I’m so happy to announce that I published the first book in my new fictional divination book series, The Divining Sisters Series. Book 1 has released today on June 29, 2022 - The Call of the Cards. Yay!

This is a big deal to me. Becoming an author has always been on my bucket list so I’m accomplishing a huge life goal here, and I wanted to share that achievement with you since you have been so supportive of me over the past few years. Now that the book has released, I wanted to share some of my favorite scenes and details of this new book with you.

This book series is centered around tarot and other forms of divination. I included as many forms of divination that I could research because I love it so much. The series will be at least 3 books but potentially more. In fact, I’ve already been writing scenes for book 4 and 5 and a few prequel sections in case I decide later to really delve further into the past lives of my main characters. I’m really drawn to that idea for prequels at the moment because there’s so much to explore in my characters’ history, beyond just snippets of their other incarnations that are revealed in this series. 

The book series is set in modern times starting in mid-2018, but we journey back in time quite a bit through dreams, flashbacks, and remote viewing through the eyes of the mystics in the series.

The Divining Sisters Series is full of divination, intrigue, healing power, and empowerment as my characters face deep seated fears, foes, and the ramifications of their past to come into their own and master their gifts that are emerging at a time when the world needs them most. I hope this series inspires readers to tap into their own gifts and into the practice of divination, as I find it such an enlightening, empowering and insightful tool. Basically, I wrote the book series I longed to read. I couldn’t find a fictional book series that featured divination as heavily as I wanted it to be. So, I just wrote it myself. 

Divination is such a focal point of this series that it’s basically a fourth main character. It plays that much of a role in their lives and in their fate that ties them together. And we encounter more divinatory tools the further we get into the series. And I do my best to teach divination as my character explores it on her own journey. This series includes tarot of course but also astrology, pendulums, runes, Lenormand, charms, ohms, spells, tea leaves, scrying – you name it. And past lives are just as important to the story line as well. So, we get to see the lessons and gifts that these characters take with them as they reincarnate and reunite together throughout time.

As you can probably I’m incredibly proud of this series. You can find the ebook and paperback of The Call of the Cards on Amazon and Barnes and Noble right now. If you get a copy, please leave a book review if you enjoy it. That really helps me out and can help get my book in front of more readers.

In this blog, I will share the blurb for The Call Of The Cards with you along with a chapter of the book, my favorite scene from book 1 and a taste of the story and the characters.

The Call Of The Cards Blurb

Alexandra Steele, a clinical psychologist, stumbles upon a mystical store in downtown, Memphis, TN, where she encounters tarot cards for the first time. She doesn't realize it at the time, but this simple encounter will leave her life forever changed as she uncovers a world of past life connections to the cards and the craft of divination. This sparks an awakening that opens door after door of a long line of mystic and witch incarnations that run throughout her history. As she reconnects to these deep mystical ties, she begins to learn about her destiny, which is revealed as she starts to encounter coven sisters and foes from previous incarnations. Will her tendency to hide in the shadows and play small continue to hold her back or will the call of the cards lure her onto her destined path of a life full of magic and sisterhood?

Before I share a chapter from The Call Of The Cards with you, let me give you some background on my main character. Dr. Alexandra Steele is a 41 year old clinical psychologist living in the suburbs just outside of Memphis TN. Alex loves her job but has found it lacking in that magical feeling in the past few years. She’s desperate to find something that really lights her soul on fire. But she has a tendency to play small and blend into the background due to fears of speaking out and being noticed by others. It will become clear why this is such a strong fear for her in the first few chapters of the book. But it’s important to understand that she’s at a point in her life where she’s longing for more. And let’s just say, the universe delivers on that wish.

Here, is the first half of Ch. 2 from The Call Of The Cards to give you a sense of the inciting incident for my main character, Alexandra. An inciting incident is when your main character encounters something new that’s a catalyst for change - it shakes up the status quo in the character's life. This scene takes place in downtown Memphis when she enters a mystical store called Mystic Haven for the first time.

*

Alex opened the door to Mystic Haven and was immediately greeted by the store clerk arranging the crystals in the corner.

     “Can I help you find anything magical today?”

