COVER REVEAL

 I got the finalized cover for my upcoming Llewellyn book, THE EVERYDAY WITCH'S COVEN: RITUALS AND MAGIC FOR TWO OR MORE and I just had to share it with you!

Isn't it amazing?! Of course, I'm not surprised by how much I love it, since the artist is none other than our own Elisabeth Alba, who did the illustrations for both the Everyday Witch tarot and oracle decks.

The book will be out in January 2023. I can't wait to see what this cover looks like on the actual book.

What do you think? Do you love it?

Big Announcement and Oracle Deck Giveaway

OMG. There is so much going on here, I don't know where to start.

Okay, so first of all, as most of you already know, the Everyday Witch Oracle Deck is out from Llewellyn. It was supposed to come out on September 8th--yes, that's not for over a week--but was released about a month early. This caught me and illustrator Elisabeth Alba by surprise, but we're going to make up for it now.

When the Everyday Witch Tarot came out, Elisabeth made a road trip here from her home in Massachusetts. But she just gave birth to a baby in June (I KNOW! Congrats, Elisabeth!), so that wasn't possible this time. Instead, we each signed a dozen decks and sent them to each other, so we now have a dozen each that are signed by both of us. Most of those are going up on Etsy (Etsy listing) but I'm going to be giving away one double-signed copy here as well. In case math isn't your strong suit, that will leave me eleven on Etsy. LOL.

Each set will include the deck (signed by both of us), a special sticker we had made that features the back of the deck, a bookmark, and a postcard. The set I'm giving away here will also include some special surprise. What is it? I can't tell you--it's a SURPRISE.

So be sure to enter using the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of this post. As always, no purchase is necessary, although if you already have the deck, or win this copy, I'd really love it if you would post an honest review.

Here's a couple of the places you can get it. Amazon and Llewellyn. It is also available at B&N, any other online book seller, and you can request it from your local Indy book store if they don't happen to carry it.

BUT WAIT, THAT'S NOT ALL!

I have news.

I just signed a contract with Llewellyn for a new book. TA DA!

Tentatively titled The Eclectic Witch's Book of Shadows, it is going to be a fun and information-filled "everything you need to know" book for my witchy readers. It won't be out until 2021, probably (I haven't even started writing it yet), but I think you are going to like it.

Can you believe this is going to be my 13th nonfiction book? (My 12th with Llewellyn.) And that's not counting the books that come with the tarot deck and the oracle deck.

I hope you're all as excited as I am.

And now, the giveaway you're really excited about.

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Everyday Witch Oracle Giveaway

So, a funny thing...

The Everyday Witch Oracle Deck (which I worked on with Elisabeth Alba, who did the tarot deck with me) was supposed to come out on September 8th. But it came into the Llewellyn warehouses unexpectedly early...so now it is coming out on AUGUST 12th! That's next MONDAY! Can I get a woot?

But of course, that completely throws off my promotional plans, since I now have less than five days to do what I would have done in a month. On the bright side, if you've been eagerly awaiting this deck, you're going to get it a lot earlier!

I got my author copies right before I left for a long weekend vacation with friends (pictures of that coming soon, probably), and finally had a chance to open one up today. They're soooo pretty! Llewellyn did a great job as always, and Elisabeth's artwork takes my breath away.

The book, the cards, and the cover of the box.

 Naturally, this means I'll be doing a giveaway! I've got one shiny new copy of the deck, plus a fun kitty bookmark (since there are a bunch of cats in the deck), and a broom pen.

To enter, just use the Rafflecopter form below. As always, no purchase is necessary, although if you run out and preorder the book today, it should ship out to you on the 12th!

The giveaway

Here's a link to get the deck directly from Llewellyn: Llewellyn
And here's Barnes and Noble
And Amazon
You can also ask your local Indie bookstore to order it for you.

I hope you love it as much as I do! In the meanwhile, here's the giveaway.

