Saturday, January 21, 2023

Interview With Author Alison Davies

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1. What motivated you to write your book, to force you from taking an idea or experience and turning it into this book? I love writing and telling stories, and for me, the tarot has always been a storytelling tool. The stunning images depict situations that resonate with our psyche, and whenever I have done a reading in the past I liken it to opening a book, and letting the pages fall where they will. We get a glimpse from a chapter in someone’s life, which we read like a story, so for me it was a natural progression to take the cards, and the beautiful images and come up with stories that explained their true significance. I also believe that as humans we connect with stories on so many levels. We use them to learn about the world and make sense of things, and the tarot deals with both major and minor transitions that occur as part of the human experience, so it makes sense that carefully crafted narratives might help us understand and connect with the cards.  

2. What is it about and who is it for? The book is for anyone with an interest in the tarot, who would like to know more about the cards and their meaning. Whether you’re an experienced reader, a complete beginner, or somewhere in between it really doesn’t matter. The stories bring the cards to life in new ways, and hopefully offer a fresh perspective. I really hope that the tales provide a deeper insight into the images and what they mean, while also highlighting some of symbols used. Even if you know nothing about the tarot, you will still get something from this book, the tales work with common themes and narratives that we all experience, and also deal with situations that we can all identify with.  

3. What takeaways might the reader will be left with after reading it? They’ll hopefully have a better understanding of the tarot, and of the themes and meanings, which will help them develop a personal relationship with the cards and make reading them even more of a joy. They will also have been on a journey with each narrative and will be able to apply this to their own situation. They will form a deeper, stronger connection to the images, and be able to recognize what each card means and recall this information, by simply bringing the tales to mind. 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? To be honest the title is basically what it says on the tin, it perfectly describes the content of the book and what the reader will get from it. While I didn’t decide on the cover design personally, I do feel it’s perfect for the book. The Rider Waite Smith images are strikingly beautiful and speak for themselves, they are at the heart of the tales and simply gazing at the selection on the cover will hopefully intrigue and ignite a spark of interest.  

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers? Just write, would be my first bit of advice. Write what is in your heart, write from the heart and write what you know. Let the words flow and don’t seek perfection in the first instance, it’s more important to get started and to practice your art. Writing like any skill takes time and you will learn and perfect what you do as you go along. My second piece of advice would be to read, read lots. Read the things you love, and the things you’re not so keen on. Read a variety of different voices and see what’s out there and what works for you. I would also say to any writer, you need tenacity and quite a thick skin, particularly when you’re starting out. You need to be open to criticism, and prepared to learn from it, and you will certainly receive your fair share of rejections but just remember that one editor’s pet hate, might be another’s true joy. Don’t lose sight of your dreams and keep going. And if you write what’s in your heart and what you love, then you will persevere and eventually reach your goal.  

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? Books will always have their place, and I don’t see them ever going out of fashion. Stories are integral to who we are and how we make sense of the world, and even if you write non-fiction, you’re still selling a message, and using language to connect with others and create a common landscape that you can explore together. I think there’s a slant towards the natural world, and the old ways, and a keen interest in what went before, particularly in self-help nonfiction. We are going back to basics and looking for ways to reconnect with the earth and the environment.  

7. What challenges did you overcome to write this book? The main challenge is coming up with stories that readers can identify with, and that do the cards justice. With the Major Arcana, this was easier, as it is an on-going tale which narrates the Fool’s journey. The symbols and themes are prominent throughout and the story wrote itself, but the Minor Arcana are four distinctly different suits, which deal with different ideas and concepts. I took my inspiration from the images on the cards and tried to work in all the detail I could, while still getting the theme and core message of each individual card across.  

8. How would you describe your writing style? This book is somewhat different, in that it mixes fiction with some non-fiction. When I write stories, I am quite visual and I like to paint pictures with words, which I hope comes across and works well with the tarot. When I write nonfiction, I like to choose language that explains and presents my ideas in a way that’s easy to connect with and understand. I am also a professional storyteller and I think that helps with all types of writing, because when you stand in front of an audience and deliver a story, you literally have to bring the words to life, and it means that you choose them carefully. 

9. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? I would be honored if anyone chose to read my book this week or month, there are so many great books out there! As to why they should choose it, I would say because this book covers all bases. If you want to get lost in a magical story/stories, then you have the opportunity to do that. If you want to learn something and broaden your arcane knowledge you have the opportunity to do that too, and if you want to reflect upon your own life, and where you are upon the Fool’s journey, and also learn something about yourself while broadening your intuition, then you can do that too. It’s a reflective, magical read, which I hope will open reader’s eyes to the wonder of the world, and to the joy of reading the tarot.  

About The Author:  Alison Davies is an author, professional storyteller, tarot reader and freelance writer from Nottingham in the UK. She has penned over 50 books, including the popular ‘Be More…’ series for Quadrille, which started with Be More CatThe Mystical Year, and Crazy Cat Lady, were published at the end of 2020 and she has also written The Self Care Year, Cosmic Rituals, and Wild Weather, a compendium of weather related folklore and myths. Her latest offerings, published in this last few years by Quarto include Sleep Tight, a book of guided meditations and mantras, and The Cat Purrsonality Test, and more recently the re-release of her book Fairy Tales Can Change Your Life, published by Watkins media. When she’s not writing books, she writes for magazines like Spirit and Destiny, Kindred Spirit, and the Express Yourself section of the Daily Express. Alison is a professional storyteller and delivers sessions at universities throughout the UK on how stories can be used as tools for teaching and learning, and when she’s not doing that, she delivers workshops on how to read the tarot. Her most important and demanding role by far though, is being cat mum and human of choice to her three furry felines, Ziggy, Diego, and Honey.  

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.2 million pageviews. With 4,400+ posts over the past decade, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Susan RoAne, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, IBPA, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, NewsdayThe Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum

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