WHAT'S YOUR STAR SIGN? Courtney Ann LaFaive, an Aries sun and Eau Claire literary will soon unveil her forthcoming dual memoir and biography, Follow the Signs. In the book, LaFaive figuratively walks alongside the memory of Linda Goodman – a pioneering female astrologer of the New Age movement in the United States.

It seems Courtney Ann LaFaive, an Aries woman herself, just might contradict the notion that “the Aries woman could get along just fine by herself; often walks alone, without a star to guide her.”

In her forthcoming dual memoir and biography, Follow the Signs, LaFaive figuratively walks alongside the memory of Linda Goodman – a pioneering female astrologer of the New Age movement in the United States.

Set for release on May 12, the Eau Claire literary and assistant professor of English at the University of North Dakota considers a spiritual and literary redemption of Goodman. All the while, she weaves her own impetuous ventures into love and relationships over the course of the book.

Together, LaFaive and I admired worn-down spines and colorful jackets of her Linda Goodman collection – each encapsulating Goodman’s notions of the past, present and even immortality.

The tattered copies of Sun Signs, Love Signs, Gooberz, Venus Trines at Midnight among others, have become priceless artifacts to LaFaive, whose adoration for Goodman’s word began in early adolescence – when she first discovered this otherworldly connection.

“I felt like she was sort of this literary companion to my life,” LaFaive said of Goodman. “I would talk with people that were interested in astrology – I would show them my books – and they would kind of laugh at her, say that she was sort of a kook… It made me really curious about why that is.

“And so, I was really interested in recuperating her story,” LaFaive declared.

“Astrology is about cycles and things being cyclical, learning lessons and coming back to them.”

courtney ann lafaive

author, follow the signs

LaFaive admits she expected the biography portions of Follow the Signs to come naturally, given their parallel pathways in life and commitment to reshape the portrait of Goodman.

On what seemed like a never-ending paper trail, she discovered Goodman’s archive was fractured and fragile, which complicated the separation of factual elements in her story from mysteries only the stars could comprehend.

LaFaive’s process, as a result, shifted toward the embrace of fantasy and illusion – a core part of Goodman’s truth and in turn, the human experience.

“(Linda Goodman) was someone who engaged in ambiguity, who engaged in illusion,” LaFaive said. “That doesn’t mean that she’s any less worthy of writing a biography just because she can't be verified.”

Follow the Signs details Goodman’s fading legacy, the sorrow of her daughter’s suicide – and Goodman’s disbelief of this passing – gender identity and the intimate bond LaFaive felt towards the astrologist throughout the writing process.

“Writing a biography is like falling in love… you fall in love and inevitably the relationship turns sour,” LaFaive commented. “You see my process on the page: My initial thought was I will redeem her (and) by the end of the book… (Linda is) just complex.”

Courtney Ann LaFaive, pictured above.

Amidst these nuances, Follow the Signs also shares stories of LaFaive’s own life ventures as she equally grapples with relationships and self-acceptance.

LaFaive’s narrative ebbs and flows through her embrace of life’s opportunities – the “times of yes” – to compassion found in grief, transformation and ultimate trust in celestial cycles.

The parallels between memoir and biography address these realities head on.

“I think in some ways, I am really fortunate,” LaFaive said. “It happened to be that I was in these two relationships; the story with Linda really reflects my relationship with my ex-husband… they naturally echo each other.”

“I was living my life, I was doing this project, I was getting divorced – but it just happened to work,” LaFaive continued.

Her story, still in motion, evokes heart-wrenching truths – yet reaches solace in the clarity revealed under a starry night. For LaFaive, as well as Goodman, astrology introduces a language to describe life in ways which contrast from the mainstream, patriarchal, attitudes bestowed upon us.

Astrology serves as a tool not only for self-discovery but also – and perhaps more importantly – to understand the profound influence others have on shaping who you are, LaFaive believes.

“(Astrology) holds you accountable – to become curious about other people and curious about your motivations,” LaFaive said. “Astrology is about cycles and things being cyclical, learning lessons and coming back to them.”

Despite her encounters of dismissive or unknowing reactions to the star signs, LaFaive has been quite pleased with perceptions toward the art in the Midwest. She finds people around her have been both open and eager to connect with others interested in the subject.

She invites the same curious minds of Eau Claire to a forthcoming book reading and signing at 6:15pm on May 14 at Dotters Books (307 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire). The evening will not only celebrate Follow the Signs but also the immortal existence of Goodman, LaFaive teased. 

“(Linda Goodman) was someone who engaged in ambiguity, who engaged in illusion,” LaFaive said. Follow the Signs aims to unravel decades of mystery and counter the bizarre perceptions Goodman receives in mainstream media.

“Linda Goodman, she believed in immortality,” LaFaive said, which even she laughed at the fantastical notion. “I want to get a cake that says ‘Happy 500th Birthday Linda Goodman.’ There will be party hats, we’re going to do a reading… and there will be some kind of a ritual to just honor Linda.”

Whether attendees choose to honor Goodman’s memory with a piece of cake, or listen to LaFaive’s blend of truth and fantasy, she hopes Follow the Signs will underscore the enduring relevance of astrologers and the comfort imparted by their wisdom – Goodman and beyond.

“Astrology isn’t linear, things come back around because that’s the way that the planets circle,” LaFaive said. “If we put aside linear thinking, I actually think that makes sense – of course things would come back around.

“Even when everything else has left – even if you feel very lonely, you are still guided by something beyond you; It’s beseeching the stars,” she said.

Follow the Signs by Courtney Ann LaFaive will be released on May 12 through the University of Iowa Press. LaFaive will host a reading and book signing at 6:15pm on May 14 at Dotters Books (307 S Barstow St.) in downtown Eau Claire. Visit uipress.uiowa.edu to learn more about the author and preorder a paper original copy ($22.50).