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Cover Reveal! Everyday Witch Oracle Deck

As many of you know, illustrator Elisabeth Alba and I have been working on The Everyday Witch Oracle Deck, which will be out on September 8th from Llewellyn. We had such a blast working on the Everyday Witch Tarot (which, incidentally, I just saw was on sale on Amazon for only $19.82 instead of its usual list price of $29.99) that we just had to find another project to work on together. If anything, this one was even more fun!

One of the best parts is being able to do the cover reveal. Llewellyn picked two cards that were both of our favorites, so we're especially excited. So with no further ado...

The kit cover:

The book cover:

And here is a picture of the back of the cards. Four cats, each representing one of the four elements. Which one is your favorite?

 And as a bonus, a picture of Elisabeth with all forty finished original paintings!
(If you look closely at her, you will see that she is busy creating something else...a little human being. Whoo hoo!)

We are both so proud of this deck, and we can't wait for it to come out. We hope you'll all love it too. What do you think of the covers?

Guest Post: Elisabeth Alba, Illustrator

Hey, peeps! Most of you know Elisabeth Alba from her illustrations of our Everyday Witch Tarot deck, as well as the upcoming Everyday Witch Oracle deck we're working on now. She's sharing some advanced images and details of the work over on her brand new Patreon page, and I thought that some of you might be interested in what she's up to, so I suggested she guest post here. Take it away, Elisabeth!

Hi Everyone!

Thanks to Deborah for allowing me to be a guest blogger here.

This is a portion of a post I created for my patrons on my Patreon page at www.patreon.com/elisabethalba. It shows the process of the painting, “Listening,” for the Everyday Witch Oracle deck I am working on with Deborah (who is also on Patreon at www.patreon.com/deborahblake), published by Llewellyn Worldwide.

If you're interested in seeing in-depth step-by-steps behind my artwork, please check out my Patreon and consider becoming a patron! I plan on sharing in-depth posts about the creative process behind many of the oraclecards as well as other artwork I create, timelapse videos of painting, videos around my studio, and other goodies like holiday cards, desktop wallpapers, and monthly coloring pages. I'm really excited to have this opportunity to share my art life with you all!
Note from Deborah: I'm following her there and I LOVE watching the process as the paintings come alive! Plus, I can't wait to get the coloring pages.

Here is Deborah's initial description for “Listening”: Close-up on a witch with one hand behind her ear, eyes closed and smiling, listening to a magical wind blowing by. A bird is hovering, perhaps whispering in her other ear. The feeling is thoughtful and attentive.

The deck is divided into elemental suits – Earth, Wind, Fire, and Air. “Listening” is an Air card. My first rough sketch had a generic witch thrown in, white with long black hair and black hat, but after working on the sketches for all 40 cards, she evolved. The biggest fault with the Everyday Witch Tarot was its lack of diversity, and Deborah and I knew we wanted this deck to be the opposite, and represent the many people who use and appreciate tarot and oracle decks. In “Listening,” I painted an Apsáalooke woman. Many Native American legends of crow birds are about how they are the wisest of birds and that they have the power to talk. The Apsáalooke were given their name by a neighboring Siouan-speaking tribe and it means "children of the large-beaked bird," so it definitely seemed fitting to have this card represent a woman of the Crow Nation, as they came to be called in the English language.

Here are the two rough sketches of Listening, side by side:

After the sketch was approved I gathered reference material and also took photo reference of myself wearing a robe. The outfit she is wearing is based on traditional Crow clothing for women - the white objects sewn on are elk teeth! I didn't want her to be completely traditional though, since the deck is for modern witches, so gave it a bit of an update with hair half braided and half down, and a black skirt.

I then did a more refined sketch, figured out what colors I wanted to use, printed my sketch onto watercolor paper, inked it, and then it was finally ready for watercolor!

Here are stages in the painting process:

And finally... the big reveal! Here is the completed painting, ready to be an oracle card!

Thanks for following along on the process for this painting! I will share little bits here and there on social media, but I plan on devoting more time to these behind-the-scenes posts over on Patreon.  Please consider joining me there!

Thank you for the interest in our oracle deck. We are having so much fun working on it!

