A group of teenage street magicians in New York performed for difficult audiences. For example, they conducted magic shows for people waiting in line for events, such as, a theater show, a full restaurant, or a museum exhibit. People in line are typically an ornery bunch. Conditions are never good. It's either too hot, or it's about to rain. Even on perfect days, their feet began to swell. They were a tough audience. The kids, however, were veterans of these groups and had illusions that pulled the crowd into the world of magic. It was impressive, and they were seen as stars in the Magic scene.
In fact, their reputation had spread fifty light years to a planet group that thought news illusion would help them break from several bad believes. They recruited the young magicians.
The magicians treated the situation like an unruly, impatient group of people in line. They designed clever illusions, and their flexibility shaped them for the target audience.
The result was so graceful and touching that it brought tears to my eyes. I felt a connection to these kids.
Then the author screwed up. With the problem solved, he launched into multiple chapter teasers for the next adventure. It touched on illusion techniques that didn't make sense to me. Okay, I was hooked and ready to jump back into the action.
It didn't happen. The next book's status became: 'Coming Soon.' I was dumped into a non-moving line. I felt ornery, and my feet started to swell.
Wait a minute...Was I now a bad character in the book? Something was very wrong here, and yet it felt just right
