JESSICA ADAMS

JESSICA ADAMS

New Novels With Tarot Magic

My friends Imogen Edwards-Jones and Daisy Waugh (a professional Tarot reader) have written fantastic new novels with Tarot magic woven into the plot. I packed these in my luggage from London to Dubai and couldn't stop reading. If you are a Tarot reader yourself, or just fascinated by the cards, trust me - these two authors know what they are doing!

New Novels With Tarot Magic

b978d45f214a016cc07c19e950f66821 - New Novels With Tarot MagicI first worked with bestselling novelists Imogen Edwards-Jones and Daisy Waugh on the Girls’ Night In series (HarperCollins and Penguin) in aid of the charity War Child. We later joined forces again in an anthology of erotica, called In Bed With, also published by Penguin. Somewhere along the way, we all became mad about the Tarot and Daisy has not only created a series called The Tarot Detective (using her pen name E.V. Harte) she has also become a professional card reader. Tarot novels are new on Amazon – but very welcome.

Tarot Fiction Beyond James Bond

I recently had to squeeze a couple of paperbacks in my luggage for a long flight from London to Dubai, and onto Perth, Western Australia. I must admit helping Imogen with The Witches of St. Petersburg, a story about the powerful role magic played during the collapse of the Russian Empire.

I will also confess Daisy was recently our guest during a special Tarot day in Brighton, with master reader Avril Price (also her teacher at the College of Psychic Studies in Kensington). Yet, although I can’t be at all objective or impartial here, I have to say – if you are intrigued by the occult in general and the cards in particular – these are great, escapist novels with first-hand knowledge and research – not the usual James Bond jokes (Live and Let Die revealed Ian Fleming as a better espionage expert than a Tarot reader!) What’s great about the novels by Waugh and Edwards-Jones is that they come from first-hand, long research.

The Novel That Grew at The College of Psychic Studies

A great interview and photograph in The Times (below, which Daisy has written for in the past, along with The Sunday Times) reveals her as being at the forefront of what is a new, fashionable wave of passion for the old cards. Decks are launched on Kickstarter these days. Tarot diaries are shared on Instagram. Daisy, who once interviewed President Donald Trump, is now dealing with Tarot Trumps instead, both via Skype for clients – and in the pages of her series about Dolly Greene, The Tarot Detective. Admitting that she does, in fact, read for herself – Daisy has been given good advice by the Tarot of Pamela Colman Smith and Arthur Waite, as she’s signed to complete three books about the intriguing Dolly Greene.

The Times 600x337 - New Novels With Tarot Magic

Daisy Waugh in The Times

Tarot Cards and Bestselling Novelists

You know Tarot is peaking when Vogue in the U.S. offers a beginner’s guide to the cards and Patti Smith comes out about using them as inspiration for her songwriting. Yet, something about these new novels by Imogen Edwards-Jones and Daisy Waugh is timeless enough to outlive any temporary fad. 

Apart from Ian Fleming, novelists do have form with the Tarot. The President of the College of Psychic Studies in South Kensington was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As the shiny front door of the college in Kensington was a hop, skip and jump away for Daisy, she says ” For a while the place began to feel like my second home.” In fact, she even ended up at South Kensington tube station handing out fliers offering tarot readings.

The Prime of Ms Dolly Greene 651x1024 1 381x600 - New Novels With Tarot Magic

Welcome to Dolly Greene – The Tourettish Tarot Reader 

All this hard-won education and streetwise Tarot experience pays off in The Prime Of Ms Dolly Greene, the first in a series of three books about a frank, somewhat broke, single mother with a student daughter, whose clients inevitably draw her into the dark world of London crime. Dolly, who is ‘Tourettish’ is not some whimsical woman on Skype with a unicorn on the desk.

I loved the way this book was unashamedly about the cards and related completely to the advice Dolly gives herself – ‘Never tell a punter they’re pregnant or dying.’ Dolly’s psychic flashes also come in the form of songs (again, many professional psychics can relate to this) and from her converted broom cupboard at home in London, she finds herself increasingly seeing what looks like a death – after the Death card turns up for a client.

Dolly Greene is the kind of psychic who stumbles into crime from £40 readings in a converted broom cupboard. She’s a fantastically modern detective heroine, at the same time that her passion for the Tarot makes her a wildly original crime-fighter. This is a great series.

