The High Priestess.

She keeps showing up.  When I first drew for Mason, she was his future card.  I like to draw cards for my novels before I begin them.  I did it with Ronan when trying to figure who he was, where to begin with him, and if I was ready.  I thought I was, and the cards tried to tell me otherwise, but I still persevered.

With Mason, I knew, without a single doubt, that I was ready for him.  I asked the cards, simply, where do I begin?  I wasn’t asking for myself, I realized later.  I was asking for Mason, and they spelled it out clearly.  Two of cups, ten of swords, the high priestess.  Of course.  Past: Lukas.  He was happy, carefree, and full of love.  Present: addicted to tea.  He’s at rock bottom.  He’s in the worst possible place of his life, and he needs to get up.  Future: acknowledge your shadows.  Oh man, oh man, oh man.  I can’t wait for you to see what Mason becomes.  He is amazing.

So, I was ready to begin, and I did.  18 days later, I ended.  For now, of course.  This is only the first draft, and there’s still a long way to go, but now, I was ready to meet Miriam.  So, I drew for her.  Two of pentacles, nine of wands, the high priestess.  Okay.  That’s–interesting.  I’ll digress into why this reading freaked me out a little after explaining the reading itself.  Past: change is coming.  Yes!  Miriam is ready to burst at the seams, waiting for her life to make sense.  Present: you are strong.  Her mother constantly forces her into this box of hate and anxiety, and it’s time for her to break free.  Future: acknowledge your shadows.  Oh.

Okay.

Hang on.

Rewind.  Usually, if there’s a reading in the story, it’s based on a reading I actually did.  For one of Mason’s, I decided what cards I was using the first time.  I picked the emperor and two other major arcana cards.  I wanted power.  I wanted strength.  The reading felt fake.  I hadn’t actually done it, so the cards I’d picked didn’t fit into the story.  So, I did a reading.  The first card I drew was the emperor.  The other two were wands, and the reading was so much better, but it was drawing the emperor after wanting it to be there that made me pause.  The next day, Jack and I went to Life Alive, and there it was.  The Emperor bowl.  I got it.  It was delicious.  And now here I am drawing the high priestess for both Mason and Miriam for their future cards.  It fits perfectly, but it’s a little scary.

The world has been showing me signs, over and over again for the past month.  I’ve been so terrified of moving on from Ronan that I almost didn’t know how, and yet, the universe knows.  The universe is confident in my decision to write this series.  And I am over the moon excited to be here.