Parallel Press: Thanks for connecting with us, Sasha. I guess the first question would be for our readers who may not be familiar with your work, how did your journey with tarot begin?

Sasha Graham: I am a HALLOWEEN baby. I grew up feeling like a weirdo, supernatural creature so when I was 12, my elementary school did a fundraiser and I volunteered to read tarot under a tent even though I’d never touched a deck of tarot.

I ran to the mall, brought home the RWS deck and excitedly opened it. My stepsister’s Born-Again Christian friend was in the house, saw my cards, snatched them from me, ran outside, doused them with lighter fluid and lit them on fire. She told me they were the Devil’s handiwork.

At that moment, I knew I was onto something good :D!

PP: How do you get inspired to create a new deck? What’s the process for going from concept to a concrete design? 

SG: Love this question soooo much. First question is always, “What am I obsessed with?” It might be an aesthetic, a point of view, an unanswered question, or combo.

My first deck, “Tarot of the Haunted House,” from Lo Scarabeo, came about because I was collecting  softcover, gothic novellas from the 60’s & 70’s. You know, the ones with gorge ladies who are dashing away from a brooding gothic castle and/or haunted houses.

I realized the haunted house was a perfect metaphor for all of us. You, me, everyone, we are all walking jump scares. We are chock full of the secrets we hide from ourselves and others. We all have dark scary parts alongside our sunny, soaring, beautiful parts. But all of us carry deep mysteries inside ourselves. We have to uncover and unravel those uncanny, mysterious places inside ourselves in order to evolve into who we are meant to become. It can be terrifying, but it can also be lots of fun!

The Tarot creation process begins with me writing up a proposal (same as a book proposal), outlining the deck, including each card and the guidebook. Once I’ve sold the proposal and been contracted by a publisher, we begin the search for the perfect artist to bring my vision to life. Once an artist is secured, I send detailed descriptions of each card (like scenes from a movie) to the artist. They return a sketch of the card. The sketch portion is where notes and any changes in composition are made. Once the sketch is approved, the artist does the final coloring of the card. Voila, 78 cards later, we have a Tarot!

I’ve created 3 decks, my bestseller, “Dark Wood Tarot, ” “Tarot of the Haunted House,” and “Tarot of the Witch’s Garden” in the last 11 years. A deck usually takes at least 3 years from start to finish. 

PP: There are a lot of amazing artists who have illustrated your decks. What’s your process for finding the right artist and how do you collaborate design the deck? 

SG: I’ve worked with some of the BEST! Right now I’m finishing up a new deck, “Vampire Tarot,” with my artist from “Dark Wood,” Abigail Larson. She is my muse and inspires me endlessly.

It is a delicate balance when I begin searching for an artist along with my publisher. My editor and I begin scouring the internet, looking everywhere to find the right match. Once we zero in on an artist, that artist is paid to create 3 sample cards. I send them a 3-card script (usually, a Major, Minor and Court Card). They are given a month to complete the 3 cards. Hopefully, its a match. Sometimes, you will know in your belly (I knew with Abigail) that you’ve found the right one. Feels like love at first sight!

Once we secure the artist, the publisher’s art directors and editors are brought in to help supervise our deck creation.

PP: You teach classes and workshops on tarot, magic, often at multi-day conferences or retreats. What do you find the most rewarding aspect is of imparting your knowledge to others? 

SG: I wouldn’t say that I am imparting knowledge as much as I am guiding students toward something inside themselves they knew but perhaps forgot. I love providing immersive experiences, fostering curiosity and inspiring people.

The most rewarding thing? The ability to bring bodies together to form community, getting out of the digital space and diving into a real life, somatic connection. I love the intimacy and emotional impact of transformational work. It’s… magic 🙂

PP: What advice would you give people who are just getting into divination and tarot? Is there a good deck to start out with?

SG: It never hurts to have a Rider Waite Smith deck on hand but the best deck to learn with is the deck you can’t stop looking at! Find a deck you are obsessed with and that’s the best deck to learn with. 

Tarot works best when you treat it as a daily practice. Try to pull a single card every day. The good news? It will only take you a few minutes each day and will actually make your day soooo much more fun and magical.

PP: Do you read speculative fiction? If so, do you have any favorite stories or poetry? Have any of them inspired your work in tarot or other projects? 

SG: Yes, Stephen King is my spiritual author daddy, of course, cause I’m Gen X! Weirdly, his novella, “The Langoliers” haunts me more than any of this other titles. I recently devoured “Mrs.Todd’s Shortcut,” a short story inside of “Skeleton Crew.” Reading it made me feel like a wide-eyed 14 year old again. So. Freakin. GOOD. I specifically drew upon characters and scenes from “The Shining” in my “Tarot of the Haunted House.”

My other favorite author is Jeanette Winterson who is often described as literary fiction but she uses parallel worlds, gorgeous doses of magical realism, skips timelines, and a lyrical poeticism that brings me to me knees. She also writes about Tarot from time to time. My favorites are, well everything she writes, but especially, “The Passion” and “Lighthousekeeping.” 

PP: Tell us a little bit about your podcast Sasha Graham’s Ghost Stories by the Fire. How did it start up and what’s your favorite part about telling ghost stories on air? 

SG: A friend of mine owns a cool, red velvet, vampire style bar called the Barrow’s Intense Tasting Broom out in Brooklyn. They have this cool outdoor fire pit and seating area. His bar manager was keen on doing a literary, spooky story night and invited me to create one. Sasha Graham’s Ghost Stories by the Fire was born!

Ghost Stories is like a creepy Moth storytelling event. I bring audience members out of the audience up to share their spooky stories. I’ve held Ghost Story events all over the US, Canada and next summer, Ghost Stories is heading to Edinburgh Fringe!

The Ghost Stories Pod grew out of my live events. On the pod, I’m a late night public radio host who is broadcasting from an abandoned fire tower in the Catskills. I play a curated selection of stories recorded at my live events. Each episode has a common theme like “Hotel Horror Stories” or “Haunted Road Trips.”

My favorite thing about my Ghost Story events and podcast is that it brings people together and grounds us in our humanity. It doesn’t matter who we are or where we come from, everyone has had things happen to them that they can’t explain away.

Oh, and I love creepy, coziness.

PP: What are you looking forward to the most at BayCon? 

SG: Meeting everyone and feeling the vibe!

PP: You’ve also done some acting in horror films—anything we should check out for a good scare?

SG: For fans of 90’s SOV horror (if you know, you know) check out my 1996 alien flick “Polymorph,” where I play a mafia hit chick whose body is taken over by an evil alien from outer space (streaming on TUBI).

If you like body horror, check out “Side Effects May Vary.” Made in 2024, it is really fun flick based on the “Incredible Melting Man” and I play the doctor (rent on Prime, Fandango, or YouTube).

And for you twisted revenge horror fans, check out 2024’s  “Trivial,” where I play a deranged game show host who does derranged things to her contestants (streaming on TUBI). Brahahahhahaaaa!