Alex Arnold Lee: From Cringe to Classic - Creating Dazzle
Fourth-generation magician Alex Arnold Lee shares how a cringeworthy moment in 2003 involving a broom suspension, dated music, and a baby doll costume, transformed her career. Discover how she created the beloved comedy character Dazzle and turned that stage persona into the children's book "Dazzle: The World's Worst Magic Assistant," launched at MAGIC Live 2025. A story about embracing mistakes, finding your voice, and dancing to your own drum.
Transcript
Coming up in this episode of The Magic Book Podcast.
Alex Arnold Lee [:My great-grandfather, The Great Leon, had a saying: "If you can't be the best, be different." And that has stuck with me. If you could just be different, unique, yourself, find your own path, that's really what Dazzle's about. She totally dances and moves to the beat of her own drum. And I think people really love her for it. And I love her for it. She's a character super dear to my heart.
Adrian Tennant [:You're listening to The Magic Book Podcast, conversations about classic and contemporary books that teach, illuminate and celebrate the art of magic. I'm your host, Adrian Tennant, a lifetime student of magic and mentalism, occasional performer and longtime book collector. Thanks for joining me. Today my guest is Alex Arnold Lee, also known as Dazzle, a fourth-generation magician, professional dancer, educator, and children's book author. Born into a magical family, Alex is the great-granddaughter of the legendary vaudeville magician The Great Leon and the daughter of stage magician Les Arnold. From the moment she could walk, Alex was jumping in and out of boxes on stage, though her real edge has always been thinking outside the box to give her a unique twist as a performer. In 2003, Alex developed a successful comedy magic act with her father, creating her larger-than-life character Dazzle.
Adrian Tennant [:The duo has been performing around the world for the past 20 years. As a professionally-trained dancer and educator, Alex owned a successful dance studio with her husband for 15 years before they sold it to move on to new adventures. Her love for teaching children and picture books inspired her to turn her magical journey into a children's book, "Dazzle: The World's Worst Magic Assistant", which was launched at MAGIC Live this year, where Alex also delivered a powerful general session lecture titled "From Cringe to Classic." Alex, welcome to The Magic Book Podcast.
Alex Arnold Lee [:Oh, thank you. It's so wonderful to be here. Thank you for having me.
Adrian Tennant [:Well, let's start at the very beginning. You're a fourth-generation magician. Your great-grandfather was The Great Leon, a vaudeville headliner. What was it like growing up in a family where magic was literally a legacy?
Alex Arnold Lee [:You know, I don't think I ever knew anything different. It was just like some families eat dinner together at night. We did magic. We just always had magical things happening. And even as a kid, we would play, you know, like some people play dolls and I did, but we would also do like pretend magic shows. Meaning we didn't actually do magic, we would pretend the magic. I think it's hilarious.
Alex Arnold Lee [:Like a Sub Trunk, we would stand on the coffee table and use a blanket and pretend we were doing this like fancy Sub Trunk, but you could totally see what was happening. And my dad and mom would just like play along. So yeah, I think it's funny that we would do these silly like things, but I don't think other children that aren't in a magic family are probably doing that.
Adrian Tennant [:I don't think they are. Well, your father, Les Arnold, discovered magic through a kit and was shown tricks by his uncle, a second-generation magician. Did you always feel destined to be part of this magical lineage?
Alex Arnold Lee [:You know, my dad always made magic just really fun. It was never a thing that I felt like I had to do. I really did enjoy it. As a little girl, I loved taking dance lessons, and dance and performance and stage was something that I just naturally gravitated to. And I think just magic was another outlet that I had the opportunity to perform. So I never felt the pressure. It was always something that I think I was interested in and intrigued and wanted to just be a part of.
Alex Arnold Lee [:My mom was a part of the act when I was younger. So it became a family affair. And, you know, my dad didn't do this 100 percent professionally. He was professional, but it wasn't his sole profession. So it never felt like it got redundant or it was always just, "Oh, exciting! We get to do a show!" That's my dad's favorite thing: "We get to do a show!" Because we would do it on the weekends. He was a school teacher, wood shop teacher, and he would make his props. And he's a builder and he's helped and done a ton of props for a lot of magicians, actually.