Thanks from me too! Just for fun, Elisabeth sent me a couple of packs of her new book plates, and we're going to give them away here.

I just love these!

 All you have to do is enter this simple Rafflecopter form, just like always. We'd love it if you'd check out our Patreon pages, but of course, only follow if you want to!

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Celebrating the Oracle with a Tarot Deck Giveaway

I'm sorry I haven't been around much. Between wrangling the new kittens and working on the Everyday Witch Oracle deck with fabulous illustrator Elisabeth Alba for Llewellyn (plus trying to get the garden in now that winter finally decided to give way to spring...) I've been a tad busy.

But I have to tell you, I am having a BLAST working on another project with Elisabeth. It's hard work, but so much fun. She has been coming up with some great rough sketches bases on my design suggestions for the cards. (There will be 40 in all.)

Check it out!

So I've decided to celebrate by giving away a copy of the Everyday Witch Tarot deck, which is what inspired us to come up with this project. After all, it has been a while since I did a giveaway, and we can't have that!

Besides, the tarot deck was recently released in SPANISH, which is very cool. Also muy bien! Llewellyn was kind enough to send me a couple of copies of the Spanish version, so if you win, you can tell me if you'd rather have it in English or in Spanish!

As always, all you have to do is fill in the Rafflecopter form below. No purchase necessary, although if you want to tell your friends how wonderful the tarot deck is, I wouldn't mind :-)

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Sekrit Project Announce and Celebration Giveaway

So some of you may have seen me talking on Twitter about a sekrit project that was a possibility... Well, I'm THRILLED to announce that illustrator Elisabeth Alba and I have just signed a contract with Llewellyn to create the Everyday Witch Oracle Deck! Can  I get a woot? (And a bottle of champagne?)

Elisabeth and I had a great time when we worked together on the EVERYDAY WITCH TAROT
We had so much fun, in fact, that we've been looking for a project we could do together ever since--well, ever since we recovered, anyway. We finally had coinciding windows of time available and come up with the idea of doing an oracle deck along the same lines as the tarot deck. Oracle decks are smaller and simpler, and take no preparation or training to use. The deck will have 40 cards and a book that goes with it, written by yours truly.

Here's the sample card Elisabeth made up. Isn't it AMAZING?

Notice anything special about this witch?

 
 We are both incredibly excited to be able to announce this project. (And to get the band back together.) No release date yet, but probably some time in 2020.

To celebrate, I'm going to give away one copy of the Everyday Witch Tarot Deck! (Signed by me.)

 

Just fill in the Rafflecopter form below. And then you can join us in doing the happy dance to celebrate our good news. What do you think? Are you excited too?

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Elisabeth Alba and I finally Meet!

Last Monday, the 16th, I got a visit from the lovely Elisabeth Alba, who illustrated the Everyday Witch Tarot. Believe it or not, this was the first time we'd met in person, even though we'd worked together for over two years! We had a great time (with her husband, artist Scott Murphy, and their dog Rayo)--and we signed a bazillion copies of the tarot set. Okay, maybe it just felt like a bazillion, but she had her 30 limited editions and I had my 10, plus we both had extras to sell on their own (or gift to friends).

She posted about the visit on her blog HERE

She's actually even nicer in person than she had been via our thousands of emails and Facebook messages. And as a few people pointed out, we actually resemble each other! Here's as few pictures from the day.

[In an aside, people seem to be really loving the deck, which makes us both VERY happy.]

They're here! Rayo is as excited as I am.

You can see my original painting of the Ace of Cups on the wall behind us.

What do you think? Do we look like we could be related?

Signing the box and the books.

Still signing!

Her pile was bigger than mine, if you can believe it!

Trying to get Rayo to sit still long enough for us to get a picture. Ha!

It was a real treat to finally meet up, and hopefully it won't be the last time. It turns out that Elisabeth and Scott are both beer lovers like me, so I've invited them to come back sometime to tour the local Brewery Ommegang and just hang out. (They live in Massachusetts, about 3 hours from me, so this may take some planning.)