     “Well, I just came by to check the place out. I’ve been meaning to stop by for a while now,” Alex said, already visually taking in the contents of the store.

     “In that case, come on in. We have crystals, candles, incense, and books.”

     “Now that you mention books, I’m looking for a specific one. This may be a long shot, but my acupuncturist just recommended a book for me.”

     “Sure, which one?”

     Alex dug through her purse and found the piece of paper where she jotted down the book title at her last appointment.

     “Oh, here is it — Many Lives, Many Masters by Dr. Brian Weiss.”

     “Oh, yes, we carry all his books.”

     “Really?”

     “Here, I’ll show you the spirituality section where we keep those copies.”

     The clerk escorted Alex to the aisle where the book was perched facing forward on the middle shelf, and she handed her a copy.

     “If you need anything else, my name is Christie. Just flag me down,” she said in a perky voice before walking back toward the front of the store to help another customer.

     Alex stared at the title of the book in her hand, perplexed.

     Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past-Life Therapy That Changed Both Their Lives.

     Hmm.

     Her acupuncturist hadn’t told her the book was about past lives.

     I wonder why she recommended this.

     She hadn’t ever given much thought to reincarnation.

     Interesting.

     There must have been a good reason she had been told to read this book. She chose to trust the recommendation and returned to exploring the store. She was eager to scope out what other treasures this shop might hold.

     She had been eyeing the crystal section since she walked in. She returned to the front of the store to get a closer look at the beautiful amethyst that caught her eye as she opened the front door. She was drawn to the medium-sized amethyst in the middle of the wooden table set in front of the window. The sparkling purple hue glistened with the soft touch of the sun’s rays through the store window. The energy emanating from the crystal was comforting and calming. She could already envision this crystal on the small table positioned between her desk and the client chairs in her home office.

     “Did you find a crystal?” Christie asked.

     “Yes, I think this one would be perfect in my office.” Alex held up the Amethyst after inspecting it thoroughly.

     “That’s a beauty. Good choice. I could hold it for you at the counter with your book while you continue to shop.”

     “Oh, thank you.”

     Alex placed the book on top of the crystal that Christie had picked up to carry back to the register.

     As she turned back to the front of the store, the sunlight bounced off a crystal on another table, blinding her for a second. She shielded her eyes to block the sunlight to take a closer look, and she spotted a lovely piece of clear quartz. She didn’t know much about the properties of each crystal, but this one seemed to tug at her intuition. Something was telling her that this crystal had something to teach her.

     She handed Christie the clear quartz to add to her stash by the register.

     While she was here, she might as well pick up a book on crystals to learn more about them. She surveyed the selection of books on crystals positioned next to the table and selected The Crystal Bible. She continued to look through the shelves of books on mystical topics lining the walls of the store. Aisle after aisle offered wisdom on herbs, crystals, palmistry, and spells.

     She was starting to think that she might need to wrap her shopping session up before it turned into a shopping spree when she stopped dead in her tracks. A small table tucked in the back of the store caught her attention.

     Without even realizing it, she gravitated toward the table, mesmerized. As she approached the table, she could make out cards that were laid out in a pattern of some sort. Beside the table stood a row of shelves filled with decks lining the entire back of the store. Her eyes drifted to the painted sign hanging above this section of the store — Tarot Cards.

     Oh wow!

     Her pulse quickened.

     Her gaze swiftly returned to the cards arranged neatly on the red tablecloth. Leaning in closer, she noticed the titles at the bottom of each card. Her eyes danced over the arrangement of cards — The Magician, Death, The Moon, The Emperor, and The High Priestess.

     Her heart fluttered, and she felt a sudden rush of blood to her cheeks.

     Did someone turn the heat on in the store?

     She fanned herself with The Crystal Bible and resumed her study of the cards.

     Where do I know these from?

     Every time she glanced back at the cards, there was a stirring in her chest. It was oddly reminiscent of the first time she met her husband. It was the feeling of her soul awakening. Something was calling out to her, and it was a bit unnerving.

     She picked up a card from the table, and a rush of energy shot through her right arm as she held The High Priestess card. 

     An image of a cluster of cards flashed in front of her, catching her off guard.

