Tarot Through Time: How a Fictional Character Helped Me Create a Deck

Doyle Dalton and Jamie Poole meeting from different points in Time.

It might seem like a drastic shift—an author of a book series suddenly creating a tarot deck. But for me, it was a natural evolution. After all, storytelling is at the heart of both.

I’m not aware of any other author who’s created a tarot deck from their book series. Sure, there are tarot decks based on fictional worlds. But The Time Travelers Tarot is something different. It’s the first tarot deck with a time travel theme, and it wasn’t just inspired by my books—it was co-created with one of my characters.

Yes, really.

You don’t need to read the books to enjoy the deck. The stories stand on their own. But they do speak to each other. The deck reveals truths through archetypes and symbolism. The books explore those truths through narrative and character. Both are portals to insight.

Meet Doyle Dalton: The Fool Who Changed Everything

The spark for the deck came from Doyle Dalton, a character in my series. He’s the Fool in The Time Travelers Tarot—not because he’s foolish, but because he embodies the archetype of the Fool: the seeker, the wanderer, the one who leaps into the unknown.

Doyle thought he knew everything. Then he went to war. And discovered he could travel through time.

His journey is raw, transformative, and deeply human. He influences Jamie Poole, the hero of the deck, who in turn influences him. Their dynamic became the heartbeat of the tarot’s narrative.

Co-Creating with a Fictional Character

How do you co-create a tarot deck with someone who doesn’t technically exist? Easy. You listen.

As I outlined Doyle’s story, he began to speak in tarot. He described his life through the cards. He named the characters who would appear on them. He gave me the framework for a deck that wasn’t just symbolic—it was personal.

Once his arc was complete, I realized I had the foundation for something bigger. A deck that could speak to anyone. Because Doyle’s challenges—his reckoning, his growth—are universal. His journey is one we all take, in one form or another.

Jamie and Doyle launch into that journey from different angles. But they both move through the same terrain: uncertainty, transformation, revelation. And so do we.

A Deck for Seekers of All Kinds

The Time Travelers Tarot isn’t just for fans of the series. It’s for anyone curious about their own path. It’s for those who’ve felt the tug of destiny, the ache of change, the thrill of possibility.

It’s for the Fools in all of us. If you're interested in the deck check it out.