This month, I created posts for a short story anthology that is being produced through my author collective, Made in L.A. Writers. It was inspired by my interest in the tarot, the spooky weeks leading up to Halloween and Day of the Dead, and the launch date in late October. If you want to see these posts, plus what our Made in L.A. authors have contributed (and will contribute as we launch this book), feel free to browse all of our posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Made in L.A. Writers also set up a new Facebook page recently.
We decided to consolidate all the tarot posts here, to allow people to see them together. And since fellow artists created and published these cards, let’s first give credit where credit is due!
Rider-Waite Tarot cards are in the public domain.
For Morgan-Greer Tarot cards and Thoth Tarot cards, card images are © Copyright U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Each photograph of tarot cards will be accompanied by the story that inspired it and a short writeup for each story. Enjoy!

Infamy by Noriko Nakada
Coming together for a party is an opportunity for Japanese-Americans to socialize in their new city, Los Angeles. Symbolized by the Knight of Cups, they are hardworking, hopeful, and looking forward to a prosperous future.
But a crisis of epic proportions is brewing somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, as indicated by the Eight of Swords. The Nakamura family as well as their friends and extended family have no way of knowing what lies ahead.
Artwork: The Thoth Tarot

Boots by D. C. Diamondopolous
When she sees a homeless man that resembles a Staff Sergeant who saved her from an attack, she follows him, looking for answers and searching for a connection to her old life. Like the Hanged Man, the homeless man has abandoned his previous life, or perhaps he has been abandoned.
When a soldier comes back from the battlefield, her scars aren’t always visible. Sam feels she’s on her own in coping with the stress of acclimating to civilian life, and that the VA won’t help her. Like the Queen of Swords, she carries her sadness inside.
Artwork: The Morgan-Greer Tarot

#MillennialExistentialism by Lenore Robinson
It seems The World has opened up for one unattached, transplanted Millennial as she explores Los Angeles, but yet she suffers: from being alone too often, from seeing too many jealousy-provoking posts on social media, from Millennial existentialism. She searches for connection, as symbolized by The Lovers, but can she find it?
Artwork: The Morgan-Greer Tarot

The City by A. P. Thayer
Loud music, liquor, and a sea of gorgeous people dancing might be enough to get you to forget your lame job and out-of-reach dreams, but what happens when the music’s over? The King of Cups rules the emotions, and what we might use to avoid feeling them, but he also teaches life lessons that (hopefully) make us wiser.
Meanwhile, the Nine of Swords indicates that one might suffer from desolation and severe self-doubt, which could happen—a lot—in a city like Los Angeles.
Artwork: The Rider-Waite Tarot

Tell Me Your Name by Roselyn Teukolsky
Young Pamela has a dark secret buried deep in her psyche. Perhaps she is not the generous teenager she appears to be, as symbolized by the Moon, a card of illusion and deception. And maybe she’s not exactly in touch with her own emotions, either. Her family has moved to Pasadena to start over, mostly because of her.
The Death card symbolizes a sudden change in one’s life, a transformation of sorts. How will Pammie change? And will anyone else change with her?
Artwork: The Morgan-Greer Tarot

Shark News by Karter Mycroft
The Moon card reflects the unknown and the subconscious mind; the card’s artwork includes water imagery, too. In this story, Hunter follows a mysterious lead to become an intern on a radio show about sharks. In addition to experience, success, and recognition, as symbolized by The Star, he also finds himself in the midst of a power struggle that won’t easily be resolved.
Artwork: The Morgan-Greer Tarot

The Good Life of Duke by Erik Gonzalez-Kramer
When an overworked man witnesses a hit-and-run accident, he is despondent. As the Three of Swords implies, his faith in humanity—and his connection to it—is weak. But Duke, the dog he rescues from the scene of the accident, shows—and teaches—a great deal of Strength.
Artwork: The Morgan-Greer Tarot

Terminal Flight by Barry Bergmann
When a man dies on an airplane, the LAPD are called in to investigate. Symbolized by the Knight of Pentacles, Detective Sergeant Parnell and Detective Harbaugh set out to find out why and how it happened; it’s just another day on the job for these two, another mystery to solve.
The Five of Swords indicates that someone in this situation is trying to get away with some wrongdoing, but it’ll take a lot of digging to figure out what, and who, has led to the man’s death, and if any clear answers can be found.
Artwork: The Rider Waite Tarot

