Art Deco Weekend

 I'm pleased to announce that both of these books have now hit all the magic book stores including my favorite www.hocus-pocus.com.

The first is Orange, Lemon, Egg and Canary. it's one of the most classic effects in magic, yet there is very little written on it. This book answers a lot of questions and has my own handling plus a good friend James Holguin's version. James's routine is a really great version because he does it all away from tables, and has put together a really lovely piece of theater. This book is Number 9 in the Pro-Series collection that I am writing. I have started work on Number 10, and again it's a twist on a very classic effect in magic.

Other books in the Pro-Series Collection:

 THE REAL DEAL

Here is a book that contains over 25 years of my professional career. It is filled with tips, hints, advice and stories from my career to date. It also contains a lot of material from magicians all around the world. It is a HUGE book that will take a while to read, but even professionals are sending emails saying how much they enjoy it. I'm very proud of this book as there really isn't anything like it in magic.

It is also now available from www.hocus-pocus.com.

NEW ZEALAND MAGIC CONVENTION

Coming up in October is the 31st International New Zealand Magic Convention. It is shaping up to be a great weekend of magic with international guests including Shawn Farquhar from Canada, Ken Scott from USA, Felix from Spain and The Gillam Family from the USA, and the one and only Mark Mason from the UK. 

The convention will be held in Christchurch New Zealand from the 19th October until 22nd October and promises to be a relaxed, and fun weekend of magic. Sadly at this point my schedule means I"m booked with other events so can't make it myself, but would encourage all others who are free over that period to get down to Christchurch and enjoy themselves.

What's HOT from www.Hocus-Pocus.com This Week

Charlotte Pendragon's Wonderball - Limited Time Introductory Price 

This is proving to be an extremely popular item at Hocus-Pocus and one that is very well made. If you are looking at a floating ball then be sure to check this out!

Price $299.95 for a limited time...Price will increase to $350.00 soon.

A timeless piece of magic. Every great magic act needs something that either levitates or floats in the air. When it comes to effectiveness the Wonderball rates highly.

Inspired by the dancing cane, the simple and unique mechanics employed when performing the Wonderball allows the magician a variety of mind twisting moves and the possibilities are endless for further creativity.

The Wonderball is not only fully self-contained (including an instructional DVD) in it's own attractive carrying case, but the case also serves as an effective prop during the routine.

Pre-show set up takes only minutes, and hooking up at show time can be done on or off stage in a matter of seconds, with or without an assistant. The Wonderball can be in most theaters and cabarets with the appropriate background and lighting (a black or sparkly/busy background is best).

Also included is a 10 inch brass ring to prove there are no wires, trap doors or mirrors as well as an adjustable belt (cummerbund style).

NOTE: Magician must wear long sleeves of dark or busy background

The Wonderball has been priced not only for the seasoned professional but also for the aspiring beginner - both young and old alike.

TWIST & TALK Balloon Puppet System Manual Headstick by Axtell - PRE-ORDER 

Steve Axtell has really outdone himself. This is AN INCREDIBLE idea and something I think all balloon and vents AND magicians will want to add to their show.  

Pre-order yours today. Expected release date is mid-late September.

This is the manual version called "Twist & Talk" Balloon Puppet System! A simple to use moving mouth on a puppet stick ready for you to twist balloon characters on. So easy to do!

Give your BALLOONS something to TALK about!

Includes TWIST & TALK balloon Puppet Stick with Moving Mouth, 3 additional Mouth Plates for different sized characters, Stand Base and Free On-Line Videos).

On Wednesday night I, along with other mentalists and magicians here in New Zealand, went to see mentalism's super star Keith Barry perform his Brain Hacker Show. The theater was completely packed.Who   ever says a mentalism show is boring obviously has not seen Keith Barry perform! For over TWO AND A HALF HOURS Keith had every single person on the edge of their seats. There were MANY things that really stuck out for me in this show. First and foremost I realized I was watching somebody who had spent their career working every  possible gig to get to a point where they could produce such an entertaining and polished show. As an audience member I felt I was part of something very special, and something that will be very hard to top with any other show. Keith took the audience on a journey from humor to pathos to elements of suspense. Everything a great theatrical show should have, but what made it so special was he didn't use any large props, no large illusions - he did it all with his personalty

Another thing that stuck out, was how important personality is for any performer. Nobody could have been more of a shining example of this than Keith. It really didn't matter what he did, he sold everything with his personality. He knows his 'character' and he knows exactly what suits and what doesn't. Some performers spend years trying to find out 'who they are', some never get it. Keith definitely knows who he is, and it comes through in the show. Even his 'swearing' on stage is placed in such a way that it is funny, rather than swearing to get a cheap or embbarrased laugh. He is one of those rare artists who doesn't have an attitude on stage when he swears. A lesson there for many people. I think this has something to do with his certain Irish charm. 

