Magician of Oz: May 2012

Magician of Oz Trilogy

Volume 1: Magician of Oz:

New characters and creatures abound in the old Land of Oz while many of the old characters we know and love make their own appearances in this newest tale of fantasy, adventure, truth and friendship in a familiar, yet not so familiar world of Oz.

There's the Leader of the Sycamores, the Gnarled Scrub Oak, the Flowering Plum Tree and the Council of Trees. All of these magical and strange characters prove quite the challenge for a young magician who finds himself in a strange and wonderful land.

Of course, we also get to meet Dorothy and Ozma, Glinda and the Tin Woodman, as well as Toto, Bungle the Glass Cat, Billina the Hen and numerous other beloved characters from L.Frank Baums' original tale of wonder and magic.

Volume 2: Shadow Demon of Oz

It was in the early month of Spring when the old humpback trunk of O.Z. Diggs, the original Wizard of Oz was opened by his great grandson, Jamie Diggs, revealing a magical heritage lurking within.
Following in the footsteps of his great grandfather, a young boy named Jamie pursued the ways of magic and soon found himself transported to the magical Land of Oz where, alongside Dorothy, he faced his greatest fears and the fearsome Army of Trees in defense of the Tin Woodman.
Now the young magician is called to return to the Land of Oz to take his place as the new Royal Magician of Princess Ozma; Ruler and Sovereign of Oz.
And for his first Royal Command, Princess Ozma sends her Royal Magician and his best friend Buddy off to battle the Evil Shadow Demon and save the Hyups of Mount Munch.

Volume 3: Family of Oz

It has been nearly 6 months since young Jamie Diggs returned from the Land of Oz with his best friend Buddy after defeating an ancient Evil while serving as Princess Ozma's new Royal Magician.
Now, he is called to return once more and take his rightful place alongside Her Majesty; Princess Ozma and Glinda; Good Witch and Ruler of the South Quadling Country, as well as Princess Dorothy.
Before the Royal Magician can return to Oz however, he finds himself on a fantastic journey down the Wabash River and a stop in Huntington, West Virginia for a taste of the legendary Stewart's Original Hot Dogs and Root Beer. Then it’s on to attend the annual gathering of their fellow magicians, known as the Magi-Fest and a tumultuous Close-Up Magic Competition. Soon, the Family Diggs, Hank and Buddy find themselves transported back to Oz by way of The Duke's Magic Box. The only problem they find is that each one of them now find themselves somewhere in Oz... but alone!
As the Family Diggs, Hank and Buddy journey along the roadways, riverways and even above the Land of Oz alone, each one struggles to discover what Love and family means to them and each learns along the way that Love and family have been with them all along. Aided by Her Majesty, the Queen of the Field Mice and Jamie's wayward, living decks of playing cards, as well as Buddy and the Cowardly Lion, the Royal Magician of Oz soon teaches Princess Ozma the true meaning of family and Love.
In a final and most fantastical battle alongside the Munchkin River, Jamie Diggs and his new army of friends battle Cobbler the Dog, a new and most mechanical pet of Tik-Tok, the Mechanical Army of Oz and an Unwilling Villain in an epic struggle of Good against Evil.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

The Ozian Adventure of Pickleless & Blu Returns to Oz!

On June 1st at Oz-Stravaganza 2012 in Chittenango, New York, the newest novel by acclaimed author James C. Wallace II, Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma will makes its world debut within the hallowed halls of Author's Alley!

James C. Wallace II is a charter member of Author's Alley and will make his third appearance at Oz-Stravaganza.

This wonderful festival takes place in Chittenango, NY which is the birthplace of L. Frank Baum, author of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1899) and13 other books about the Land of Oz as well as many other books devoted to entertaining children worldwide. It runs from June 1-3, 2012 and includes countless activities, events and special guests involved with all things Oz.

Following on the heels of the Royal Magician of Oz Trilogy, The Ozian Adventure of Pickleless & Blu tells the tale of Nicholas Pickleless and Aadon Blu as the two travelers find friendship, adventure and a new home in the Land of Oz.
Book Synopsis

Aadon Blu carried the Mark of Ozma ever since his “Day of Redemption” when his Spirit was saved by the Royal Ruler of Oz; Princess Ozma. Her Majesty had answered the “Cry for Help” from across the great void between Oz and the Great Outside and battled Death on behalf of the young man known as Aadon Blu. Now, he must fight his own battle as he discovers a new friend named Nicholas Pickleless, who comes from beyond Oz.The two new friends wind up searching for the missing Jeweled Star of Jak Horner in hopes of saving the Great Rainbow, who has been enchanted and turned to glass. The two heroes are joined by Boris the Spider as they encounter Polychrome; Daughter of the Great Rainbow, the Mist Maidens, Glinda; Good Witch of the South and many more familiar and not so familiar characters from the Land of Oz in this newest tale of Love, friendship, mystery and fantasy.

The Ozian Adventure of Pickleless & Blu is now available on Amazon.com.

James C. Wallace II

Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma

Monday, May 7, 2012

A Happy Resolution to my LiveNation and/or TicketMaster Issue!

A couple of weeks ago, I had an issue with trying to purchase some concert tickets to Jimmy Buffet from LiveNation and/or TicketMaster here in Terre Haute. For more info, here's the link to the blog posting.

http://magicianofoz.blogspot.com/2012/04/livenation-andor-ticketmaster-possible.html

So, a few days later, I received a call from Dennis Kaups, a Regional Customer Service Manager (I think) regarding the issues I had with incorrect hours listing for the Hulman Center Ticketmaster outlet.

I found Mr. Kaups to be very professional, very interested in resolving my concerns and insuring that my experience with Ticketmaster and/or LiveNation was a positive one. I was pleased when he informed me that the actual issue with the incorrect hours listing for Hulman Center had been resolved. A quick check on the Internet Machine confirmed this and I felt that my initial concerns had been addressed very well.

Due to the need to go to Walmart in order to access their Ticketmaster outlet, I wasn't able to get the seats I wanted. Although Mr. Kaups wasn't able to resolve my need for getting the seating that I wanted, we were able to come to an understanding and accommodation that I found very satisfactory. As such, I was very pleased with the overall outcome.

I will say that I never received any communications from Indiana State University or any management from the Hulman Center regarding my concerns. I found that very disturbing and I find that I'm still ashamed to admit that I am an alumni of ISU. As such, I can assure ISU that under no circumstances will I even consider donating to ISU at any time ever! I occasionally get mailings from ISU asking for donations from their Alumni Society. From now on, I will be depositing those envelopes (unopened) into the nearest trash can!

On a side note, I also want to mention my experience in purchasing my tickets from Walmart. To begin with, I was grateful that they had a Ticketmaster outlet available at my nearest Walmart. However, when I received my tickets, they were printed on some slimy piece of crap paper that reminded me of the old fax paper from the 80's. As a veteran of 166 concerts, one of the prime concert experiences I take away from each show is the ticket stub, which I keep in a small cedar box. Each of these stubs is on card stock and very durable. I occasionally show them off to my friends and take great pride in my collection.

If you look carefully, you'll notice a Frank Zappa ticket stub on top of the pile! One of my favorite shows!!!

As for Walmart's use of what I'm told is thermal imaging technology, I say SHAME ON YOU! In the future, unless I have no other alternative, I will NEVER buy concert tickets from Walmart... EVER!!!

James C. Wallace II

Who is the Royal Liaison of Oz

My name is James C. Wallace II and I am the Royal Liaison of Oz.

I was born one day short of the 41st anniversary of the passing of Lyman Frank Baum, the kind gentleman who wrote The Wizard of Oz over a hundred years ago.

I grew up in a loving household where my parents read to me on a daily basis and taught me the joy of reading. Many a night I recall sitting in our front room as my mother would read from the many books of Oz and my father would act out some of the odd scenes pictured within.

As I grew up, my love for reading never diminished and my parents support for my love of reading never wavered. In addition, I was fortunate enough to encounter a number of mentors who would shape my view of the world and how I would find my way in it.

In particular was Captain Kangaroo, otherwise known as Bob Keeshan. His unique program was instrumental in shaping my mind towards the joy of learning.

Another was Clyde Crashcup, an odd cartoon character who inspired me to become a scientist and educator. Despite what many psychologists would have you believe, television did not rot my brain. In fact, my fondest memories of childhood were of Saturday mornings in front of the TV machine watching the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour and eating Captain Crunch with Crunchberries cereal.

