Free Signing At Houdini Museum In Scranton July 14 Of New Novel Inspired By Houdini And Female Houdini Dorothy Dietrich

Scranton,United States, 2018-Jul-13 — /EPR Network/ — Erin Callahan’s new successful novel “The Art of Escaping” was inspired by pioneer escape artists Houdini and “Female Houdini” Dorothy Dietrich. There’ll be a free book reading and signing and a meet and greet event Saturday, July 14, 5-7 PM at the Houdini Museum, located at 1433 N. Main Ave., Scranton, PA. The book is on one of Barnes and Nobles Most anticipated books of 2018 lists, Kirkus gave it a Starred Review and is an Amazon 4+ star rated book as well. Both Erin Callahan and Dorothy Dietrich, often referred to as “The Female Houdini,” will be on hand for signing, questions, etc. In a case of fiction meeting real-life, author Erin Callahan is appearing alongside Dorothy, a famous character from her debut book, Dietrich, the famed magician, escape artist, and a character mentioned several times in Callahan’s recent novel. There will also be a back and forth Question and Answer session between the two celebrities. Free refreshments will be served and free parking is available in the rear.

Callahan’s book centers on 17-year-old Mattie, who is hiding her obsession with Harry Houdini and Dorothy Dietrich from her classmates. “It’s a story about finding the truest version of yourself, which I think is something most of us struggle with as teens,” says Callahan. “I’ve always been fascinated by the stage personas that performers craft for themselves, and the ways in which our personal mythologies can sometimes carry more truth than the realities of our lives. With all its deeply entwined literal and figurative layers, escapology was the perfect vehicle for exploring those themes.”Callahan wrote the book following an ongoing fascination with Dorothy Dietrich, famed magician and escapologist.

Dorothy Dietrich is the first woman to gain prominence as an escape artist since the days of Harry Houdini, replicating many of the famed magician’s escapes and illusions, including the notorious bullet catch. “I’m honored to inspire a story like this,” Dietrich says. “There’s a whole generation of young people who may not know about Houdini, and escapology, but I like to think we’re helping keep that art and that history alive.”

Editorial Reviews For The Art of Escaping
110 Goodreads Reviews 4.01 stars “Seventeen-year-old Mattie is hiding her obsession with Harry Houdini and Dorothy Dietrich from everyone.. Told through the perspectives of the witty main characters, this funny and fresh debut explores the power of stage personas and secret spaces, and speaks to the uncanny ways in which friendships transform us.” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38338238-the-art-of-escaping
Booklist “Seventeen-year-old Mattie’s fascination with escape artists like Harry Houdini and Dorothy Dietrich leads her to give escapology a try..” “This debut novel of friendship and personal liberation rings true and dares to look danger in the face and smile.”
Kirkus Starred Review “An exciting and nuanced portrayal of the terror of vulnerability and the exalted freedom of authenticity.”
Amazon. 18 Customer Reviews 4.1 out of 5 stars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Dietrich
Dorothy Dietrich, the first woman to gain prominence as an escape artist since the days of Houdini, breaking the glass ceiling for women in the field of escapes and magic. The 2006 Columbia Encyclopedia included Dietrich among their “eight most noted magicians of the late 20th century.”

10 Greatest Escape Artists in History

Dorothy Dietrich has been named as one of the top four escape artists in history. She is probably the best-known female escapologist of all time. Enjoying a long career that began with New York television shows, she later founded The Magic Townehouse, a popular NYC magic venue. Regarded as the “First Lady of Magic,” she’s been an inspiration to female and male performers alike. She was famously the first woman to escape from a straight jacket while hanging from a burning rope 15 stories up and without a net. She’s known for several premiers: the first woman to catch a bullet in her mouth, and is called the Female Houdini for copying many of Houdini’s escape acts, including one Houdini backed away from – the Jinxed Bullet Catch Stunt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escapology
The Grim Game, a 1919 film, lost for over 90 years and rediscovered in 2015 by escape artist and magician Dorothy Dietrich, stars Harry Houdini as a young man who is bound and imprisoned on numerous occasions by a gang who have kidnapped his fiancée. Considered by many as Houdini’s best film. In the 2013 film, “Now You See Me”, Isla Fisher plays an escape artist named Henley Reeves. In an interview, she says, “watched all of Houdini’s work and Dorothy Dietrich, who is a female escapologist, who is amazing, have to watch her.” “got to train with Dorothy Dietrich, the first lady magician to catch a bullet with her teeth. Fisher studied the life and work of Dietrich to prepare for the role. “Dorothy is a real female escapologist who is working today. Tthe first woman to capture a bullet between her teeth, which is an amazing feat. Good at misdirection, but also connects emotionally with the audience, so better able to involve them in the stunts.”

http://HoudiniOpoly.com
HoudiniOpoly. Dorothy Dietrich recently designed a KickStarter success program The Largest Houdini project in KickStarter history and the largest successful Scranton, Pa project in history as well.

Dorothy Dietrich TV appearances
HBO Strait Jacket Escape 150 feet in the air. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T_VUMjglIg
Bullet Catch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOHgVXgYY3w
Tomorrow Show Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxTQ3aE3euA

About The Houdini Museum:
The Houdini Museum, 1433 N. Main Ave, Scranton, PA is the only building in the world dedicated to Houdini. Prior to moving to Pennsylvania it was located on the top floor of New York City’s Magic Towne House, New York’s first and longest running magic show spot. Famous magicians like Houdini, Thurston, Doug Henning, David Copperfield, and others wanted to establish a magic venue in New York but it was accomplished by Dick Brookz and Dorothy Dietrich. It was also the first magic venue to feature birthday parties, never done by previous magic shops in New York such as Tannens, Abbotts, Holdens, Magic Circle, Circle Magic, etc. It also featured New York’s first Houdini Museum on the top floor. These last two innovations have since been imitated by others.

Contact:
Penny Wilkes
The Houdini Museum
1433 N. Main Ave
Scranton, PA
570-342-5555
magicus@comcast.net
http://www.houdini.org