Character Reading: Jessie Maynard

Meet Jessie Maynard, the heroine of Ann Yost’s debut release That Voodoo That You Do. Ann touts a Jonathon Winters quote as her motto.

“I couldn’t wait for success…so I went ahead without it.”

She’s been Peter Pan, a pilot and a substitute teacher but her stint as a Little League Ump was cut short. I think you’ll enjoy meeting her heroine.

1. How do you see the people around you?

You see them in a rather romantic way…or you did. The Queen of Cups is the woman who counsels others and I think you were the one always telling others to believe in the best of people.

Yes, you found out a secret..and I think you were meant to find this out. It may have been painful, but it opened your eyes to the people around you. You also are a bit of a loner. Others have their groups and you watch those groups but you aren’t really a part of them. I don’t know if it is that you don’t want to be a part of them or if they leave you out on purpose.

But your overall view is one of innocence and trust. You really do thrive best when you can trust.

Jessie’s Response:

I do tend to believe the best of others so I felt more than a little naïve when I discovered my fiancé engaged in a tete-a-crotch with his ex-wife during our rehearsal dinner! I imagine that is the secret to which you refer.

Of course the other part of your comment is true, too. If I had been less of a sidelines observer all my life I might have realized that a marriage based on friendship and business considerations wouldn’t work but, despite a generally romantic outlook, I didn’t expect to fall head over heels in love. Lucky for me or Kit would have broken my heart instead of just denting my pride.

2. How are you seen by the people around you?

Ouch, Jessie. Others see you as someone who’s been emotionally drained and used by others. They know you have good left, but you aren’t willing to see it just yet. You are spending a bit of time crying over spilled milk. I think those around you are ready to get you past this.

You are going to have to find those other joyful things in your life. But first, you have to deal with a rather painful loss of two or three important people in your life.

Jessie’s Response:

This hurts but I can’t say it is wrong. My dad’s a workaholic and, after his heart attack last year, my parents divorce an event that turned our family to shrapnel. My marriage to Kit was supposed to allow my dad to retire and (I hoped) reconcile with my mom. I felt the family break up more than I should considering that I am in my late twenties, but nothing or no one has ever come along to take my family’s place in my heart. I can see now that I have to carve a life for myself and that’s exactly what I’m doing here in Mystic Hollow. My first order of business is to find out who murdered my Great Aunt Blanche.

3. What is your most important goal?

Ha! In a way you want to show others what you are made of. There is a deep-seated need to rise above this loss or is it betrayal? You have been a rule follower for a long time. I think you may be exploring a different side of yourself now.

The Hierophant for you is about making your own rules and sticking to your own guns this time around.

Jessie’s Response:

Exactly! I want to show others and I want to show myself what I’m made of. My aunt’s friends, Mabel Ruth, Millicent and Maude believe the Reverend Prendergast is responsible for Aunt Blanche’s death. I intend to find out no matter what. I also plan to invite my family down to this Norman Rockwellian small town for Christmas in a last ditch effort to get my parents, sister and me together. I may run into a little problem with that since they’re probably not speaking to me and because it turns out Aunt Blanche’s house isn’t vacant at all. I think my family will love Pyewacket, Blanche’s pregnant cat but I’m not so sure about the other resident. Blanche’s foster son, Luke Tanner, was always known as the bad seed and, from what I can see, that hasn’t changed.

4. Where do you get your strength from?

Passion. Passion for life and travel and movement really fuel you, Jessie. I would not be surprised to learn that you travel for a living or maybe only in your head?

The 8 of Wands is the card of fast movement. You might be an athlete as well. Running (not from problems) may be a hobby of yours. You have a typical Gemini response in that you like to do more than one thing at once as well.

Jessie’s Response:

This reading surprised me a little. I haven’t traveled much…just from Chicago to this little town in Virginia. I find I really like the settled-ness of the small town, with it’s annual festivals and the Wednesday night meatloaf special at the diner, the generations of families who are born and die here. In the past I’ve drawn strength from my family but I think I could be happy here with a little business – maybe a B&B in the witch hat house – and friends and neighbors all around.

I’d rather give myself a root canal than run five miles but my mind does a lot of racing and I am nearly always doing more than one thing at a time. Sometimes it even works.

5. Why do you want to be remembered?

The Ace Of Pentacles is a beginning card. It’s about solid foundations and steady growth. You are a keen business woman with an eye on something that will change things as you know it. You have a deep desire to be safe as well.

You need to be remembered as someone who finished what she started, don’t you? There’s a stubbornness here that may get you in some hot water so be careful, Jessie.

Jessie’s Response:

I am a good businesswoman. I spent several years working for my father at Maynard Properties, Inc., and watching him but I was not considered stubborn. I was always the family glue – flexible and willing to apply myself where I was needed – i.e. my willingness to marry Kit so that the company will still belong to the family. Kit’s betrayal made me wake up to see that it doesn’t work to follow someone else’s dream. Kit isn’t a bad guy but he never made my spine tingle or my heart slam against my ribs the way a certain green-eyed sorcerer does when he walks into the room. I’ve learned that I won’t find safety with a timid approach to life. I’ve even learned (I think) that there is something that trumps safety: passion. I can’t go back. I just hope I can find the courage to go forward.

Visit Ann’s site to read an excerpt from That Voodo That You Do.