It took me a long time to write this book because I didn't want my father to read it.

In order to tell the real story of my travels in the magic show, I had to reveal his stage secrets, which is the worst kind of betrayal to a magician.

When I started this book, he was a very active senior. He'd have to be incapacitated or struck by lightning before I would publish it. Years passed. During that time, I published two pieces inspired by my parents' career in professional magic. One was a short story called Woman by Chemistry, which won first place in a New Millennium Writings competition. The other was a short piece called Assistants (you can read it here).

Still, the book remained unfinished. Then one day when my father was quite elderly, I visited his home and realized he was going blind. He couldn't read the newspaper and certainly not a book. I sat down at my desk and finished the manuscript. He died in 2015 at the age of 96.

I kept two journals during the tour. While writing this book I referred to them often, as they were an invaluable record of our mishaps and successes. I've often asked myself, "What's magic?" I've learned that there is nothing secret or arcane about it. Magic lives in the ordinary. May we all recognize it in our own lives.