From a young age, I loved to read and Enid Blyton was a big part of my childhood. When I read her books, I was transported to a different world with midnight feasts, boarding school adventures, life on a farm, magical lands or solving mysteries with the Famous Five. I was never bored as long as I had a good book in my hand. I dreamt that I would publish my own novel someday. As well as reading, I also loved maths and numbers and because of this I became an accountant, but my dream of being an author never faded. When I moved abroad to Canada, I would make-up and email stories to my niece and nephew regularly with a chose your own adventure style plot which they would eagerly look forward to. I got so much enjoyment out of it too.
During Covid-19, with more time at home, I knew it was the time to write the novel I had dreamt about as a child. I noticed there was a lot of content online and on social media about ‘manifesting your desires’ and the ‘believe and achieve’ concept, which I was intrigued by. I also came across many card readings online, and I bought a pack of Tarot cards to try out. One day as I held the cards, I imagined a young woman struggling to find her way in life and thought it would make a great story if a pack of cards could grant whatever you wished for, but the wishes came with consequences. This then became the premise for my novel, The Cards That Changed My Life.
I wrote five hundred words a day and the first draft was finished within six months. Afterwards the hard work really began; I immersed myself in learning about the craft of writing, I joined writing groups, workshops and completed writing courses with Curtis Brown Creative. Not only did my writing improve, but I also learnt how to edit and pitch my novel and met lots of lovely new writers in the process. It took numerous drafts later until I felt the book was ready for others to read. I got a readers report through The Inkwell Group, which was founded by Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin. I found this really helpful. This was the first time I had the novel read by a professional writer so it was great to get that feedback to improve the novel. Further down the line, I got my manuscript critiqued by Joanna Barnard who also gave really thoughtful advice which added more depth to my novel.
During December 2022, I came across a newspaper article about a publishing mentorship being run by a local author, Nicola Cassidy, who was writer-in-residence at the time for An Táin Arts Centre in Co. Louth. I applied for a place on the mentorship and was delighted when I was selected as one of the three mentees to work with Nicola with a goal to get their novel published.
I found Nicola’s advice and guidance so encouraging. Her positivity and belief in me and my work gave me a great boost. After working with Nicola, I really believed in my novel and knew after another round of edits it was finally ready to be published. I was aware of success stories of authors who self-published their novels and thought why not me. The book was professionally proof-read and the cover was designed by a company called Design for Writers and I was absolutely thrilled with the results.
The Cards That Changed My Life was published in June 2024 and so far, it has been received very positively. It is a modern-day fairytale for adults, with a romance story at its core, set in a bookshop in Dublin. It tells a story about Jane McAlister – a 23-year-old, investment banker, who uses a pack of magical cards to navigate her life in search of love and success. It explores the notion of love and life with new beginnings. It’s about consequences, relationships, loneliness, heartache and romance. It also makes a great book club pick.
(c) Joanne Ryan Curran
Joanne is one of the speakers selected for a panel of self-published authors called ‘The Good Enough Author’ for The International Dublin Writers’ Festival which takes place in Dublin during Sept 20th – 22nd 2024.
About The Cards That Changed My Life by Joanne Ryan Curran:
What if a pack of cards could give you whatever you wanted?
Twenty-three-year-old, investment banker, Jane McAlister, longs to be as successful as her famous actress sister, Gillian, and find love. Jane is in love with her friend, Ben, but he’s unavailable. After she loses out on a promotion to Ben, she visits a second-hand bookshop in Dublin, where she is given a pack of magical cards, from Tara, the kindly bookseller she has known since childhood.
The cards give her a chance to step out of her comfort zone and make her wishes come true. But every wish has a consequence, and once you pick a card there’s no turning back. Do the cards hold all the answers or are they too much to handle?
Order your copy of The Cards That Changed My Life by Joanne Ryan Curran online here.
