Episode #97 LE Sterling – The Magus Club, Tarot, Secret Societies & Dark Romance

In this spooky-season episode of Miles Beyond the Page, host Michelle Miles welcomes back paranormal romance author LE Sterling to discuss her new release, The Magus Club, a dark and atmospheric story where tarot, secret societies, romance, and danger collide.

Erin shares how decades of tarot reading and research into real historical magical societies helped inspire the novel. Set in Toronto, The Magus Club follows Esme Wallace, an intuitive tarot reader who has spent years pushing magic away—until she is drawn into a secret circle of magicians and finds herself caught between temptation, mystery, and an increasingly unsettling sense that something is very wrong.

Michelle and Erin dive into writing characters who are magnetic but potentially dangerous, including the enigmatic Julian, and discuss how suspense can grow through tarot warnings, atmosphere, and carefully withheld information. They also explore the challenge of balancing romance with horror and creating dread without explaining away the very mystery that makes a story compelling.

Erin also teases what’s next in The Arcana Collection, including Arcana 88, set in 1987–88 at the University of Toronto and centered on Michael’s parents, as well as the upcoming High Priestess.

🎧 Join Michelle and Erin for a perfectly spooky conversation about tarot, secret societies, dark paranormal romance, and the delicious tension between attraction and danger.

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ABOUT LE STERLING:

Inspired by a childhood roaming across Canada in a van, L. E. Sterling is the author of multiple novels spanning romance, fantasy, science fiction, dystopian fiction and YA. Holding a B.A. and M.A. in creative writing, Sterling also draws heavily on her Doctorate degree in literary magic to weave stories of fathomless depths, lyrical complexity, and arcane wonder. She lives in the French-speaking suburbs of Montreal, Quebec, where she enjoys the romantic, lost-in-translation life of an anglo ex-pat.

WHERE TO FIND HER:

Website/Blog | Newsletter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Threads | Substack

WHERE TO FIND THE MAGUS CLUB:

All Retailers | Apple | Kobo | Amazon CA | Amazon US

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