Bananafish: Hi Julie,

It made me smile when I read of the reaction you received when showing someone your handling of the Elmsley count. That was absolutely priceless.

It made me wonder though whether you have or are considering in the future, writing any books (or DVDs) on the subtleties of magic or if you are happy to concentrate on just the performance side of things?

I for one would love to hear more about your handling of the Elmsley count and any other moves you added your own identity to.

Julie: I'm glad you liked the story! It's my dad's favorite, too.

Future plans: no books or DVDs on the horizon. I am still a student of magic! Learning magic has become an ongoing process and a major source of growth for me as an individual, so I enjoy the reader's side of the book! I'm amazed at the amount of new books and DVDs that are out there – no shortage, that's for sure!

Further, I don't think I have added anything extraordinary to sleights; instead, I've adopted various handlings to work for me. For example, learning the Elmsley Count was interesting; ages ago, I vaguely recall sitting in a lecture where the magician was talking about awkward handling and he said, “…and then there is the Elmsley Count – guys, what is this chicken-wing thing you've got going on?? Who do you think you are fooling?”. We all thought that was hilarious, his reference to holding the narrow edges of the cards by the fingertips, forcing out the elbows. It was totally accentuated with his funny dialogue and persona! But after the giggles, I started thinking about what the audience sees. Soon after, I was chatting with another magician and he shared with me a variation -- where the four cards start off in left hand, dealing position (but thumb beside the left index finger, not on the back of the cards) and then they are transferred into right hand. Right hand holds them near the back, right corner and then executes the count. Left hand receives the cards in the same position originally held in to give a sense of casual and clean handling – I adopted it quickly!

Freed from chicken wings! It was great. Then, over the course of meeting and working with other magicians, I have found nice subtleties to add to it, to keep it clean, simple and innocent. People always remark how small my hands are and that there is no way I could have done “something funny” because they were “burning” my hands. So with moves like the Elmsley, I LOVE it because they can burn me all they want!

Michael Jay: I'd like to thank you for being with us over the last week, Julie. The forum comes to a close this evening and I'd like to let you know that, while the members may not have come up with a plethora of questions, the questions that you did answer were terrifically in depth and well thought.

It is a good feeling to know that busy professionals, such as yourself, have the time to share with folks that look up to them. Thank you again, Julie, you have been truly wonderful!

Rich: I can only repeat what Mike said - I've hardly seen a guest answer questions in so much detail and I have genuinely enjoyed reading through your replies. Thank you once again for being with us.

Admin: Thank you so much for spending your time visiting these forums and answering our members' questions. As usual, I have thoroughly enjoyed the chance to read your thoughts and I have certainly learnt a great deal from your time on these boards.

Thank you so much for your input and for taking time out of your busy schedule for providing this input. You know that you will always be welcome to return at any time in the future if ever you have some spare time on the Internet.

Thank you very much.

MagicSamX: I can only sound like a parrot and say thank you so much for taking time to come and talk to us.

LeeAlex: Well, I have been busy this week, and now I learn that this is over! That was short and sweet, but one of the best ( if not the) quality, dignified and informative guest forums that has been here.

Thank you Julie, and wishing you all the best for the future.

Julie: Hello friends!

Thank you all VERY MUCH for your web hospitality and kind, kind words!

I have very much enjoyed your questions, and most of all, your interest in my magical career.

I've happily discovered this wonderful web space and look forward to reading up on how you are all doing!

In case you are interested, I have recently completed a "Magic Day" with magic friends here in Toronto, where we brought a day of magic to "at risk" children. The children are in challenging living situations and would not normally have access to a magic show or magic lessons; so my friends and I brought both! You can read about it here: http://www.fengsuli.com/magicmoments. Or, catch the article I wrote up describing the event in the October 2003 Linking Ring.

I'm revamping my web site so please be sure to visit http://www.magicienne.com soon!

Again, thank you for inviting me to participate. It's been rewarding and a fantastic experience! Keep up the great work ... and questions! What a treasure magicbunny.co.uk is!

Cheers with all my best and gratitude,

Julie