     What’s going on today?

     Overcome with déjà vu, she searched within for a reason these cards impacted her this strongly. Somewhere within she knew what these cards meant.

     But how could that be?      

     Christie approached the shelf next to Alex with a stack of decks.

     “Are you into tarot?”

     Her comment snapped Alex out of her daze.

     “Um, no. I mean this is my first time seeing the cards. I think…I mean except on tv of course,” she stammered and wiped the sweat off her brow.

     Not wanting to draw attention to herself holding the tarot card, she gently placed it back on the table. She turned toward the shelf closest to the table and pretended to skim the tarot decks in the display.

     Christie began to stack decks on the top shelf. “We offer a beginner tarot class if you’re interested.”

     Alex straightened her purse over her right shoulder and tried to compose herself. “That sounds interesting. I didn’t even realize anyone in town taught this kind of thing.”

     “Oh, tarot is really popular these days. You’d be surprised how many people are signing up.”

     “Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind. I think I’m ready to check out if that’s okay.”

     “Sure. I can take care of that for you. I see you found a book on crystals. The Crystal Bible is our top seller.”

     “Good, I’m hoping to learn a thing or two about what they have to offer. I know absolutely nothing about them.”

     “Careful, they’re addictive. Once you buy one, you start to pick them up everywhere you go. That’s how my obsession started. Now half my paycheck goes toward my crystal habit. My store discount is one of the best perks of this job,” she said with a smile.

     She headed back to the front of the store where Alex’s selections were sitting next to the cash register.

     “Looks like you have two crystals and two books. Anything else today?”

     “I think that’s plenty for now. I only came in to browse and check this place out.”

     “That’s always the case,” Christie replied as she rang up the items.

     Alex glanced back over her shoulder at the cards on the table that continued to tug at her, finding it hard to resist the magnetic pull.

     “We have a tarot reader that gives readings in the store if you ever want to see what the cards have to say. She’s usually here this time of day, but she went on a break about half an hour ago and left that spread out for some reason. I’m sure she’ll be back soon.”

     Alex rubbed her right temple.

     “Maybe another time. I’m actually feeling lightheaded. I probably should get something to eat soon.”

     “Could be the full moon,” Christie suggested, bagging up the items. “I’ve noticed the energy has everyone a little edgy today.”

     “Oh, that’s today?” Alex asked, shocked that she hadn’t been aware of it. She could usually tell when one was approaching because the energy in her sessions was always heightened with dramatic tension. This one had snuck up on her given her funk over the past few days. 

     Maybe that’s it she thought, hoping to tie all this strange activity to the impact of the full moon.

*

Alex dropped her purse and shopping bags on top of the kitchen table and closed the door to the garage. She headed to the fridge to get some ice water, still flushed and hoping it was just dehydration.

     “That was certainly an eventful outing,” she muttered, still flabbergasted at her reaction in the store.

     Why did those cards affect me so intensely?

     She had experienced a mixture of déjà vu, intrigue, and nostalgia when she touched the tarot cards. She couldn’t dismiss the exhilaration either. She couldn’t remember the last time something had her this flustered and captivated at the same time.

That was such a fun scene for me to write. I love the feeling when someone encounters divination for the first time. It was an easy scene for me to write because I know what it felt like for me to feel the call of the cards, which is why I chose that as the title.

Now, I’ll share my favorite scene from the book. Here, I’m going to jump ahead in the book - this chapter occurs toward the middle of the book. This scene includes a dream my main character Alex has of one of her past lives. This character has a vivid dream life and most of her dreams in the series are connected to the past lives she’s recovering that are related to her intuitive gifts that are starting to emerge so these dreams are very significant and a large part of the storyline.

I chose this scene to share with you because this scene is my favorite scene that I’ve written out of the entire series so far. And its one of the first scenes I ever wrote because it connects so strongly to one of my own incarnations. The saying write what you know is so true. So, let’s dive into Alexandra’s dream life and get a peak at one of her powerful incarnations.

***

“Make haste Isadora, bring me more parchment!”

     Isadora dashed across the room of the small cottage and snatched what parchment remained on top of their sacred texts.