Alex Arnold Lee [:So it was cool that he could take all of his interests and all together into magic. And so, yeah, I never felt like it was something I had to do. I never felt forced or pushed. It just was something that was just introduced, and then I just clumbed on a little bit, dabbled. I would say dabbled!
Adrian Tennant [:Well, Alex, you trained as a dancer and initially decided not to pursue magic. Can you tell us a bit about that period of your life when you stepped away from the family traditions?
Alex Arnold Lee [:Yeah, absolutely. You know, my dad was getting a little bit older and I always helped him. And so he retired a bit. He wasn't really doing a lot. And at the time I was in high school and dance just took over and I loved dance. And I really wanted to do that. I wanted to be a professional dancer. I got an agent. I started going on auditions. But then it wasn't until probably my senior year of high school and into college that I realized, "Ooh, I could go do this magic show for this other magician and show up and assist and make some really good money."
Alex Arnold Lee [:So for me, it was never like I wanted to be the magician. It was never that I wanted to, "Oh, I just want to travel the world and just do magic." It was there as a way to make a little extra money on the side while I focused on my bigger dream was dance at the time. I don't know what I wanted to do exactly, but I knew I loved choreographing. I think I'm a really good choreographer. I just love creating. That's where my passions lie, creating.
Adrian Tennant [:Flashback to 2003, there was a pivotal moment. Your dad, Les, was asked to perform for Mystics Week at The Magic Castle. Alex, can you take us back to that moment when he asked you for help?
Alex Arnold Lee [:Oh my goodness, absolutely. Yeah, we were standing in our family garage and he said, "Hey, you know, we have this show coming up. I really want you to assist." It was only going to be maybe like for the Mystics Week at the [Magic] Castle. It was, I think he got like maybe a three- to five-minute spot, just really short.
Alex Arnold Lee [:Wasn't going to be the whole show. And he's like, "I think we should do the Broom Suspension." Oh, man. And like, I just cringe at that Broom Suspension. You know, being the magician, he's never experienced quite the discomfort, I think, as an assistant does. So he just doesn't have the sympathy for my hatred toward that trick. But yeah, he wanted to do that. And so I'm like, "Alright."
Alex Arnold Lee [:I tried to keep an open mind. And it wasn't until he then pulled out his boombox and started playing such the cringeworthy moment, the song "Up, Up and Away" by Fifth Dimension. And if you know that song, it was just so dated. I think the song came out like 1960s, 70s. And, you know, this was early 2000. And I was just, "Dad!" Like, "You couldn't be so any more far off from what's happening right now!" And then on top of that, the costume that he had for that trick was like a baby doll costume.
Alex Arnold Lee [:So it wasn't even cool. Like I'm now in my early 20s and you want nothing more to be looked at as a little more of a sex symbol at this point. And instead I'm doing magic with my dad dressed as a baby doll. Like it's just so cringe. And my father, bless his heart, just didn't see anything wrong with it. I was like, "Dad..." Yeah, that was a pivotal moment where I just looked at him and luckily I have a strong voice and he's always been so welcoming to allowing me to just share my opinions very freely in our family, which is so cool. And yeah, I just was like, "Dad, this is hokey. This is like a Saturday Night Live sketch. We cannot possibly do this." And it was that moment that it set us into the wheels spinning and let's think of something new. What can we do differently?
Adrian Tennant [:Well, at MAGIC Live earlier this year, you explained how you had that very direct conversation with your dad about how the act felt. Now, that definitely took courage. Alex, I'm curious, what gave you the confidence to speak up like that?
Alex Arnold Lee [:You know, I think I attribute that to the fact that we were a family of three. I'm an only child. I never had to compete with any other kind of chaotic energy in the household. And we always called ourselves "The Three Amigos" you know? And so I kind of always felt like I was part of like this team. And so I just always felt like, yeah, my voice mattered. And I really do believe my parents instilled that in me. And so I think by the time I was an adult, I just never felt like I couldn't speak up, that I couldn't be honest with my dad, that I couldn't say, "Dad, this is ridiculous." And my dad listened.