The Tarot Deck is OUT! Deborah's Limited Edition

Happy New Year!

And a very happy one it is indeed for those of us who have been waiting for the arrival of the EVERYDAY WITCH TAROT -- it got back from the printer early, and even though it wasn't supposed to be out until January 8th, it is available NOW from Amazon, Llewellyn.com, and probably anyplace else, including your local Indy bookstore, who can special order it for you.

Huzzah!

Plus, it is #1 in New Releases in the Tarot category on Amazon, which needless to say makes me and illustrator Elisabeth Alba very happy!

Day one

 As some of you know, Elisabeth came up with a wonderful limited edition (30 only) set that includes signed bookplates (we're getting together mid-month so we can sign them together!), an original mini-sketch by her, a tin for the cards, and more. It sold out in the first couple of days, which was great, but a few people were sad that they hadn't been able to get one. We don't like sad around here!

So I've been hinting on Facebook that I was going to try to come up with a limited edition of my own, and here it is. Right now, there are only 10 sets available. I had the bags (large enough for both the deck and the book, plus all the other goodies, in case you wanted to keep them together) made up especially for this by one of the artists at my shop, and the little notebooks (to keep track of your readings) made special by another artist. The bookmarks are from the shop too, as are the candles. I didn't want to order too many, in case people weren't interested. But I have enough of the cool cat material to make another 10, probably, if the demand is high. Once that runs out, we've hit the limit for sure!

Here it is: The set includes the tarot deck itself (with the book signed by me, and also by Elisabeth if it is ordered before her visit and you don't mind waiting for her to get here), the bag, the cute little book--it has a kitty on it too!--with a broom pen to write in it. There is also a mini-smudge stick, a candle, and a small amethyst crystal, plus a kitty bookmark to use with the tarot book.

All these limited editions will be slightly different. As you can see, there are variations in the bags (different fringes), two different colors of candles, two different kitty bookmarks, and of course, the crystals are all individual. I'll take requests for preferences as long as I have the ones you want.

Variety is the spice of life! These are going to be one-of-a-kind.

Each set will cost $60, including the $30 card set itself, plus shipping. (Probably about $8 if you are in the States, more if you are outside the country.) I have no idea if anyone will be interested, or if they will disappear as fast as Elisabeth's set did. I guess we'll see! But I did want to offer something to the people who missed out on hers, and my set is a bit more magic-centric, as it were.

If you want one of these, email me at magicmysticminerva@yahoo.com -- first come, first served.

So, I admit I'm curious...did you get a set of the tarot cards? If so, have you received them yet and what do you think? Elisabeth and I couldn't be happier with the way they turned out.

ONE MONTH until Tarot!

*Cross-posted at Elisabeth Alba's blog

Only one month left!!! ONE MONTH!!! It’ll be here before we know it. 2017 is looking up! Elisabeth and I can hardly contain ourselves, we’re so excited to see the Everyday Witch Tarot in person. So we’re going to throw another GIVEAWAY!

But first! We’d like to announce that we are now taking pre-orders for the Everyday Witch Tarot Special Edition. “Special Edition?” you ask. “What’s that?”
Here are the details!

There are only 16 spots left, so order yours today for the special price! After publication on January 8th, the price will go up to $90. See that dragon sketch above? One of our early collectors requested “dragon” for her keyword. Elisabeth had a lot of fun with that one!
One thing I love about this Special Edition is that I get to meet Elisabeth Alba in person! We’re going to meet up in January after the deck comes out to sign everything together. I’m really excited! There will definitely be a blog post with photos of the meeting, signing, and merrymaking.
And now for the GIVEAWAY!!!
This time I'm is giving away either Llewellyn’s Witch’s Coloring book OR the Hip Witch Tarot – your choice of one! Elisabeth is giving away a signed print of the Ace of Cups. Good luck, and start counting down the days with us until January 8th!

Signed print of the Ace of Cups

Winner's choice of coloring book or this funky tarot deck!

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Less Than Two Months Until Tarot Release!