     “This is all that remains, Alexus.”

     “It will have to be enough.”

     In front of the crackling fire, Isadora paced while Alexus continued to hastily write on the scroll. A candle was burning on the table next to Alexus, and the room was hazy due to the smoke from the fire. Alexus drafted the letter with the beautiful quill pen their mother had handed down to them when they were initiated into the coven.

     Alexus continued to sip the tea Isadora made for her to soothe the pain in her arthritic hands. She had to keep writing through the pain. There wasn’t much time. She kept glancing at the window as she penned the letter, sensing him closing in.

     She drew their coven sigil on the parchment paper and folded the letter. She held the wax over the candle to heat it and then dripped the wax on the fold of the letter and sealed it with her signature stamp.

     Alexus rose from her chair and tucked it into her sister’s hand.

     “You are the sole keeper of the coven’s sacred knowledge now, Isadora. This must be passed on. Come what may tonight, this legacy lives on through you,” she said solemnly. “Do you vow to guard this wisdom with your life?”

     Isadora nodded her head, somberly.

     "Our lineage will not be forgotten, sister. Make haste before they arrive. They will come for me here. I can stall them to give you time to escape. The path through the woods will take you to where you need to go. I regret that I cannot accompany you. If I do not see you again, know that I am always with you. We will meet again in another lifetime.”

     Isadora couldn’t speak. Tears were flooding behind her eyelids. She must be strong for her older sister. What she faced tonight would be hard enough. She embraced Alexus and was hesitant to release her. She stared at her face, taking the time to burn the image of her sister’s face into her memory.

     Alexus placed something in her hands and closed her fingers around it.

     Isadora’s heart sank.

     She turned and ran out the door into the woods. She could not bear to look back.

     Alexus returned to the fire and threw her runes and ohms into the flames. She had consecrated the runes with her blood and did not want to leave any part of herself behind to be used for dark magic.

     She pulled her cards from under the floorboard and held them to her chest. She caressed the card with the image of the sorceress. Oh, how she loved the feel of the cards. A knot grew in her stomach as she reluctantly threw the cards into the flames and watched them burn. She could not bear to leave them behind. They were her most prized possession. She had drawn them herself.

     The front door burst open, and three men rushed toward her.

     She did not turn to face them. She stared directly into the fire, drinking up the heat.

     She braced herself for impact as the larger man tackled her and held her face on the floor with his thick, muddy boot on her neck. She kept her eyes on the dancing flame. She knew what her fate would be.

     They would not take her power from her. She would return. For now, she was part of the flame.

     Like a phoenix, she would rise from the ashes.

***

Alex jolted up in the bed with her face dripping with sweat. She threw the covers off her legs and discovered that the sheets were damp. The fire had been so hot in her dream. She had felt the heat through time and space.

     Her stomach dropped as she processed what she had just experienced. She sensed deep within her soul that she hadn’t survived the night. Her heart sank as she grieved for her past self and for Isadora who ran off in the woods alone. Her heart ached for her sister, on her own, carrying the burden of securing their legacy.

     She was grateful to have found Izzy again in this life, and she vowed never to leave her on her own again. They may not share blood in this life, but their bond was as tight as one could be. She knew they would always have each other’s back, and their journey in this life was just beginning. Izzy had woken her up in this lifetime, and now her life was full of magic. Everything in her life changed the moment Izzy had bounced into her life so full of energy. The blindfold had been lifted, and Alex could now see a world so beautiful and majestic that she couldn’t believe she had ever lived in such a grey world before knowing Izzy.

     As Izzy liked to say, energy never lies. Alex had been touched by Izzy’s energy from the moment she opened the door for their first healing session. It had been fated that they would be reconnected. Now she knew they had a shared mission in this life and knowing that gave Alex a reason to get up each morning.

     Deep within, she knew she had just uncovered the biggest clue yet with this dream. The lifetime she had just remembered had been an impactful one. She could feel the ripple effect from that life on her destined path now, and she had to honor the sacrifice made in that life.

