397: John Gaspard - The Linking Rings, an Eli Marks Mystery

John Gaspard's professional magician (and unassuming detective), Eli Marks, is at it again solving crimes while spinning his own web of mystery for his audiences during his visit to The Magic Circle in London, England. Here is a quick overview:

Eli's trip to London with his uncle Harry quickly turns homicidal when the older magician finds himself accused of murder.

A second slaying does little to take the spotlight off Harry. Instead it's clear someone is knocking off Harry's elderly peers in bizarrely effective ways. But who?

The odd gets odder when the prime suspect appears to be a bitter performer with a grudge...who committed suicide over thirty years before.

While Eli struggles to prove his uncle's innocence—and keep them both alive—he finds himself embroiled in a battle of his own: a favorite magic routine of his has been ripped off by another hugely popular magician.

What began as a whirlwind vacation to London with girlfriend Megan turns into a fatal and larcenous trip into the dark heart of magic within the city's oldest magic society, The Magic Circle.

This is the fourth in the Eli Marks series and though it does feature a magician as the central character, it is written for the mystery lover, and not for the magician. John Gaspard is featured in this podcast because although it is related to magic and of interest to magicians, it is not another "how to" book of tricks.

During this podcast, there is a clip from Chapter One read by Jim Cunningham. The full audio is 30 minutes long and will be available from Audible.com in mid-2018. In the meantime and for a taste of the suspenseful novel, Click Here to read the full first chapter.

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Get your FREE copy of this short story, "The Invisible Assistant" by John Gaspard at: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/jj1r1yaavj

The winners may choose to receive a copy of "The Linking Rings" or, if you prefer, you may request to receive any one of the other Eli Marks mystery novels.

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396: Another Murray Christmas

It’s that time of year. It’s holiday magic as we return for our annual visit with Murray Sawchuck in Las Vegas. I like to chat with Murray to find out how he has evolved and grown plus get updates on what’s happening on the Vegas scene. I think it will be an interesting comparison to look back over the years to see how a professional magician has evolved and achieved success in this business.

Each year Murray has changed casino venues, changed his act (from CD’s to comedy), married and divorced, got a new assistant, traveled and performed around the world, helped Many charitable organizations, worked on cruise lines, appeared on nationally televised shows, added millions of more YouTube followers, and so much more. Each year we learn something more about Murray and benefit from the wisdom of his experiences.

During our visit to Las Vegas in February 2017, we chatted with several local magicians. The one conversation we did not record was with Murray Sawchuck because we usually reserve that chat for our annual holiday show in December. But we stopped by to enjoy a cup of coffee, some fresh baked cookies and a great chat.

Murray takes a break from putting up his holiday decorations to talk about building your act but not necessarily staying with it so long that it becomes stale and the importance of evolving and building on your act. He also talks about his annual upcoming benefit "Murray’s Annual Beggin’ For Magic Charity Holiday Variety Show" which you can learn more about at: http://www.vegasnews.com/168082/comedy-magician-murray-sawchuck-to-host-charity-christmas-show-dec-20-2017.html

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395: Andre Kole and Company

According to Genii's "Magicpedia", Andre Kole is an American magician and inventor of magical effects. He is also a committed Christian and is a public speaker for the evangelical group Campus Crusade for Christ International. But more than than, I know him as a friend and creative genius. He has received numerous awards in and outside of the magic community. One such accolade I remember him receiving was the "Guest of Honor" when the I.B.M. hosted its annual national convention in Phoenix, Arizona in 2013. That convention was covered by The Magic Word Podcast.

Regrettably we did not get a chance to chat with Andre then when his health was better. Now it seems that it is hard for him to remember and recount his life's adventures. But in this week's podcast, we do get to hear from him briefly as we talk with his son, Tim Kole, and other friends, Les McKinney and Craig Greenwood.

Andre Kole performing one of his early creations with his son Tim. This footage is of a program in April 2010. Different music was dubbed over the actual performance music.

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:06:15 - Tim and Andre Kole talk about the disposition of their illusions. They are indexing all of their illusions to put up for sale.

00:21:00 - Les McKinney talks about cruise ships, getting "flight time", developing an act, packing small and playing big,listening to your audience, and selecting volunteers.

00:41:39 - Craig Greenwood tells us a few "stories form the road" after working with Andre Kole for 35 years around the world.

00:47:39 - Product Review: "Sonic Stab" DVD by Loki Kross (Sansminds) - a modern day update of the classic card sword stab using...smart phone ear buds. Different and recommended with reservations.

00:51:16 - Product Review: "Moving Home” DVD and gimmick (Sansminds) - the home button on an iPhone visibly moves from one end of the phone to the other. Recommended but requires home made gimmick and “pocket management”.

00:55:34 - Product Review: "Intro to Sponge Balls" DVD by Michael Dardanelles - good information for those wanting to learn sponge ball magic. Not really great production value of the video, but good quality information, tips, tricks, moves and full explanations. Recommended for beginners.