I noticed her at the Readers Studio absorbed in her project. She was friendly, as were most of the people there, engaging and funny. But she spent a lot of time writing, writing, writing. It was clear she was working on a book while she was there, and others had mentioned that she had already published another. But it wasn't until the last day of the conference when she was invited to step to the podium and share an excerpt from her recently released (March 2007) novel, Accidentally Engaged, that we were able to truly appreciate Mary Carter's considerable talent. The reading was hilarious and it was clear that she completely understood the insanely obsessive moments most, if not all, tarot readers have experienced while attempting to read for themselves in the midst of a very emotionally tenuous time. She poked good fun at all of us, including herself, and the room erupted in appreciative laughter as we identified with her main character sitting in a seedy hotel room frantically trying spread after spread in vain attempt to divine her own romantic situation. That excerpt alone is worth the price of the book.

Mary Carter is Leisa Refalo's most recent guest on The Tarot Connection Podcast. Episode #42 features an interview with her as well as a guided ritual using the Aces by Bonnie Cehovet and I have begun recording my Tarot By The Numbers series for the podcast so this episode features the introductory post: "The Twos"