Ten Terrifying Questions with Tricky Nick!

Nicholas J. Johnson (aka Tricky Nick) loves doing the impossible. Nicholas grew up in the circus, he really did become a professional magician by the time he was ten. (We told you it was a true story.) Today, Nicholas has gone on to become one of Australia’s leading entertainers. Known as ‘The Honest Con Man’ Nicholas exposes the tricks behind the tricks; the crafty reasons why we’re scammed, tricked and bamboozled. He’s revealed the secrets of deception on The Project, A Current Affair, Sunrise and TODAY as well as at countless schools, libraries and organisations. He is the host of the monthly magic show Sleight Night, as well as a regular performer at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe and Edinburgh Fringe.

Nicholas is the author of two books for adults, Chasing the Ace (which was nominated for a Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction) and Fast and Loose. Tricky Nick is his first book for children, and today Nick is on the blog to answer our Ten Terrifying Questions. Read on!

Nicholas J. Johnson

1. To begin with why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?

I grew up on the outskirts of Canberra, on the very edge of one of the roughest suburbs. Our side of the street was a bogan wonderland but, just across the road, farms and national parks spread out for kilometres. I would look at my bedroom window and I wouldn’t know if I was going to see kangaroos or teenagers stealing letterboxes. I loved it.

My mother was a librarian and injected a love of books into me at an early age. Every week, there’d be dozens of new books in the house and I could read anything I wanted from Roald Dahl to Jeffery Archer to Emma Bombeck.

2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?

I’ve spent my whole life oscillating between wanting to be a magician and wanting to be a writer. As a kid, I spent my school holidays putting on magic shows and self-publishing books and zines.

I’ve always loved telling tall tales and stretching the truth. Writing and magic give me a chance to do that, albeit in two very different ways.

3. What strongly held belief did you have when you were younger that you do not have now?

When I was younger I believed that my opinion was not only important but it was vital that it be shared, loudly, with as many people as possible. My youth was peppered with public speaking competitions, debate teams, university newspaper op-eds and movie review radio shows.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learnt to listen more than I speak and not to hold on so tightly to my not-so-unique point of view. It’s much more rewarding to understand other people than trying to force them to understand you.

4. What are three works of art – book or painting or piece of music, etc – that you can now say had a great effect on you and influenced your own development as a writer?

The 1986 film Clue taught me great characters can carry almost any plot.

Why Does The Sun Shine by They Might Be Giants taught me that it’s ok to be wrong, as long as you’re prepared to admit it.

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons taught me that it’s better to have fun with popular tropes than make fun of them.

5. What made you choose to write a children’s book?

I began writing Tricky Nick in a fugue state after the birth of my second daughter Edie. The first few thousand words were written in the middle of the night, a crying baby in my left arm while my right hand pecked out the letters.

I’m not sure what my motivation was but I think I was trying to write a memoir. Unfortunately, my love of chicanery got in the way and the book ended up an altogether different beast.

6. Please tell us about your latest book!

When I was a kid, I wanted, more than anything else, to be the greatest magician in the world. Tricky Nick is the completely true story of how I made that happen with the help of the mysterious Trixie, a girl with more than a few secrets up her sleeves.

It’s a book about magic and magicians that is packed with easy to do magic tricks. We’ve even made the book a magic trick itself. But I’ve said too much …

7. What do you hope kids will take away with them after reading your book?

All I can hope is that my readers have fun. If I inspire a few budding magicians to pick up a deck of cards, that would be a neat bonus.

8. Who do you most admire in the realm of writing and why?

I am in awe of editors and copyeditors. the insight and attention to detail required to mould the lumpy clay of an unpublished manuscript into the polished final is pure magic to me.

9. Many artists set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?

I don’t have ambitious goals. Once I’ve written an outline for a book, all I’m interested in is the next paragraph.

I live my life a quarter page at a time. Nothing else matters: not the book deals, not the publishers, not the critics. For those five hundred words or so, I’m free.

Although, I would like to maybe start a literary feud someday. Possibly with the Real Pigeons boys. I hear they’re not even real pigeons.

10. What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

There is no right way to be a writer.

Writing books, classes and workshops sometimes feel like long lists of commandments that you must follow under pain of death. They aren’t rules; they’re tools.

You don’t have to write every day. There’s no correct number of words in a chapter. Coming up with a third example isn’t mandatory.

That being said, a good short course in grammar will change your life. I took The Good Copy class, ‘Stop. Grammar Time’ and was introduced to the wonderful world of semicolons, em-dashes and relative clauses.

As someone who missed out on the joys of grammar and punctuation in schools (thank you Canberra education system) I still have a lot to learn. However, The Good Copy was a great first step.

Thank you for playing!

Learn a magic trick: The World’s Smallest Magic Wand!

Stuck inside? Why not bring a little bit of magic to your life with this trick. And I do mean little. We’re going to make the world’s smallest magic wand … and then make it vanish into thin air!

You will need:

∙ A toothpick
∙ Blu-tac (or ear wax if you’re really gross)
∙ A black marker.

1. Wash your hands for twenty seconds while singing ‘Into The Unknown’ at the top of your lungs. This will make your hands clean AND annoy your parents.
2. Break the ends off your toothpick so it is no longer sharp, 3. Colour the middle of the toothpick black so that it looks like a tiny little baby magic wand.
3. Go wash your hands again. There’s no way you managed to colour in that wand without getting ink on your fingers.
4. Put a small piece of blu-tac on your thumb nail.
5. Stick the magic wand to your thumb nail so it is hidden behind your thumb.
6. Make a fist with your thumb tucked inside. The magic wand should be sticking out of the top of your fist.
7. Wave your magic wand around and say your favourite magic words.
8. Open your hand as quickly as you can and the wand will look like it disappears. Of course, you and I know that it is really stuck behind your thumb.
9. Take a bow and go wash your hands again.
10. The most important part of the trick is keeping the wand hidden behind your hand after it has vanished. Make sure you practice in the mirror before showing anyone.

—Tricky Nick by Nicholas J. Johnson (Pan Macmillan Australia) is out now.

Tricky Nick

by Nicholas J. Johnson

I'm Tricky Nick. The world's greatest magician.

This is my absolutely not-made-up story of magical greatness. Magic changed my life and it could change yours too.

I learnt my first trick when I was ten and now I'll teach it to you (plus a whole bunch more). You'll also meet Trixie, a magical mystery girl, and the strange B.U.M (Brotherhood of United Magicians), and find out other Top Secret Stuff I can't reveal just yet...

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