his head. Wyatt learns he is not without psychic abilities of his own, although he prefers old-fashioned detective work.
Coming in late Spring of 2009 from FireDrakes Weyr Publishing (www.firedrakesweyr.com)
Visit the Jain Lazarus site: http://hexbreaker.devonellingtonwork.com
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- Lynda Again,
Devon has graciously offered a signed CD version of HEX BREAKER to one lucky reader who leaves a comment before Friday, April 10 so make sure you leave your name in your comment and check back to see if you've won. Good luck!
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