Today's guest post comes from Jeff Strand, author of the recently-released Stranger Things Have Happened!
But first, let's learn about the book and its author...
Title: Stranger Things Have Happened
Author: Jeff Strand
Pub Date: April 4, 2017
You can’t always believe what you see in this hilarious coming of age novel from the author of The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever and I Have a Bad Feeling about This
Harry Houdini. Penn and Teller. David Copperfield. Marcus Millian the Third.
Okay, so Marcus isn’t a famous magician. He may not even be a great magician. But his great-grandfather, the once-legendary and long-retired Zachary the Stupendous, insists Marcus has true talent. And when Grandpa Zachary boasts that he and Marcus are working on an illusion that will shock, stun, and astonish, Marcus wishes he could make himself disappear.
The problem? Marcus also has stage fright—in spades. It’s one thing to perform elaborate card tricks in front of his best friend, Kimberly, but it’s an entirely different feat to perform in front of an audience.
Then Grandpa Zachary dies in his sleep.
To uphold his great-grandfather’s honor, the show must go on. It would take a true sorcerer to pull off the trick Marcus has planned. But maybe he’s the next best thing…
Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Kobo | iTunes | Indiebound
JEFF STRAND lives in Tampa, Florida. He is the author of A Bad Day for Voodoo, I Have a Bad Feeling About This, and The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever. Explore his website at jeffstrand.com.
And now here's Jeff...
The Last Five Magic Tricks I Tried To Perform That Ended In Tragedy
By Jeff Strand
Unlike Marcus Millian III, the main character in my quaint new novel Stranger Things Have Happened, I have no experience or talent as a magician. Here are five of my failures.
1. Sawing A Lady In Half. This was where I learned the important lesson that magic tricks are illusion and not just something you could do. In retrospect, given the way it turned out, I obviously wish I'd started with a different trick. I also believe that "Whoopsie!" was not an appropriate response. Dark times.
2. Being Handcuffed And Escaping From A Water-Filled Tank. I knew that, in many cases, it was the magician's assistant who did most of the actual work when pulling off an amazing illusion. So when I handcuffed my friend Barry and put him in a water-filled tank, I assumed he'd handle the "escape" part. Meanwhile, Barry incorrectly assumed that it was the magician who had everything figured out beforehand. Poor judgment on both of our parts.
3. Pulling A Quarter From A Person's Ear. Done in the right environment (birthday party, magic show, etc.) it's a delightful trick. But when you've been pulled over by a cop, it's actually not such a great idea.
4. Guessing What Card Somebody Picked. The classic magic trick! All you need is a deck of cards and a volunteer, which is why I was so surprised when the apartment complex caught on fire. I still can't quite reconstruct the chain of events, but I will freely admit that when a card trick ends with several buildings in flames, you did the trick wrong. I'll be more attentive to the details next time.
5. The Magical Linking Rings. I did this trick at a child's birthday party, and when I got there, they were already out of cake. There wasn't even frosting left on the plate! I get that he was three and it was his birthday, but really? You're going to let a kid lick up all the frosting before the magician gets there? I didn't even do the trick. I just stood there and glared at the kids until I was politely asked to leave.
No comments:
Post a Comment