Finally, Keith taught us all the importance of entertaining an audience. Sure, he made believers of us all, even after he told us he doesn't believe in Psychics himself - but he just does it so damn well that even I wanted to believe:) Any mentalist who can entertain an entire theatre for over 2 1/2 hours and get a standing ovation deserves the title of the World's Best Mentalist !! 

 It's been a very busy week as I have just finished the recent issue of VANISH MAGIC MAGAZINE. I'm very excited about this issue because it's a HUGE 160 pages!!! The feature artist is mentalist and author Richard Webster. Richard has sold over more than 10 million books and is considered one of the best psychic entertainers in the world. He writes for both lay people and magicians and mentalists. He gave up some fantastic ideas on how to make money in this day and age and anybody who is creative enough should take his ideas and run with them.

You can download the Edition 3 from www.vanishmagazine.com

Please share it with every magician you know around the world. We are looking at developing it so the links are live on iPhones and Androids. I'm still doing research in to this.

VANISH MAGIC MAGAZINE 3 - FREE International Magic Magazine MEGA ISSUE!!!

160 pages of articles, tricks and essays from all around the world, and it's ALL FREE!!

This MEGA ISSUE is a celebration of over 60,000 downloads for our last issue - it looks as though we'll be reaching our target of 100,000 downloads before the year is out!!

The magazine has articles on all types of our business from street, kids parties, mentalism, close-up, illusions and loads of essays on the business side of magic. It's all FREE and we have reached over 60,000 magicians around the world. My aim is to get up to 100,000 downloads.

HEADLINE PREDICTION VIDEO - from the Pro-Series books

One of the great things about producing books and magic effects is watching other people perform them. This just came in for the very first of my Pro-Series books "Winning Numbers." It was by Barry Harvey in the UK where he did the routine on Radio and they filmed it.

To watch the routine click here

It's a great idea of using this for a radio show. I use it in LIVE shows but never really thought of doing it on radio - what a great idea.

ROMHANY'S PICKS OF THE WEEK FROM www.HOCUS-POCUS.com

Spider Pen Pro (With DVD) by Yigal Mesika - IN STOCK NOW! FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE 

IN STOCK NOW! FREE SHIPPING ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

"This raises the bar of levitation!"
- Richard Kaufman, Genii, The Conjurors' Magazine

"It's hard to imagine so much efficient ingenuity in such a small space. Yigal's Spider Pen Pro is absolute perfection. And it produces absolute miracles."
- Jim Steinmeyer

In 2004, the original Spider Pen became a classic magical instrument. Due to the worldwide popularity, Yigal Mesika has honed the original concept to once again reinvent the reel.

The Spider Pen Pro is nothing short of a revolutionary electronic device because it is the first to feature patented Soul Technology. This break through technology allows you to take your mind off of the method and lets you focus on your magic, giving you the undeniable edge for mastering levitations and animations.

From the leading brand in the art of levitations comes the new gold standard in IT reels. When you put your hands on the state of the art engineering in the Spider Pen Pro, your levitations and animations will look like Hollywood's special effects. Nothing else comes close.

"It's outstanding!"
- Finn Jon

Imagine yourself in a casual conversation. You ask for ANY bill. A levitation is about to happen, but never has a levitation happened like this. You place the flat bill on the palm of your hand and cover it with the other hand. Your hands move apart, and somehow the borrowed bill is floating. With a gentle touch, the bill flips in the air, and you walk away leaving it in mid air. Yes, you walk away. No explanation is possible. Under your power the bill slowly falls on the floor, laying motionless. Only when you desire, for the final climax the bill levitates in a flowing motion all the way into your hands. With this underground levitation, you will receive an unbelievable reaction!

Used on TV by top magicians like Cyril, Criss Angel, and many more!

Watch and learn as Yigal Mesika himself guides you through the basics of levitation to bring you to an exceptional level of performance. You will learn his signature effects, tips, and subtleties; that will make you feel like you are receiving his live personal coaching.
mate method for locking IT in the wax.

TKO2.0: The Kaylor Option BLACK and WHITE (Book, DVD, and Gimmick) by Jeff Kaylor and Michael Ammar 

 This thing is WICKED! Ideas like this don't come around too often."
- Enrico de la Vega

They have the questions. Do you have the answer?

Is it in YOUR OTHER HAND?
Can you do that AGAIN?
Can you use MY COIN?
Yeah, but CAN I SHUFFLE the deck?
Can you use MY DECK?

TKO 2.0 is THE Answer to all of these questions and more. TKO 2.0 is a utility device that works with any button-up shirt. It allows you to perform all of the clean and visual vanishes of the original TKO while adding the killer card techniques made possible by the Ultimate Card Control Utility (UCCU). The UCCU-and now, TKO 2.0-allows you to secretly yet flawlessly maintain control over one or more cards while the spectator shuffles the deck. The cards can then be produced from the deck or found in an impossible location, such as an envelope that has been in plain sight the entire time.

The Improvements: