a memoir
no ordinary magic
unexpected travels with the great cellini
eileen mcfalls author
A romantic adventure like no other!
The author and her renowned magician lover take the reader on an odyssey that spans continents and embraces the exciting and colorful life of a street performer.
Book Cover Photo: Cellini performing at Covent Garden, London, 1984
Photo by Eileen McFalls
At twenty-five, Eileen McFalls embarked on a very unconventional journey after meeting an amazing street magician. While never a household name, Jim Cellini was a legend in the magic world, noted for his wit and skill when performing the impossible.
During the eighties, Eileen and Jim busked in more than a hundred cities and at dozens of festivals, encountering free spirits, misfits, and royalty.
A lively read full of tender and poignant moments, her memoir No Ordinary Magic recounts an uncommon life on the fringe.
A 327-page book with a 30-page insert of photos of busking scenes and artwork of street performers by Noel Rockmore. Paperback 6” x 9”
$30.00 plus $2.03 tax and $6.00 shipping & handling
in the United States Only
ATTENTION: International shipping costs and availability vary. For international shipping options please contact me at:
2023 Eric Hoffer Awards
Legacy NonFiction Honorable Mention
No Ordinary Magic, Eileen McFalls, Street Scenes
The “Hoffer” honors and recognition are
given to the best academic, small, micro,
and self-published presses.
take a peek inside
Photo: The Elephant Fayre, 1984
The festival took place on the great lawn of the Port Eliot estate in St. Germans, Cornwall.
Left to right: comic clown Chris “de Pyss” Lynam, author and actor Heathcote Williams,
and the magician Cellini on the grounds at the Elephant Fayre.
Photo: Theater Spektakel, 1984
A first-class festival in every way, the Theater Spektakel took place on the shores
of Lake Zurich. Numerous tents served as venues, housed wonderful food,
and strolling buskers entertained all day and night. Cellini always drew a spectacular crowd.
welcome
video
Thank You For Reading
I am thrilled by all the positive response I’ve had over these few years.
Thank you to all the readers who have supported my memoir.
For those of you who may be interested in reading, I welcome you.
Now available
as an eBook
Find the No Ordinary Magic eBook on the following online stores. Same great story, photos, and illustrations!
what people
are saying
No Ordinary Magic is the best book I’ve
ever read!
—Tom Frank, Los Angeles, CA
No Ordinary Magic was a really lovely read, beautifully written, very compelling and I found it hard to put down.
—Tony Griffith, Bristol, UK
No Ordinary Magic is a beautifully detailed, honest look at the hard life of street performing, including the ups and downs, the cities explored, and the freaks, weirdos, and talented artists encountered along the way. More compellingly though, it reads like a love letter to a complicated magician who loved his art more than anything. The Great Cellini wanted neither wealth nor fame; he just wanted to live free and share his magic with the world. Reading about the spell he put on Eileen and their adventures together was thrilling.
—Brett Sears, Cincinnati, OH
If you love reading memoirs that include quirky characters, fabulous settings, and all kinds of magic, then this book is for you. Eileen’s story brings you people and places you didn’t ever think you would know but will be glad you did.
—Barbara Barry Levin, Professor Emerita, UNC-Greensboro
No Ordinary Magic is so much more than a memoir of Eileen McFalls’s adventures. It is a love letter to Cellini, a love letter to magic, and most importantly a love letter to life.
—Chad Engelbert, Memphis, TN
I absolutely love this book! The author takes the reader on a fascinating journey to a side of life not many of us see. No Ordinary Magic is a story you’ll not soon forget!
—Kathe Martin, Greensboro, NC
I was spellbound! Your book is magical in so many unexpected ways.
—Francesco Sclavo, Cuneo, Italy
You painted such great imagery with your words, such characters!
—Ralis Kahn, Los Angeles, CA
Take a front row seat on this adventure and experience a world and time that no longer exist.
—Michael Vincent, London, UK
What a wonderful memoir! No Ordinary Magic frames a fabulous tribute to Jim Cellini’s devotion to the art of magic and his willingness to take risks, embrace challenges, and do whatever had to be done in order to perfect his performances. This is no “sugar coated” account of the romantic busker life but rather a stunning review of the trials and tribulations the author endured as she and Cellini toured the globe. It’s entertaining, honest, and compassionate—an absolute delight to read and contemplate!
—J. Hunter Gaul, Honey Brook, PA
I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a great read. No Ordinary Magic is beautifully written with some fantastic descriptive language that transports you into Eileen’s world, which include the good, the bad, and the ugly.
—David Lowe, Manchester, UK
A chance encounter leads to a romance so magical it sets two lovers on an astonishing adventure cross-country, overseas,
and back again.
—Sage Chioma, Chioma Transformational Consulting
Wow…what a fantastic book! Thank you for putting words and pictures to paper and sharing your journey with Cellini. It was a wonderful “read.”
—Matt Herbert, Kirkland, WA
I’ve never read a magic history book quite like No Ordinary Magic. It was an absorbing story, beautifully and honestly told, with a level of intimate detail that I seldom see in magic memoirs. I truly felt that I was along for the ride as I followed your adventures. I have spent 35 years studying and writing about women in magic, and your book was eye-opening. Thank you for sharing Jim’s story and yours.
—Michael Claxton, Searcy, AR
What a read! No Ordinary Magic made my heart sing and my soul dream. Thank you for sharing it with me.
—Alexandre Gagné-Greffard, Montreal, Canada
video
testimonial
A Busker’s Life
No Ordinary Magic is an entertaining, genuine, and compassionate account of an uncommon life on the fringe.
Experience this adventure of our roller-coaster life as street performers during the eighties, the ups and downs, and the famous and infamous characters we met along the way. Trekking across America, Canada, Great Britain, and Europe, Jim and I lived in a step van, then in a converted school bus, and finally we traveled by plane, train, and car. We busked on sidewalks and plazas, at festivals and fairs, and on occasion in a nightclub.
Throughout the book I did an in-depth, vivid portrait of Jim Cellini, a man who reinvented himself through the art of magic, as told through my lens, the young woman who loved him. I invite you to take this journey with me in navigating the road less traveled.
greensboro, nc 2023
Photo: Chilling in our bus, 1983
Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Photographer W.A. Bridges.
Photo: Cellini with the Cups and Balls, 1983
Calgary, Canada
Photo: Lounging outside our bus, 1983
Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Photographer W.A. Bridges.
Photo: Cellini performing the Cups and Balls, 1980
Jackson Square in the French Quarter, New Orleans
Reach Out.
Contact Me.
emcfalls@noordinarymagic.com
Street Scenes, Inc
1852 Banking Street #9414
Greensboro, NC 27408