Tarot Deck Death 600x400 - New Novels With Tarot Magic

Imogen Edwards-Jones and The Witches of St. Petersburg

When Imogen and I worked together on the erotica anthology In Bed With, we teamed up with Joanne Harris, whose brilliant Holy Fool was – until recently – one of the very few books by a big, bestselling novelist, to delve into the Tarot deck.

Here, Imogen explains why this fascinating (and occasionally horrifying) new book about the fall of the Russian Empire and two sisters – princesses with a taste for the occult – bring Rasputin into the Russian Court. It’s based on the true story of Princess Militza and Princess Anastasia, and as a former resident of Russia, Imogen tells her tale with huge passion.

Princess Militza and the Tarot cards in the Peach Scarf 

In this scene from the book, Dr. Badmaev, who sells black lotus essence and mandrake to local Russians, comes for a reading with Militza so he can discover more about the Tsar’s line of succession, as his wife is failing to produce a male heir.

The doctor cuts the cards and produces The High Priestess. “Wisdom, sound judgement, foresight and intuition” Militza declares. The next card is The Star. “Hope. Effort. Faith. Inspiration…” Finally, The Wheel of Fortune is produced, before The Ace of Cups. “Yes,” she nodded. “Fertility and joy…But upside-down.”

This is a Grey Goose vodka-strength novel about the occult boom at the beginning of the 20th century in Russia, and the fated way that the ‘little girl games’ of two princesses, armed with Tarot cards, pulled them into history. Everyone thinks they know the story of the end of the Russian Empire and the strange charm of Rasputin, but it’s never been told like this.

Buy The Witches of St Petersburg here.

Buy The Prime of Ms Dolly Greene here

More from the blog

Tarot by Jessica Adams
Premium with Preview

Tarot Parallel Universes

Using Parallel Universe or Multiverse theory – the Many Worlds hypothesis – you can find answers with the Smith-Waite Tarot on this website. What is possible?

Read More »

Comment Policy

Please take time to read the Comment Policy of this website because it applies to you and contains important information about how commenting works on this website. By posting a comment you grant Jessica Adams Proprietary Limited explicit and irrevocable permission to publish your comment including your name. As a user of this website you agree to be bound by our Terms and Conditions.  You are solely responsible for what you post. Your published comment will appear on the website and in search engine results. Do not post personal information or anything that should not be made public.  Comment moderation is in force, which means your comment will not appear immediately if at all. Jessica Adams does not reply to every comment and her replies are on a best-efforts basis which means your comment or question may never receive a reply. Support does not reply to questions about comments as we assume by posting you have read and understand this comment policy. 

5 Responses

  1. Dear Jessica,
    These books look absolutely fascinating – thank you so much for the notice !!! I hope to read these in between assignments due next week and final exams in mid-November !!

    I hope your trip was fantastic. I read with interest that you are heading to Perth – perchance, would you be giving any talks? While I am sure you are just passing through to the east coast I hope you get a chance to soak in the beautiful energy here. 🙂

    Kindest Regards,
    EJ. 🙂

    1. Thank you – definitely pick up these books – you will be whisked away from exams, which is what you need. I’m not talking in Perth, Western Australia until 2019 when we launch Sun Sign School. I do love it there EJ and will be back.

      1. Yay!! Thanks so much for the reply. Sun Sign School? I’ll take that as my Sign from the Universe ! 🙂 Thanks for your always spot-on intuition re exams too – some (law, what I’m studying) cases feel very heavy. But I am grateful to learn. Thank you so much Jessica – blessings and see you when Jupiter is back home in Sag ! Just what we all need. Thanks Jessica.. 🙂

  2. This is too much for me! I literally logged on today because I bought a new tarot deck and had the idea of using them as guidance in making choices in some short stories I want to write. I got Neptune in 10th house from the oracle, which also happens to be my natal Neptune placement. Then Lo and behold I click on the blog and this article is right there. Synchronicity in action! I look forward to checking out these stories- sounds intriguing!

    1. Such brilliant ‘chat’ from the universe you happen to be in. Neptune in the Tenth House is actually the very definition of a professional Tarot reader. I recommend Daisy Waugh and Imogen Edwards-Jones – brilliant writers (and mates) who know how to create that feeling of escape in a book. You forget where you are and then realise it’s time for the final chapter…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Login for your premium content

error: Content selection is disabled