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Poppy

30/10/2014

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We're not writing a full blog post today as our family dog has just left for the Summerland with The Butterfly Queen.

Poppy was a rescue puppy when she joined us in 2001 after a few failed adoptions, but we were her forever home. The much longed for pet of one young man, she became the perfect companion for two growing children and the menagerie that later followed her.

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She was well-loved, lived a full and happy life, and we were by her side as she stepped across onto the next stage of her journey with The Butterfly Queen. Safe travels Poppy, we'll see you later on the other side... 

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Finding Balance

23/10/2014

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The Chronicles of Destiny Fortune Cards, 30. Balance
In itself, balance was a recurring theme during the creation of The Chronicles of Destiny. First and foremost, it was developed to be a working deck and since we didn’t follow a traditional structure, such as Tarot or Lenormand, we needed to take special care to ensure the balance of the deck was just right. 

We started with a blank deck with our titles written upon the cards, to determine its efficiency, then elements were added, taken away or reordered accordingly, as we tested it. So what was originally planned as a forty to fifty card deck soon became sixty, and placed at the centre is Chapter 30 – Balance. At the time, none of the cards had been numbered, so its placement was quite unintentional but an enjoyable moment of synchronicity once discovered! 

We had fallen in love with this image as soon as we saw Claudia’s artwork, so we were determined that it should be part of the deck. In its early days it served as The Adventure but, as the deck grew and various aspects changed, it was replaced. We didn’t think we could use it and then, almost at the end of the deck’s creation, inspiration hit. Although we had the card meaning we then had to decide where in the storyline this card arrived and, eventually, there was only one place where it naturally fit as we lay out the storyboard sequence on the living room floor. Humble beginnings.

One question that people keep asking us is: who wrote what? Did one of us write the fiction passages and the other the card meanings?  Another aspect of balance was that, although we had decided from the beginning everything would be written in partnership, we needed to ensure it would read as though it was one voice. So, we both wrote, edited and cross-edited, resulting in a culmination of efforts, woven back and forth until it seamlessly blended as if from one pen. Of course, it would have been so much easier if we had split it, but just to create more work for ourselves, we didn’t. It produced some tense moments too but we’re happy to report we’re still speaking!  

Although an important aspect, the storyline for the fictional side of the deck was a secondary element. The fiction passages are all linked, you can follow a story through to conclusion - hence their chaptered names. We could change the image or the story, but the meanings of the cards were set. When we added a new card we had to decide where in the fictional story it would appear to balance it out, as the fiction is the interwoven thread that holds the deck together.

The fictional side of The Chronicles of Destiny created some challenges as we found it difficult to restrict ourselves to short passages, when we really wanted to sink our teeth into the narrative we had to hold ourselves back! Because the writing styles for the narrative and the definitions were so different we wrote each section separately, all the fiction together and then all the non-fiction, to prevent it (and us) from feeling disjointed.

The essence of the card was something we personally experienced all the way through development and creation, but its relevance became more interesting when we added the last and final card, with a touch of magic from Alchemy.

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Lady Autumn

16/10/2014

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The Chronicles of Destiny Fortune Cards, 57. Lady Autumn
“Lady Autumn paints the scenery with golden hues; her crown bears the fruit of the season’s bounty as the earth gives up her gifts, marking the time to gather in the harvest. Nature provides the glorious finale with a curtain of rich color before the leaves fall, in a final flourish and fitting swansong to the season.”



Lady Autumn appears as one of our Supporting Characters and a timing card in our deck. She’s one of my favourites because I do so love this time of year. Halloween is approaching, conkers are bursting from their shells, leaves make that lovely crisp, crunching sound as you walk over them, the evenings get a little darker and rainy day weather provides the perfect excuse to stay in and get cosy with a good book. All you need is a spot to curl up in and escape into the pages . . . a book nook, if you will.

So where is your reading haven; by the fire, in bed? Do you have a small corner or a whole room to withdraw to? I’ve gathered a collection of inspiring images of different types of book nooks on my pinterest page: http://www.pinterest.com/Emsleby/book-nooks/. Have a browse and let me know what you think. For now, here is my own nook in the corner of my study/mini-library. 

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The Enchanted Emporium

9/10/2014

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The Chronicles of Destiny Fortune Cards, 1. The Enchanted Emporium
‘On a certain street in every town, quietly nestled between unsuspecting buildings and invisible to the undiscerning eye, The Enchanted Emporium waits.
The shop senses a Seeker and shimmers into life, glowing in anticipation for the journey to be taken, the knowledge and secrets to be learnt. Golden lights flicker and dance within, enticing their curiosity to step inside and explore.’


All great adventures have humble beginnings, and ours begins with a bookshop, albeit a magical one! We tend to think of all bookshops as being magical; they house endless worlds living just between the pages of a book, the experienced booksellers can help you discover new great loves, not to mention that satisfying smell of a new book.

My own adventures into literature began at an early age; I grew up surrounded by books, quoted Shakespeare non-stop, and read anything I could get my hands on. My mother’s childhood was also filled with books, thanks to my grandfather, and so our love affair with literature has been long ongoing. Perhaps that's why we were so drawn to bookshops.

My first Saturday job, at 15, was given to me by Castle Hill Bookshop, an independent store in my home town of Richmond. 

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I couldn't believe my luck, to become one of those that I had respected for so long: a bookseller. Days at work would be spent handling and talking about books, bliss! And I never wavered from that path, through the years I have always worked with books. From Waterstones to WHSmith where I currently work, and finally to The Chronicles of Destiny being published!  

So to start the story in a bookshop felt like the perfect beginning to our book - it is, after all, the threshold to another world . . . 

Ems x

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And so it began...

4/10/2014

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This notebook is where our journey with The Chronicles of Destiny began, all the way back in 2011, and what an adventure it has turned out to be!

Time flies, as the Keeper of the Clock reminds us, and suddenly there doesn't seem quite enough of it to go round.

We will be updating the blog as we head towards launch, but for the moment we just wanted to open the page and write the first words to let you know we're here. We hope you'll join us along the way... stay tuned.

(Feathers Journal from Peter Pauper Press and Swarovski pen.)

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    Backstory Blog

    Our backstory blog for The Chronicles of Destiny Fortune Cards. About books, writing, life... and (possibly) chocolate.

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​©The Chronicles of Destiny Fortune Cards. Josephine Ellershaw, Emily Ellershaw, Claudia McKinney.  Schiffer Books, 2014.  
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