Volunteering at a thrift bookstore is a great way to accumulate stuff. Last week, my “discovery” came while I was straightening up the books on folklore. There amid seven copies of Edith Hamilton’s Mythology and a dozen retellings of the legend of King Arthur was a book called Inner Child Cards, by Lerner & Lerner.
I picked it up, not knowing what to expect, but intrigued because the cover was different from the rest of the books. Turns out, it wasn’t just a book but a set of tarot cards. Now, I’m no expert on tarot. (None of my characters are into it, so I haven’t had to research it yet. 🙂 ) But still, I’ve seen the usual decks at New Age or trendy bookstores. Unlike those adult decks, all of the pictures in this set were taken from fairy tales. Given that my book is a fairy-tale retelling, I was delighted. Though it may not be quite the original intention of its creators, I figured the cards would be great story inspiration!
So, this week’s fun fact — running a bit late because of an internet glitch! — is that you can “retell” anything, from fairy tales to history to tarot. Case in point: a version of tarot cards where the “fool” is Little Red Riding Hood and the “emperor” is in his new clothes!
