Her destiny lies in the cards…
Fifteen-year-old Melanie Simpson and her friends uncovered a secret her father held for twenty years—material he smuggled out of a UFO crash in 1947 and has hidden away somewhere. Now, twenty years later, Melanie has found it, and along with it, the interest of dangerous men who will do anything to get the material from her.
She also learns of a device given to her father by a dying alien at the crash site. In a letter left behind after his death he tells of a quest, and that if she is reading this letter, he has been killed and she is the only one able to finish it.
She knows the device and quest must be connected, but where is it? With the help of her friends she searches for clues, all while facing the dangers of those after her. Then, a tarot card reading discloses even more—a link to the stars and a destiny revealed within the cards.
Set against a historical backdrop of UFO sightings, events, and government cover-ups, Melanie is driven toward that destiny. With each step she falls deeper into a world of lies, deceit, doubts about her sanity, increasing danger, and possible death.
This is Book One of the Melanie Simpson Mystery Series and follows the prequel, The Roswell Quest.
Reedsy Reviewer, Sally Altass wrote: 5 STARS
An exciting teenage thriller set in the 1960s. Spies, UFOs, cover-ups, and much more. There's a rising tension throughout the book, and the ending had me gasping for breath.
DJ was awarded the 5-star seal August 18th. He stated on receiving it, "It is nice to have recognition of this 'fantiastic story' (as Readers' Favorite put it) and of such an amazing character, Melanie Simpson, who just happened to get out of a car in my novel one day and took over my life."Readers' Favorite is one of the largest book review and award contest sites on the Internet. They have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins, and have received the "Best Websites for Authors" and "Honoring Excellence" awards from the Association of Independent authors.You can read the full review at www.ReadersFavorite.com by searching for the title.
Tale of the Tarot is planned for release in mid-May 2022. It will be followed by Book Two of the Melanie Simpson Mystery series, The Map of Orbis Terrarum in September of 2022.
On November 5, 2022 DJ Schneider attended the Arizona Author's Association banquet where he received the 1st place award in the catagory of Young Adult for his novel, The Tale of the Tarot. This is the second award Schneider has recieved for this novel, and the third overall for the Melanie Simpson Mystery Series.
