I'm an extremely self-centred and narcissistic beeotch so I thought I'd post a sneaky-peeky at the contents of the e-book I'm working on currently.
Behold! Salivate! Yearn!
SCRUFFLE
A selected card is lost in the deck and the magician begins an overhand shuffle. During the shuffle cards are accidentally dropped onto the floor or table as the magician patters about the problems of carelessness. More and more cards are dropped in more and more exaggerated, horrifically sloppy ways until there are more cards scattered on the floor than left in the magician's hands. All the shuffles are totally fair in appearance, with no injogs or running of cards, and the cards are even thrown into the receiving hand rather than thumb-peeled off during the overhands (which makes it so much easier to drop them). Eventually all but one card has been dropped. The card remaining in the careless magician's hand is turned over. It is the selection.
UNDER GLASS TRANSPOSITION
Two spectators with drinks are asked in turn to call stop as the magician thumb-riffles down the pack. The first card is shown to be the King of Hearts and tabled face down, with the first spectator directed to immediately place his glass on top of the card. This is repeated with the second spectator who selects the 3 of Clubs, which is similarly tabled face down and her drink placed onto the card. The magician places a finger on each card and asks the spectators to swap the positions of their drinks; his drink going on her card and hers on his. They're then asked to repeat the names of their selections which, at the magician's leisure, are shown to have swapped places.
SPREAD CHANGE IN SPECTATOR'S HAND
A card is selected freely as the magician explains how sometimes, with the right concentration, it is possible to place your hand over the deck and have the card you're thinking of miraculously turn face up wherever in the pack it lies. The selection, memoried by the spectator but sight unseen by the magician, is cut back into the centre of the deck. Let's say it was the 8 of Diamonds. The magician places his hand over the deck and concentrates. He ribbon spreads the cards and sure enough there is a card face up: perhaps the 10 of Spades. The magician notes from the reaction of the spectator that this is not her card, but explains that's because *he* was covering the cards and *he* was thinking of the 10 of Spades. The pack is squared and this time the spectator is invited to place her hand over the cards and concentrate on her selection. After an appropriate pause she's asked to spread the cards herself. Her 8 of Diamonds is now the only face up card in the pack.
MAGNETIC QUEENS
The cards are shuffled as the magician explains that he'd like the spectator to momentarily suspend her disbelief. He explains that there are two cards in the deck which, under certain conditions, have magnetic properties. He holds the deck out and drops it into the other hand, leaving two cards behind. They're shown to be the magnetic cards - the two red Queens. It's explained that any card that spends a little time between the Queens develops a charge, and the spectator is invited to make a selection which is sandwiched out of the deck between the Queens and shown only to the audience. The 'Queen sandwich' is placed on top of the rest of the deck for a short pause in order to pick up the necessary charge, and then the selection is cleanly placed back into the middle of the pack. The Queens are retained by the magician and the cards are handed to the spectator to shuffle, with the instruction to return them face up to the table when she's satisfied they're mixed enough. Then the magician holds the Queens in one hand and dribbles the face up pack onto the table with the other. The Queens dart into the dribble for a split second and come out with the selection pincered between them.
DEAD-CUT PREDICTION
The magician patters about once seeing a skilled card cheat perform an Ace-cutting demonstration. He removes the four Aces from the deck as he patters and ribbon spreads the cards face down. As he describes the card sharp's demonstration, he performs along, replicating the anecdote with the cards, but explains mysteriously that his own performance will be more of a prediction than a demonstration of skill. He describes how the cheat placed the Aces back into the spread at random points, squared the deck and cleanly and openly pushed them flush with the pack, dribbling the cards to prove there are no breaks or steps. Then he shuffles the deck, tables it and cuts to a card. The card is placed on the table but left face down, the patter being "He cut to a card, which turned out to be the first Ace". This is repeated twice more, until three face down cards are laid out. The deck is briefly shuffled once more and then the magician tables it and invites the spectator herself to cut the deck. Attention is then drawn to the three face down cards which are turned over one-by-one. The first isn't an Ace, it's a 7. The magician explains this isn't a problem since this is not an ace cutting routine, but a prediction. The second and third cards are turned over and also shown to be 7s. The prediction is completed as the magician invites the spectator to turn over the card she cut to last. The final 7. As the spectator reacts to this, the magician then explains that he knew she was expecting him to find the four Aces, but there's no need in this instance because they've found themselves. The deck is then ribbon spread to show the four Aces, all face up and seperated by one face down card each in the dead centre of the pack.
JACKS-THROUGH-A-BOX (Throw-away effect)
The four Jacks are removed from the deck. The deck is placed back into the card box, which is tabled. The magician deals the four Jacks onto the top of the box, each one disappearing as it hits the box. Both hands are shown to be empty and the spectator is invited to open the card box and examine the deck. The four Jacks have been impossibly dealt through the box and are now at the top of the pack.
CONFUSING FACE-UPPERY (Throw-away effect)
A selection is made. It is then placed face down on the top of the deck and cut into the centre. The cards are immediately spread to show it is now face up. This is repeated several times in quick succession and then never spoken of again.
SPRINT ACR (Throw-away effect)
A selection is buried in the deck and is immediately back on top. This is repeated four to six times in quick succession with no passes, add-ons, drop-offs, tilts or bluffs. It looks totally fair and totally impossible - and like the other throw-away effects will dazzle and confuse but must be done fast and never repeated. It's highly recommended also to have the card signed by a spectator to avoid the obvious accusation of having a stack of several duplicates, because this is so completely fair and visual that duplicates rather than sleight will be the immediate suspicion of any cynic, even though this is not the case.
)
