Countdown to success
IN CANADIAN author Rick
Mofina’s latest novel, Six
Seconds, coming ou t in
January, a handful of
ordinary citizens from
around the world are
racing against the
clock to keep a catastrophic event from
taking place. No
Jason Bournes or
James Bonds here:
These are average,
everyday people
way out of their element.
“I wanted to tell an international story from the point of
view of ordinary people,” says
Mofina, a former reporter for The
Toronto Star, whose bestselling
thrillers have garnered the Costco
member top writing awards,
as well as praise from
acclaimed writers such
as James Patterson and
Michael Connelly.
Mofina (www.rick
mofina.com) has been tell-
ing stories since he was a
teen, and he says the chal-
lenges and thrills of putting
together a good yarn have
not waned with time.
“The challenge is to
make sure you’re giving the best
ride,” says Mofina, 51, who adds
that he’s written several of his
books on computers he pur-
A man of many voices
PEOPLE AROUND Costco
member Michael Harrison tend
to hear voices.
The Maple Bay, British
Columbia, ventriloquist-come-dian (
www.funnyguy.ca), who’s
been honing his act since he
was 10, recently saw his stock
as a performer rise with an
appearance on the TV show
America’s Got Talent. He made
it through three stages of the
program, competing against
25,000 entrants to make it to
the top 50 as a semifinalist at
the Las Vegas Callbacks show.
“My audition segment was
posted on the NBC Web site
and viewed by thousands,”
says Harrison, 42. “The segment on You Tube has gone
over 100,000 hits, and I have
done numerous radio, newspaper and television interviews
across the country. There is no
way that I could have paid for
the exposure this show has
given my career and me.”
For now Harrison continues
to headline on Disney and other
cruise ships, waiting for his
next big break, and visits
Costco. Says Harrison, “I book
many of my own shows, and I
am constantly
promoting
myself through
mail-outs and
the Internet.
Costco has
always had a
great selection of
everything a home-based business needs,
and always at great
prices. Plus you never
know what you might
find there.”
Such as a man
with many voices.
—SF
chased at Costco. “Create a
good emotional connection,
try to make the characters as
real as possible, then ratchet up
the tension.”—T. Foster Jones
Ventriloquist Michael
Harrison gets wrapped up
in his work.
Magical
moments
CHRIS LINN RECEIVED his first
magic kit at the age of 6, and
by his teenage years he had
performed in Las Vegas.
But, deciding it was time
to “get real,” Linn got his
degree in business and
marketing, and then figured
he was ready to get a real job
in an office. He was wrong.
Apparently entertainment
was his real calling.
The self-described
“magical funnyman” (www.
chrislinn.com)—think David
Copperfield meets Jim
Carrey—performs his shtick
300 times a year on cruise
ships and at corporate events.
“I realized I was having
more fun going out there
and entertaining people,”
Linn says of his career
misdirection. “I do use my
degree to do the business
end of show business.”
His blend of clean
comedy, magic tricks and
video effects has proven to
be popular in 15 countries
and all 50 states.
“You have to be person-
able, friendly, outgoing and
determined,” Linn says. “But
if you go out on stage and
have fun, the
audience will
have fun.”
—Shana
McNally
JEREMY LAWSON
JOHN YANYSH YN,
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