Hi Pieaddict! M.R James, Chris Priestley (Tales of Terror), Neil Gaiman (Coraline, and one of my favorites, The Graveyard Book). R.L Stine´s Goosebumps were eseential to me in my childhood and early teens. You might find Chris Riddell´s Goth Girl books to be interesting. I loved the first one, and had no access yet to any of the others... My suggestion would be, bizarre magic wise, to look for biographic books instead of books on material. After all, every artist creates. Not a single one emulates. Inspiration comes from what is around us, good books, good movies, old folk tales (as you pointed). We can even be inspired from the work of someone of our own field of work (I´ve been, as you know from my extensive post on the other thread), but not to emulate. I tend to be inspired either by the general theme, feeling, effect, method or look of something else, but when I create, I create my own thing. If I borrow something, let´s say a theme, or a method, or something, I make a point of doing everything else diferent. For instance, I was inspired by all the other bizarre book test type effects I read on the other fórum, but I wanted to make my own thing, and I did. It took me a long time, but I made it. The only thing similar is the concept of a book test type effect. About old folk tales, if you wish, I can brainstorm with you, so the ones you find more interesting can be explored and turned into your own pieces. If old folk tales come natural to you as inspiration, that is precisely the type of thing worth exploring, because it is not something forced, it comes natural to you. All the best!

Francis Mortimer, The ghost Collector

Hi Pieaddict! You hadn´t told me you are a creative soul... I admire that so much! Thank you for the book recomendation. I will certainly keep it in my list. Just one more thing you may find useful. I always try to keep the effect simple, and as clean as it can be. No sleights, no fishy objects, really, simple and as much as possible in the hands of the participants. After all, if it happens in their hands, how can it be a trick? That is the key to my work. BTW, I really like your avatar! We have a similar taste in clothing, it seems... All the best!

Francis Mortimer, The Ghost Collector