Alex Arnold Lee [:I think that's the difference. Some parents, I don't know, they might get angry or have a temper about it. My dad actually laughed when I was like, "Dad, you cannot be serious." And then I'm laughing. We find things funny. I think having more an approach with your children, having that sense of humor really allows for you to be candid. And I think that's where I found that confidence is we're a funny family. We found the humor in it. And I just felt like I can say something. But I also just was like, I could not see myself going on that stage and putting myself through that as well. Like it wasn't going to end well for anybody. So it was either speak up or, yeah, suffer.
Adrian Tennant [:Got it. Well, your mom, Charlee, played a crucial role too. She told you to be like Lucille Ball. So how did that direction transform your approach?
Alex Arnold Lee [:When dad and I decided to revamp and just take a different approach, at first we were like, "Okay, let's try comedy. Let's lean into this cringe because, you know, we're sort of there." And my dad, as handsome as he is, he's bald. And at the time, I think he looked a little older than maybe because of that, than he is. And then I'm early 20s, so I look young. So at first I played the character like very disinterested. I just didn't want to be there.
Alex Arnold Lee [:But my mom was the one that said, that's what you're referring to, "Oh, Alex, this is not even funny at all. You guys, this is not great." That's when she said, "I think you should play it like Lucy would. Just can't wait to get on stage." To be honest, the minute she said it, the movie 'Strictly Ballroom' popped in my head. Like this wannabe Latin ballroom dancer meets stage magician, magic assistant. And I don't know, it was her prompt, but my imagination just took off when she said that. And it was almost effortless. I had to create the look first, because what we were doing wasn't working.
Alex Arnold Lee [:So I thought to myself, "You know ..." I'm not an actress. So this was just a natural response. Like, "Hey, maybe if I get into costume and like a look, more will come out." I think it's called Method Acting, if I'm not mistaken. And I didn't really know what I was doing, but it was a really organic approach of like, "Okay, I'm going to get into costume. I'm going to see what comes out." And then once we played the music and in costume, just personality, little nuances. Yeah, it was just a natural response to her suggestion.
Alex Arnold Lee [:And then, of course, in time, once we started doing the act, things develop and you find what works and what doesn't. And yeah, so fun, though. So fun to take a more comedic approach.
Adrian Tennant [:When Mike Caveney heard from your dad that you were going to do the act camp, he was less than confident. What was going through your mind during that opening night?
Alex Arnold Lee [:Oh my gosh, it's like it was yesterday. I remember we were a ball of nerves. Putting yourself out there and doing something completely different than you've ever done, especially for my dad, he was in his 60s, and all of his peers were there. It's not like you're out of town with a bunch of people
Alex Arnold Lee [:you don't know. Every peer from the Mystics, It was Mystics Week and his best friends. They've known me since before I was born because they grew up with my dad as teenagers. So then on top of that, now I'm this young adult and I have this extra pressure of we've got to deliver. And there's all these people that I just love and admire and respect. You, of course, want them to like what you're doing. And so when Mike - when my dad said what we were going to do, Mike just took this sigh. It was just like this - "Ahhhh."
Alex Arnold Lee [:Like "Like, I don't know, man" type of thing. And that puts doubt because you're already freaked out. And then your friends sitting there like, "I don't know" because Mike knows comedy is not easy. And so it was, I think, a sigh out of love of him not wanting us to take. But we both, you know, looked at each other.
Alex Arnold Lee [:We're like, "I don't know. Okay, well, we're gonna do this anyway." But what we did do is we packed extra costumes and different music because if we were, if we, because you had to do the, it's the Castle. You do three shows a night. If we tanked that first show and you just got no laughs and people weren't getting it, we were going to swap it and just do it normal. Um, do all the tricks the same, but just in decent costumes and just a little bit more updated music.
Alex Arnold Lee [:And I wasn't going to be flashy or silly or anything. So we had a backup plan, because we weren't confident. We were freaking out. We both thought we were going to maybe throw up or something before we went on. We were so nervous. And then, of course, all the buddies are in the wings, if not in the audience, they were standing in the wings watching us. And it was in that moment we knew we had an act, because they're doubled over laughing.