Elisabeth and I are totally pumped about the upcoming publication of the Everyday Witch Tarot! What a long process… to finally see the finished product and hold it in our hands will be amazing. We’d like to share two more images from the deck, as well as throw another GIVEAWAY!!! See bottom of post for info about the giveaway.

It’s been a tough few months. We thought the Tower and Strength cards from the Major Arcana would be appropriate cards to share during this time.

“Chaos and destruction—things go boom.”
Sometimes things have to crash and burn to make room for something new and better.

Deborah writes, “The Tower is one of the cards people find most frightening, since it always denotes some kind of chaos and major change (usually one that doesn’t show up in a positive manner). My take on it is a little different, as you can see from what I wrote in the Everyday Witch Tarot book. I’m not saying that things don’t look BAD when this card shows up…just that we need to look past the obvious “towering” that’s going on, to see if there is a glimmer of light visible through the smoke.”

From the book: A fairy tale tower lies in smoking ruins. To one side is a witch with a mischievous look on her face, a wand hidden behind her back with tiny sparks shooting out of it. A black cat peers cautiously out from underneath some nearby bushes. The witch is wearing a black pointed hat and a black cape, and both the cape and her long dark hair are blowing in the wind created by the explosion. The feeling of the card is wild and chaotic, but not depressing. In fact, you suspect that perhaps this witch has purposely blown things up. You just can’t for the life of you figure out why.
Life rarely runs smoothly, but there are times when it seems as though our entire existence is crashing down around our ears. Jobs are lost, relationships implode, we lose friendships that we treasured. Some of this is just Life. After all, as everyone knows, Stuff Happens. But much of the time, that chaos and destruction has to occur to make room for something new and better. Take heart. Try to see the positive in even the worst situation. You can survive the blast.

Things to consider – Depending on where this card falls in the reading, the explosion may already have happened, you may be in the midst of the chaos, or disaster may still be on its way. If the tower has already gone boom, what can you learn from the experience? What new and positive things can rise out of the ashes of what you have lost? If you are in the midst of the mess, how can you cope better or who can you ask for help? If the crisis is on the horizon, how can you prepare better, now that you know it is coming? Look deep and you may find that you already knew there was something you had to let go of, no matter how difficult the process might be. What can you build out of whatever remains?

“I am power, hear me roar.”
You are stronger than you think.

Deborah writes: Strength is one of my favorite cards in any deck, and especially in ours (I just love the way Elisabeth drew it). It is a good card to get along with The Tower, since it shows that you have the strength you need to deal with whatever is going on.”

A witch in a black hat points the wand in her right hand off to the side, pushing away a powerful storm. Light is streaming out of the wand, and a funnel cloud can be seen moving away, taking darkness with it. The rest of the card is light, and the witch is so confident in her magic that she isn’t even looking in that direction. Instead, her attention is directed at the giant lion to her left, which she is feeding a cookie to with her other hand. At its feet sits a black cat, looking proud, as if it is saying, “It followed me home, can I keep it?”

There is a lot of power in the Strength card, but it isn’t because the witch has more magic than anyone else, or can turn you into a toad without a second thought. (Although both of those may be true.) Her power comes from confidence in her own abilities, and knowing that the universe makes all things come right in the end. Even her cat has that kind of confidence, and views the huge lion as just a slightly larger member of the family. The Strength card reminds us that we have what it takes to triumph, no matter what comes our way.

Things to consider: If this card appears in a reading, it is almost certainly there to remind you of your own inner strength. It is saying, “Yes, yes you can.” You may feel overwhelmed or uncertain, but whatever you are facing, you have the strength to endure, and in the end, triumph.


Take heart, everyone!
And now, finally, THE GIVEAWAY!!!

We’ve got two items for two lucky winners! Deborah is giving away the mini Tarot to Go! set, and Elisabeth is offering a lined hardback notebook featuring the art for the 9 of Pentacles on the front! Good luck!

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Tarot Deck Update and 2-Prize Giveaway!

