I'm delighted to present this guest post from the wonderful Joyce Mason, talented author and astrologer and all round good soul. Enjoy her post and I hope it encourages you to read her inspiring and fun new mystery novel, The Crystal Ball.
In November 2013, Mandi Lockley was
kind enough to mention my new novel, The
Crystal Ball, in her info-rich post, Astrology, Fiction and The Doctor(s).
Since then, I’ve discovered a couple of other fascinating articles on the topic
of astrology and metaphysics in fiction. I’d like to share them with you and
what I’ve learned from them.
Mandi offered me a chance to give
the author’s perspective, as I find myself surprised and delighted to be part
of an evolving new literary subgenre. Astrologer Armand Diaz calls it Astro-detective fiction. From behind the scenes, I
thought you might enjoy learning how this dual genre is evolving for me, and
how others are starting to see it. Not only does it have the potential to bring
those of us who are “into” astrology a reading experience that fits our interests;
Astro-detective books also sow the seeds for bringing astrology more into the
mainstream, drawing in those who like the mystery half of ”Astro-detective.”
Composite Like Chiron
It’s no surprise
for a Chironophile (Chiron has been my astrological specialty since I started
my practice in 1988): The Crystal Ball
is a composite genre like the centaur of mythology after which the planetary
body is named. In the official BISAC categories all authors have to choose before publication to help make it
easier for readers to find their books, I sorted The Crystal Ball into Mystery and Visionary/Metaphysical Fiction.
If you’re an avid
reader and want to have some fun, take a look at some of the many genre
possibilities and Google their definitions. Since I have written more astrology
than fiction up to now, I’m still learning the nuances of subgenres. For
instance, I used to think I wrote “cozy
mystery” because of my more humorous and less gory take on crime, often
writing pieces where no murder takes place at all. (A master of the no-murder
mystery is Alexander McCall
Smith.) However, after scrutinizing the pure definition, I find myself,
Uranian as usual, not quite fitting the mold. The Crystal Ball doesn’t take place in a small town (San
Francisco), there’s some realistic, though no gratuitous swearing (most cozies
are pretty Puritanical about language), and we actually get an opening glimpse
of a sex scene, though most of it is left to the reader’s imagination. (Not that
the cozy genre is prudish, but as the Cozy Mystery List article linked above
says, “Sex, if there
is any, is always behind closed doors.” Flunked that one.)
Astrology is Uranian, and in my opinion, Chironic. In mythology, Chiron
is often cited as the first astrologer. This speaks to astrology’s healing
potential.
Chiron and The Crystal Ball
I hinted there would be backstory, and there is. Writers are always
advised to write what they know. I originally wrote The Crystal Ball, trying to resolve a personal relationship that
was a lot at core like Micki’s and Curt’s in the novel. Of course, Micki and
Curt developed into their own unique characters.
Micki Michaels is an astrologer and head of a longevity organization
celebrating its Silver Anniversary at a New Year’s Eve gala called the Crystal
Ball. Curt Stern is an ex-FBI agent. He has been in and out of her life, and is
clearly her one true love. Now retired, he has joined her in San Francisco to see
if they can, finally, make it work. A threatening extortionist gives them an
opportunity to combine their hot chemistry into a crime-busting Odd Couple, as
they have to protect their loved ones and everyone at the Crystal Ball from a
potential kidnapping—and possibly worse.
Micki and Curt have a strong magnetism that is the definition of
Plutonian. Through them, I attempt to tackle the age-old dilemma: Opposites attract but can they live
together? With creativity and Micki’s obvious facility with the Chiron
archetype, we see the beginnings of a composite relationship that tests itself
in an emergency. If they succeed, they’ll save the day.
Micki’s other Chironic characteristics are numerous. A few of examples
of her ease with blending old and new, reflecting Chiron’s orbit between Saturn
and Uranus—a Chironic trademark: she lives in a Victorian house, built in 1900,
dotted with both antiques and futuristic gismos like a custom-designed, talking
clock and a robo-maid. Chiron is also the “patron saint” of her longevity
organization, the Immortalists on Planet Earth Association or IOPEA (pronounced
eye-OH-pea-uh).
Mainstreaming Takes Aries and Libra--and Chiron in Pisces
I wasn’t focused on
the idea that my book could help me be an ambassador for astrology until it was
nearly in print. While confessing that I don’t have a single planet in Aries
but several in Libra, publishing this book has taught me how sometimes, you
have to just do it—get it out there and be an Aries pioneer. Knowing what
you’re doing will follow, at least the part you couldn’t figure out because it
was subconscious. Once it gets from your inside to the outside, it’s clearer to
you, and others can respond for even more enlightenment (the Libra part).
One of the most
important things Armand Diaz points out in his article, reacting to mine and
several other Astro-detective novels, is that mystery readers are used to being
walked through highly technical topics and learning through the author the
essentials for understanding the story. The love of mystery makes the reader
willing to learn. What an opportunity for astrologers to teach astrology!
Since many
Astro-civilians are to astrology what Muggles are to magic in the Harry Potter
books, I can’t help but want to urge members of the astrological community to
both support this developing genre and other types of Astro-fiction. And if you
write, consider weaving astrology into your works.
I struggled for
years with feedback from the traditional literary community that fiction
featuring an astrologer would appeal only to a narrow audience. It took putting it out there, and Armand’s
point about mystery being a traditional “teaching institution,” for me to see
that the slogan from the movie Field of Dreams, slightly modified, applies here: If you write it, they will come.
In another article
I read recently, PJ Swanwick says We Need to
Promote Spiritual/Visionary Fiction, another
evolving genre. Imagine: healing through the pleasure of reading. The Crystal Ball promotes more than
astrology. It’s a mixed bag of practical metaphysics with themes of longevity,
health, and the Chironic quest for wholeness—in addition to the relationship
issues so central to it.
It’s time for all
of us to start voting with our book purchases—add TV and films—to
create the kind of healing through the arts that Chiron
in Pisces is all about. Join the Literary Evolution!
© 2014 by Joyce Mason. All rights reserved.
