Elicia M. Seawell with The Tarot Diaries: The Fool

I'm happy to be one of many hosts along fellow Rebel Elicia Seawell's blog tour for her newest release The Tarot Diaries : The Fool. Welcome Elicia and all the best of luck to you with this novel!

How does the Tarot work? And just who is Katie Jenkins?

Some people just totally do not believe in Tarot. It is a very mystical, oracle tool used to predict the future for many people, if you believe in that sort of thing.

For me it all started in high school when my aunt gave me the deck she had acquired and I started studying the Tarot. Over the years I’ve learned so much about the different styles of readings, the types of cards and exactly what each card means. Granted there are still a lot of things to learn but each card in my deck fascinates me.

My aunt eventually took the deck back when she wanted to study the cards herself but after years of searching, I received a deck from an ex-boyfriend of mine. I’ve had the deck ever since. Each reading I’ve done, I’ve collected into a journal of my own and it helps reflect on the meanings of each card. I also like to keep a journal just to see which readings come true.

The same could be said for Katie Jenkins, the lead character in the Taro Diaries. Katie inherits her own deck of tarot cards, much like my own and has to live the life of revealing paths for others. Along with her best friend Phoenix (Finny) Carrington, she finds out so much about her capabilities and how far she can be pushed.

I named the first book Tarot Diaries: The Fool because in the succession of the Tarot, the Fool is the first card in the deck. The Tarot is about the journey of the Fool in this thing we call life. He meets people along the way that help him grow and learn, much in the way that my character does in the series.

I really enjoyed writing this first book in many books to come and I hope that each one of you earn an appreciation for the mystery of the Tarot.

About Tarot Diaries: The Fool

What would you do if you could find out your purpose in life? Would you want to know or be completely left in the dark?

Katie Jenkins finds out her purpose, but not in a way most people do. After a night of shots of tequila and a bet from her best friend, she is coerced to seek a fortune teller for insight into her future. What she finds out changes her life forever.

Katie comes from a long line of Romanian Gypsies cursed with the ability to not only read Tarot cards, but they also have to deliver the bad news to whomever the cards reveal. She, along with her best friend Phoenix (Finny) Carrington, seeks out those who are doomed and try to change their lives before something awful happens to them.

Can Katie stop a mad man from the deaths that surround her, or will she fall victim to the very same mad man responsible for the death of so many?

About Elicia M. Seawell

Elicia M. Seawell started out as a freelance graphic artist and fell in love with writing when she began her work in the newspaper industry. After long sleepless nights, she found writing as a way to combat her insomnia however most of her characters were developed while standing in the frozen food section deciding on ice cream. She is the author of Peach River Acres and The Tarot Diaries series, both being released by Rebel Ink Press. She is also the author of the self-published YA novella, Shadows: The Story of the Kayouta. Elicia is currently studying Behavioral Analysis/Psychology and is married to Michael Seawell. She has three children: Brandon, Rachel and Greta. She was also born in Darlington, SC and currently resides in Darlington.   

Excerpt from Tarot Diaries: The Fool

   The young child sat at his table, bread in hand, dog barking at his feet and wondered where to go from this point. He could stay in his mundane life and live each day knowing that his end was drawing near. However, a huge part of him started to wander, as his mind did.

   What else could be out there?

   He stared blankly out the window and sighed. He threw the last piece of bread to the dog and stood. His small room closed in on him more and more each day. How could he not want to move on and find out what was beyond the horizon?

   He looked to his faithful companion who didn't offer much advice and sighed.

   It would be considered a Fool's journey, he told himself, but at the same time, the young one wanted more. He craved more.

   There wasn't much left in the small room he shared with his dog and the foolish young one decided it was time to leave. It meant leaving everything behind but if he never left, how would he know his true path?

   He found a large square of cloth and filled it with everything he could possibly carry and placed it on a huge stick. He looked to the dog and said, "Let's go."

   The door to his small, modest room opened to reveal a path. He had no idea where this path would lead him, but he was willing to accept the journey for what it was worth.

   A small voice inside his head spoke to him. Dear child, careful of the journey you choose. You are responsible for your own life and it will be difficult to make the decisions that you will have to face. Take heed to those who try to betray you, embrace those who help you and learn what you can from your journey. It will be a long one.

   The foolish boy nodded and exited the room on his way to the most amazing journey he could have imagined – life. 

Readers can find Elicia on her website, Facebook and Twitter

You can purchase The Tarot Diaries : The Fool at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks and Bookstrand 

 

Layla Swanson : The Character Interview

This is my first time interviewing a character and I couldn't be more excited to be interviewing Miss Layla Swanson! Layla will be making another appearance in Britni Hill's upcoming novel From the Rubble due out later this fall. If you have read the first book, Tears in the Rubble you'll be anxious to hear some of these answers and if you haven't you're in luck too (there's no spoilers).

So Layla, what’s life been life after high school?

Life since high school has been…interesting. 

You left Hollow Oaks for the city, are you happier in a metropolitan?

I love Hampton.  The noises of the city and all of the fun places to go and discover, but there’s just something about the stars in the country.  I miss that.

What’s been the most exciting thing to happen since getting out of the small town?

So many things have happened since I left Hollow Oaks.  One of the biggest things is getting my job.  I manage a small boutique in the arts district.  I could really go on and on about…uh...exciting things.

You’ve always seemed career motivated, what are your career goals for the future?

I think my main goal is to have a place of my own eventually. 

What’s your dream job?

I’d love to have my own fashion line, but I don’t really have the creativity for it.  I have the eye to spot trends and dress people but creating my own pieces has never worked out.

Do you find time to date? If so, are you seeing anyone? What ever happened to that high school boyfriend of yours….?

Time to date…no not really.  I’ve never really found anyone that was worth the time and my life is kind of complicated to say the least.  Taylor’s around.  He’s not my biggest fan anymore.

How different do you think your life would’ve turned out had you not left for college?

I really couldn’t say.  That wasn’t an option for me.  I guess finding out the answer to that question always terrified me.  I could just see myself with a bunch of kids sitting at home all day with nothing to do, still going to the high school football games.  Nope, not for me.

When you look back at high school do you consider it to be the best time of your life?

The best time, no.  I’d have to say I think the best time of my life lies ahead of me.  I’m having a great time now, but I think it will just get better.

What’s your current guilty pleasure?

Shoes.  Always shoes.

What’s next for you?

I don’t know.  I’ve learned a lot in the past years.  There would have been a time when I had a plan for everything, but plans generally don’t go as expected, so I try not to depend on them.  I try to go with the flow.

Thanks to Layla for chatting with me today!

You can purchase Tears in the Rubble on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookstrand and ARe. And look for the sequel From the Rubble coming soon. For more information on both books and the author, go to Britni Hill's website.