If you've been around here for a while, you know that I and fabulous illustrator Elisabeth Alba have a uber-cool tarot deck coming out from Llewellyn on January 8th. (See the Everyday Witch Tarot Deck on Amazon.)

We're planning to do an update every month until the deck comes out, along with some cool giveaways, including signed prints of Elisabeth's wonderful art for the cards. Elisabeth is doing this month's update, along with some input from me. Enjoy!

FROM ELISABETH:

In four more months, the Everyday Witch Tarot will be published by Llewellyn! Deborah and I are super excited. So excited, in fact, that we're revealing the process behind another card, AND having a giveaway (see bottom of post for details)!

We'd like to share the Judgment card, which is also used on the cover of the kit box. Everyone has seen the image by now, but here's a bit of the work that went into making it.

 

Here is the original Rider-Waite version of the card that ours is based on:

Deborah: "I tend to look at the Judgment card in a more positive way than some. Not so much as a judgment ON you, but more how you judge your own life. Do you like what you see? This witch is clearly following her own path with joy, which is what I was trying to represent with this card."

Elisabeth: The image description Deborah gave me was, "A witch in a black hat dances merrily down a path playing a flute [think Pied Piper] with her black gown hiked up to show her striped stockings, a black kitten bouncing in her wake, chasing a butterfly which flits in amongst the musical notes from the flute. A shining light beckons from the direction they are heading in. The mood is of anticipation."

I began with rough 'thumbnail' pencil sketches, and once a composition was approved I moved on to the drawing and digital color rough to figure out how I wanted to paint it.

Before doing the drawing, I took photo reference of myself pretending to be the witch in the image. I wanted all the figures in the deck to have accurate anatomy and feel more lifelike and dynamic, so I took a lot of photo reference!

I also looked at photos of canyons, shrubs, and playful cats.

Here is the image after inking on watercolor paper. Unfortunately I don't have any process photos mid-paint, but this is what I painted on top of!

Here is the final painting, and below is the text from the guide book that comes with the deck.

“Here we go again.”
Where has your path led you and where will it lead you now?

A witch in a black hat dances merrily down a path playing a flute with her black gown hiked up to show her striped stockings, a black kitten bouncing in her wake, chasing a butterfly which flits in amongst the musical notes from the flute. A shining light beckons from the direction they are heading in. The mood is of anticipation.

The Judgment card is often perceived as something ominous due to the traditional picture that features naked dead people being summoned by the Angel Gabriel’s trumpet. What isn’t clear is that this call is less about “being judged” by someone else and more about taking a look at your own life and finding it unsatisfactory. Our witch on the card is following some music that only she can hear, playing along as she moves happily down the path towards rebirth, renewal, and letting go. She is light of heart and feet because she has put down old grudges and hurts that were dragging her down. There is joy in finally heeding the call to the life you are meant to be living.

Things to consider: Are you following your own music, or dancing to someone else’s tune? The Judgment card reminds us to listen to our own inner wisdom. It can also be a suggestion that we are judging ourselves too harshly, or taking others judgment of us to heart. If this card shows up in your reading, it may be an indication that it is time to let go of the old and embrace the new. Rebirth and renewal await, if you are willing to go down the path that will take you to them.

And the Judgment card on the cover of the kit... The team at Llewellyn did a fabulous job with the design. We couldn't be happier!

Elisabeth and I are having a double giveaway!!!! Two winners will be picked! Use the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of the blog. We are offering a copy of Llewellyn's Witch's Coloring Book (which has some images from the deck that you can color in yourself!) and a signed print of the Judgment card! The print is on archival matte 11x14 paper, signed by Elisabeth!

The Everyday Witch tarot deck can be pre-ordered now direct from Llewellyn at https://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738746340 or on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Witch-Tarot-Deborah-Blake/dp/0738746347.

And if you can't wait four months for a new deck, you might want to check out The Modern Spellcaster's Tarot by Melanie Marquis with illustrations by one Scott Murphy (aka, Mr. Elisabeth Alba). It looks so cool, I can't wait to get a copy for myself!

*No purchase necessary

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