The Miser’s Dream author talks magic and mystery

John Gaspard’s new mystery, “The Miser’s Dream,” has put him in the mood to talk magic. For instance, he describes himself as a director—“of eight low-budget features that cost very little and made even less—and that’s no small trick.” In fact, even the reviewers got in on the act. For instance, one said, “It’s full of magic, mystery, danger and misdirection, as a good magic trick should be.”

Perhaps Gaspard’s references to magic come from immersing himself in the art. He said, “Magicians who have read the books have complimented me on the portrayal of the day-to-day life of a magician. They also like how the magic is described thoroughly and accurately without giving away any secrets.”

Before delving into the magic, though, let’s look at the story behind the story, which in this case, is a very basic emotion—jealousy. “Each of the books in the series has had a key emotion at its core, something that was gnawing away at our protagonist, Eli Marks,” said Gaspard. “In ‘The Miser’s Dream,’ Eli is dealing with jealousy—in particular, feeling jealous of a visiting magician who seems to have it all.”

I find it helpful to find some sort of pebble to put into Eli’s shoe to keep him a little uncomfortable…

During the course of the story, Eli runs into a writer whose intense jealousy destroyed his marriage. He also encounters people who covet what others have and might be willing to kill to get what they want.

“While a reader can certainly enjoy the book without recognizing the underlying theme,” said Gaspard, “I find it helpful to find some sort of pebble to put into Eli’s shoe to keep him a little uncomfortable and off-balance during the course of the story. This was a lesson learned from reading a lot of Dick Francis books: his heroes always have a flaw/issue that wasn’t central to the plot but always had an impact on how the hero dealt with the circumstances of the story.”

Gaspard said he’s never been a magician, so to write about them, he had to study. His research helped ensure that he was current on the way magicians speak as well as their art and craft. During his research, Gaspard watched old videos of the late Tommy Wonder, who was a truly remarkable magician. “As I watched and saw how good he was—plus funny and charming and handsome—I thought it would be interesting to bring a character like him to town and see how Eli reacts.

Double Trouble Contest code for John Gaspard: #Dreaming

“As for the mystery element, I teased it in the last book: Eli has a unique vantage point in his apartment, which allows him to see into the projection booth of the movie theater next door. In ‘The Miser’s Dream,’ when he spots what appears to be a dead body on the floor, he’s pulled into a classic locked-room mystery.”

Gaspard is proud of how his three Eli Marks’ mysteries turned out. “I got lucky finding a great publisher in Henery Press. These mysteries play fair and that makes them more fun. In all cases, the clues are all right there—along with the red herrings—and everything clicks together nicely in the end. Given how hard it is to construct a solid mystery, I’m happy that each has been so well-received.”

Learn more about John Gaspard on his blog at http://fastcheapmoviethoughts.blogspot.com.