#195 - The Bullet Catch - The Second Eli Marks Mystery Novel

If David Copperfield and Sherlock Holmes had a love child, then it would be Eli Marks.

I am excited that John Gaspard has published this second book in the Eli Marks mystery series. Although magicians will undoubtedly find this book of interest, it's market is really for the masses of mystery book aficionados. I spoke with John on The Magic Word earlier this year about his first book, The Ambitious Card, which sold well enough for his publisher, Henery Press, to request another which officially makes this a "series". According to the brief description on Amazon;

Newly-single magician Eli Marks reluctantly attends his high school reunion against his better judgment, only to become entangled in two deadly encounters with his former classmates. The first is the fatal mugging of an old crush’s husband, followed by the suspicious deaths of the victim’s business associates.

At the same time, Eli also comes to the aid of a classmate-turned-movie-star who fears that attempting The Bullet Catch in an upcoming movie may be his last performance. As the bodies begin to pile up, Eli comes to the realization that juggling these murderous situations -- while saving his own neck -- may be the greatest trick he’s ever performed.

You can pre-order the book now from Amazon or wait until after its release on November 4, 2014 when it will also be available from Barnes & Noble. The Bullet Catch will have its official launch on Wednesday November 5, 2014 at Once Upon a Crime bookstore, 604 West 26th Street, Minneapolis, MN beginning at 7:00 p.m. Also appearing will be Suzanne the Magician, (winner Academy of Magical Arts Close-Up Magician of the Year) who will perform close-up in the book store.

John said that book tours aren't what they used to be. No longer do authors travel the country from book store to book store signing books. In this age of e-commerce, they usually have book signings closer to their homes but responding to the masses through blogs, tweets, Reddit events and podcasts. But some of the reviews are in from those who have had a sneak peak.

“The Bullet Catch is a wonderfully engaging, delightfully tricky bit of mystery. Fans of magic will delight in John Gaspard’s artful use of the world of magicians, onstage and offstage. It’s a great story and great fun!” – Jim Steinmeyer, Author of Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear

“Gaspard's latest Eli Marks mystery, The Bullet Catch, has as many tricks up its sleeve as its likeable magician-hero. As the body count rises, so does the reading pleasure.” – Dennis Palumbo, Author of the Daniel Rinaldi Mystery Series and Co-Writer of My Favorite Year

“The Bullet Catch is a real winner of magical proportions. Filled with snappy, delightful dialogue and plenty of sleight-of-hand humor, Gaspard's latest mystery in the Eli Marks series does not disappoint. Head to the bookstore and get yourself a copy now!” – Jessie Chandler, Author of the Award-Winning Shay O’Hanlon Series

“The author does a fantastic job juggling the separate plots and keeping readers’ minds thoroughly engaged…The relationships between Eli and his remarried ex are interesting, to say the least, and the pure entertainment of the industry will leave all readers hoping that there will be a ‘number three’ very soon.” – Suspense Magazine

“The Bullet Catch has a quick pace and dialogue that engages the reader from the first page…Gaspard has written a great character into an original storyline…I will definitely be seeing/reading more of Eli as Gaspard expands this promising mystery series.” – Examiner.com

“Readers, get ready for your mind to expand as Eli Marks returns and uses his powers of prestidigitation, intuition and deduction to solve another mystery. If David Copperfield and Sherlock Holmes had a child, it would be Eli Marks.” – Scott Wells, The Magic Word Podcast

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#194 - Theaters of Magic

With the closing of Houston's Magic Island in 2008, it's hard to find a public venue where people can go to see quality entertainment and magicians can find a place to ply their trade. Over the past few years though, some inspired people have been testing the waters to see if there is a market for magic in their areas.

Some started off with the idea of having a venue where they could perform their own material and hone it to perfection, break in some new material, and perhaps along the way get a following and find some who might hire them for more lucrative, long-lasting work. Some theaters offer opportunities for visiting magicians to perform.

Some, like Steve Cohen and his "Chamber Magic" in New York City, or Dennis Watkins and his "Magic Parlour" in Chicago, continue to feature just one performer without any replacements during his absence. These magic theaters, like Chicago's "Magic Cabaret" or "Magic Chicago" offer a more "theatrical experience" in a theater district or in a hotel room. Some offer just magic and perhaps some adult beverages while others offer an evening complete with a dining experience and perhaps some strolling magicians, too!

Though there are several impresarios of magic theaters spread across the U.S. whom I could have contacted, I selected just four random magic theater owner/operators: two from Florida and two from the San Francisco, California area. They represent different business strategies and long term goals.

http://bayareadinnershow.com http://danchanmagic.com Dan Chan Presents: Bay Area Magicians perfect for corporate events and family gatherings.

Bay Area's Best Dinner Show - Cupertino location 2013 Footage Check out our website http://bayareadinnershow.com for our newest videos!

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:02:28 - Erick & Kim Olson talk about "Wizardz" located in Kissimmee, Florida, a great tourist location just within 10 minutes away from Disney World. Erick likes to use his theater to break in new effects while featuring other magicians who pass through the area. Wizardz is open every Monday and seats about 50 people. They talk about competing with all the other tourist attractions in the area. Their Facebook page is http://Facebook.com/ErickWizardzOlson.

00:21:10 - David and Cheri Evangelista, owner/operator of Merlin's Theater next to their magic shop. Their theater is open one weekend every six to eight weeks where they selectively identify acts to come in and perform. That gives them time to advertise and promote the shows.

00:35:37 - Walt Anthony talks about his San Francisco Magic Parlor. The Parlor is inside the Chancellor Hotel Union Square Theatre where Walt spends four hours putting up the stage, sound and lights. They are open every weekend, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening. The decor is old style Parisian with the ambiance of Old Time San Francisco complete with theatrical story telling and magic stories of the area. 90% of the time the show features Walt Anthony; however, there have been instances when he has booked other acts outside of the area.

01:05:31 - Dan Chan, the Magic Man has been operating the "Bay Area Dinner Show" for the past three years. They are open on Mondays and have a variety of different sized rooms available for groups of 15 to 150. They size up or down to fit each size group. Their show also includes dinner and includes tableside close-up. Dan talks about his marketing campaign and how he gets people into the theater.

#193 - Putting Your Show Together

Waiting for the phone to ring for that next show? Why not create your own fortune and produce your own show? Sure, it will take an investment of your time, effort, and money, but then what successful venture isn't worth that?

In this podcast, Erik Dobell and Chris Collins discuss how they came together with the common interest of producing and marketing a magic show they could take to the public. This podcast is not intended as a promotional tool for their show so much as it is a look into how they did it and how you can put together your own show using similar tools that have proven successful.

They talk about using a cheap place to get rack cards (or Club Cards) using http://GotPrint.com and for getting tickets printed, they recommend BrownPaperTickets.com. We both recommend checking out Fiverr.com where you will be surprised what you can find people will do for you for only five bucks (like professional voice overs). They also use http://Weebly.com to design their own free website. If you are interested in learning more about these two magicians and their Impossibilities Show and their show dates and places, then please visit their website at http://www.impossibilitiesshow.com/ Their Twitter handle is @BestMagicShow and their Facebook page is http://Facebook.com/Impossibilitiesshow

We start off the podcast getting to know each other a bit better as we discuss Doctor Who, some performance ideas for the "Haunted Key", and how Erik got involved in mentalism and Chris steered into comedy magic. We also talk about their small community of magicians in their area and how they got together and decided to produce a stage show.