Another mentor was a NASA scientist; Gene Shoemaker, who, by correspondence inspired me to be an astronomer. This was during the late 60's and early 70's when NASA was king of the hill, so to speak.

The most important mentor was my father, who inspired me to try everything and learn from those experiences. He got me involved in Toastmasters International and the International Brotherhood of Magicians. Those two organizations were directly responsible for much of my success as a public speaker and educator.

Fast forward to the mid-80's and my love of reading is now manifested in the lives of my 5 children as I read countless books to them, including the 14 books of Oz written by L. Frank Baum.

During this time, I am also completing my college education in Physics and running a public observatory teaching children about the night sky. This time is where the seeds of working for children's issues began for me.

Following my tenure at Indiana State University, I took a position as Planetarium Educator for The Children's Museum of Indianapolis.

By the way, if I haven't mentioned it before, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the finest children's museum anywhere in the world. If you've visited there, you'll certainly agree. If you haven't, please make the time to do so. You'll not be disappointed. Be sure to visit SpaceQuest Planetarium at the museum. It's the best part of the museum.

Anyway, during my time there, I made it a point to be a mentor to youth volunteers and thus found my calling. To impact the lives of children in a positive manner is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. It was during this period that I became involved with junior high school children in the inner city region of Indianapolis.

One day, while engaged in testing some educational software about Geography for 6th graders, I encountered quite a number of children who could not read, literally. It's one thing to suggest that there are kids in America who cannot read. It's quite another to come face-to-face with them.
I found myself at the end of the day sitting in my car in the parking lot shaking with remorse and resolving to do something about what I had just witnessed.
I then spent the next year in various teachers lounges having lunch with teachers and trying to understand how they could allow a child to go through school without mastering the art of reading.
Although some teachers cared deeply about their students, many cared only for their paycheck and thought little of the impact their negligence and disregard for the future of the next generation caused. This was reinforced by a school administration hamstrung by budget concerns and state-mandated test scores.

As a result, today's child has lost the art of reading. No longer do children sit down to read a book, to linger within the world of fiction and fantasy. Nowadays, kids are glued to the computer screen and read in snippets. In fact, with the advent of text messages, most kids now understand a truncated language that would have Daniel Webster spinning in his grave.

Only in the last few years has the Harry Potter effect taken hold and inspired kids to pick up the traditional book and immerse themselves in another world.
Despite this momentary reawakening, most kids still reach for the cel phone and communicate with their thumbs. Most kids would have trouble taking the time to sit down with a good book and giving themselves over to the realm of fantasy. They prefer the instant gratification that comes with a world overflowing with technology.

The book has become a lost art, and with that thought in mind, I chose to reinvigorate the original dream of L. Frank Baum.

In writing about young Jamie Diggs, the great grandson of O.Z. Diggs, the original Wizard of Oz, my most sincere desire is that children will pick up my book and rediscover the joy of reading.
If only a single child comes to understand and appreciate the joy of reading, then I have achieved my dream.
If, by writing about this wonderful land and all of its unique characters, I can inspire children and introduce them to the joy of reading, even if it be only a single child, I will have made an impact that reaches far beyond my own lifetime.

To this end, I have committed all my efforts towards creating an environment where kids will want to pick up that book and put aside that cel phone for a few moments. If I can serve as a mentor promoting Literacy to our youth, then I will have realized my dream.

The First Witches of Oz

Nomes of Oz

Even More Tails of Oz

Tails of Oz

The Emerald Slippers of Oz

Magician of Oz

Shadow Demon of Oz

Family of Oz

The Ozian Adventure of Pickleless & Blu

The Wonderful World of Oz

Followers

Magician of Oz Trilogy

The Royal Liaison of Oz

The Archives of Ozma's Royal Liaison

NanoWrimo 2014

NanoWrimo 2013

Nanowrimo 2012

Nanowrimo2011

Nanowrimo 2010

Nanowrimo 2009

Shadow of Oz 2015

Saturday, May 12, 2012

The Ozian Adventure of Pickleless & Blu Returns to Oz!

Monday, May 7, 2012

A Happy Resolution to my LiveNation and/or TicketMaster Issue!

Justice for Heavenlee!!!

Who is the Royal Liaison of Oz