Empty Glass by Andrea Auten
Like the Five of Cups, Izzy is mourning. She is disillusioned; few things seem worthwhile or pleasurable anymore, and the future seems bleak. Like the figure on the Five of Cups, she only sees what she’s lost, not what she still has. Izzy has suffered some setbacks, too, like the Queen of Swords. Can she move past her emotions and let her intellect guide her to better ways and better days?
Artwork: The Rider Waite Tarot

Angels Live Here by Nolan Knight
Jack’s a product of the foster care system, the kid nobody invested in, but he’s off drugs and high on life by now. Too bad he’s always around intoxicants, working as a bartender at The Dresden, where he gets to hear soulful live music night after night and flirt with his sexy Devil of a co-worker, Mindy.
Can he rebuild his life while battling his own weaknesses? The Eight of Swords points to a difficult state of mind that can only be resolved through finding one’s inner strength.
Artwork: The Thoth Tarot

The Fortune of Three and the Kabuki Mask
by Sara Chisolm
Florence has dealt with her parents’ overprotection, scrutiny, and controlling tendencies for all of her life, as signified by the Five of Wands. She wants to stand up for herself, but she is shamed when they call her disobedient. As symbolized by the Princess of Swords, she is ready to fight, even against enemies that ought to exist in fantasy.
Artwork: The Thoth Tarot

Unwanted Gifts by A. S. Youngless
Sometimes receiving a gift out of nowhere brings more trouble than joy. May is the older sister, the one in charge, the one who gets—and gets to do—everything first, and so she takes possession of the gift. The 9 of Discs implies that May always has what she needs and wants, but perhaps she needs to focus on her emotional and spiritual growth going forward.
When the gift creates havoc, May and her younger brother, Charlie, must go on a journey together. As the Chariot implies, movement and hard work will be required if they want to reach their goal.
Artwork: The Morgan-Greer Tarot

Star Crossed by Gabi Lorino
Star Crossed’s Tristan, whose habits and addictions keep getting him in trouble, is practically friends with The Devil. Maybe he’d rather not think about what his next steps in life should be, and maybe life is more fun when you’re chasing the same fun you enjoyed twenty years ago.
His good friend Jen knows Tristan well enough to let him be who he is, even if it causes her grief. She’s not the voice of reason, exactly. However, like the Hanged Man of the Tarot, she’s attempting to put more spiritual meaning, and less drama, into her day-to-day life. Jen’s equanimity is tested when she receives psychic messages about Tristan and has to puzzle out what they mean.
Artwork: The Rider-Waite Tarot

Call Us Home by Cody Sisco
Luis, Salt, Jen, Cassie, and Darnell are vaguely interconnected acquaintances scattered throughout L.A., and the Hell Mouth has targeted all of them. As symbolized by The Tower, once the battle begins, nothing will ever be as it was before. The Tower demonstrates that sometimes in life, havoc ensues, systems break down, and we find ourselves in danger. It’s up to us to create new circumstances on more solid footing, if we can.
Artwork: The Thoth Tarot

We Found Love as the Undead by Sara Chisolm
Three sisters battle for Satoshi’s attention, whose mental state is best described by the Seven of Cups: caught up in fantasy and lost in daydreams. He can’t choose just one of the sisters, even though, like the Magus, he has the power to make the decision. The Magus, or Magician, is a leader at heart, a leader, a solver of puzzles. When Satoshi takes decisive action, what will result?
Artwork: The Thoth Tarot

Night of Fires by Allison Rose
When The Fool takes his first step on a new path, he’s clueless about what’s ahead… but he’s okay with that. In “Night of Fires,” Catherine has no reason not to trust her younger sister Leah, so they set out on a journey of sorts through the past.
It turns out that Catherine has a lot to learn about her sister. As each lesson is revealed, Catherine gets more acquainted with the meaning of the Nine of Swords: misery, concern, and anxiety over a loved one.
Artwork: The Thoth Tarot
We launch Made in LA Volume 3: Art of Transformation on October 30, 2020. Please tune in to the costume ball on October 31 if you want to spend more time with us!
Refer to our website, http://www.madeinlawriters.com, for more information.