     Suddenly, the weight on her shoulders felt heavier than it

That’s all I can share with you now. I don’t want to give too much away. What I can tell you is that I’m in love with the mystical characters in this series. The books are very female centered and all of main protagonists are females. It was important to me to show female characters who heal themselves and come into their own empowerment without needing to be saved.

Through this series you will meet diviners of all sorts - mystics, psychics, tarot card readers, healers, and lots of witches from the past and present. 

One thing I know for certain is that everyone is going to fall in love with Izzy - the lovable, spirited energy healer that bursts into Alex’s life in divine timing. She’s a pure joy to write. And I’ll let you in on this fun fact – Izzy is completely real. She has been my muse for the whole series. I talk about her in my upcoming healing with the mystic archetype episode, and I share more about our connection over the past 4 years. In fact, you may have guessed already but both Alex and Izzy exist, which is more of a reason that I’m excited to share this story and their sisterly bond with the world. 

One of my favorite aspects of this series is that a portion of the book series takes place in Salem, a place I’ve felt drawn to my entire life. The Salem Witch Trials serve as a significant backdrop to help orient us to the importance that historical event had on many gifted witches and diviners for centuries and that’s still very much present today as many of us are reincarnated witches and mystics. That history weaves in and out of the tapestry of my storyline and in the history of the main characters. And another fun fact I’ll share is that I drew inspiration for many of my characters from prominent tarot readers, psychics, astrologers, and witches that we all know and love so it will be interesting to see if any of you can pinpoint who my inspiration was for each character.

If you want to check out more from the book, you can download a free sample on Amazon – there you can read the first few chapters of the book to get a feel for it. I really hope you love this book and The Divining Sisters Series as much as I do. I’m excited to get it into your hands so that this magical experience can be shared with the world.  If you get a copy, let me know what you think and please leave a review.

I plan to put out the other books in a fairly quick timeline – hopefully no more than 6-8 months apart, if possible. And I will continue writing this series as long as I’m mesmerized by these characters and the bond they share. This writing experience has been so healing for me as I’ve worked through the same past life fears and traumas that are woven throughout this story. And I’ve found it empowering to own my gifts again just like my main characters. I hope you’ve enjoyed this behind the scenes look at The Divining Sisters Series. I’ve been itching to bring you into this mystical world I’ve been living in the past 3 years as I’ve written the first few books.

I’ll see you in September 2022 for all new podcast episodes of Healing Thru Tarot. We’ll be picking back up with our healing with the archetypes series starting with the healer archetype in September then the mystic archetype in October as we get closer to Halloween. I also have an episode lined up for working and healing with lunar energy and dream interpretation with the tarot.

Make sure you are following my new author Instagram account @heatherhardisonauthor for all the updates on the book release I share on that account. I'll be sharing quotes from the book there as well.

Link to this bonus podcast episode of Healing Thru Tarot where I read you excerpts from my debut novel click here

Links discussed in this blog -  click titles to go to those pages

Author Amazon Page

Author Instagram Account

The Call of the Cards on Amazon

Universal link takes you to all platforms where the book is now available

Heather Hardison Author Website for Novels

Writual Discount Code & Link for You!

Use my Writual ambassador link here along with my discount code HEALING (all caps) to get 15% off your Writual purchases at checkout. Writual has tarot stamps and stickers, dated and undated tarot journals and planners, including one for kids, lunar planners, tarot resources, tarot decks and tarot-themed mugs, candles, and jewelry so check them out using my link and code!

Healing Thru Tarot's Spread Ebook Line

A Spread for All Seasons - 17 custom spreads

Healing and Mental Health Spreads Vol. 1 - 15 custom spreads

Healing and Mental Health Spreads Vol. 2- 15 9-card spreads

Shadow Work Spreads and Workbook - 20 spreads

* (Newest) Healing Thru Tarot’s Life Path and Life Purpose spread ebook includes 15 custom spreads I’ve created to help you identify and align with your life path and sail to success. Spreads like the life path alignment spread, lightwork path guidance spread, conquering obstacles on my path spread, advice from my future self-spread and karmic healing path spread will help you position yourself to step into your full power and achieve the purpose you incarnated to fulfill. Plus many more spreads offering guidance and advice to get on path and stay on track. $12

Click here to purchase any of these spread ebooks