Alex Arnold Lee [:As I was going back and forth through the wings, we could see them just laughing. And when we got off, Mike even said, "Like, you guys, you just came up with a new act. That was brilliant. That was so great!" And so, of course, it just makes you feel wonderful, ecstatic to nail it like that your first time out, which we recognize is like rare and a blessing. And we just started something that's now lasted 20 years.
Adrian Tennant [:Well, truly a star was born that night, the Dazzle character. Can you describe who Dazzle is, not just as a character, but what she represents?
Alex Arnold Lee [:Dazzle is that girl that just wants so badly to be part of the act, part of something. I think we all are like that, you know, in a way of just wanting to belong and feel appreciated and to shine. The only problem is she just doesn't have a whole lot of talent. And she does not have charisma. And she's not that refined assistant that she so hopes and desires to be. But I think you fall in love with her because she's just unapologetic. And for me, she represents everything I kind of wish I was. I happen to be very hard on myself in real life. I'm very critical. But I think that helps me, too.
Alex Arnold Lee [:You know, they always say, like, your weakness is sometimes your superhero power. Because I have such a critical eye, I know what's funny. I think a lot of comedians tend to be critical people because they can really see it. And so going back to the Dazzle character, I think she's pure love and joy. She just loves being out there. When she's out there, she's not second-guessing herself or doubting herself. And it sort of represents that type of person that I wish I was more of. Because Alex, as a dancer and a performer, I freak myself out before I go on.
Alex Arnold Lee [:I second-guess things. I'll go off and think, oh, I should have done this or should have done that. Weirdly, when I'm Dazzle and this character, it's okay to make mistakes because it's almost sometimes funnier when she does. When a mishap happens, it's allowed me to kind of heal as an artist, like to embrace it. And so I just think that Dazzle, she just believes. She believes in herself.
Alex Arnold Lee [:And I just think that she represents that pure joy, happiness, that side of, I think we all want to be. We all want that. And I think she just really loves herself. But she loves being up there and loves everybody. And so Dazzle represents this self-confidence, even when we're not the best or the greatest. You know, my great-grandfather, The Great Leon, had a saying: "If you can't be the best, be different." And that has stuck with me. And in our family, I think time and time again, it's really hard to be the best. And us perfectionists struggle with that because it's what is perfect. You're never going to find it. But if you could just be different, unique, yourself, you find your own path. That's really what Dazzle's about. She found her own path.
Alex Arnold Lee [:She totally dances and moves to the beat of her own drum. And I think people really love her for it. And I love her for it. She's a character super dear to my heart.
Adrian Tennant [:If you're enjoying this episode of The Magic Book Podcast, please consider leaving a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also follow The Magic Book Podcast page on Facebook. Thanks. Alex, let's talk about your children's book, "Dazzle: The World's Worst Magic Assistant." What inspired you to write this story?
Alex Arnold Lee [:Well, I love children's books. You will always find me in a bookstore in the children's section. I find them just completely magical. So for the longest time, I've always wanted to write a book. And I used to own a dance studio, so I love children. I've taught for the past 20 years. That's my background is education and teaching children. And I've always written things, but I just never ...
Alex Arnold Lee [:It's daunting. It's not like I went to school for it. I didn't really know what I was doing. And I think that's usually what stops people from writing the book that they so wish to write is the fact that, "Well, I've never done it. I don't know what I'm doing really. How do you even get something published?" So there was a lot of things, I think, initially holding me back. But what I did do is I wrote it because I just think that Dazzle's a hilarious, fun character. You know, the idea of the woman in a magic book being the hero, the assistant being the hero, because there are books about women magicians, but I haven't found one about the magic assistant and how important she is.
Alex Arnold Lee [:I mean, honestly, if she's not there, stuff just doesn't happen. The show does not go on. She's doing things behind the scenes that makes the magician look fantastic. And actually, like, especially for our act, yeah, like with illusions, you need that person. So I think highlighting her was really important. I think allowing her to be a character that kids could fall in love with was something I just desired to do.
Alex Arnold Lee [:And yeah, I wrote the book as kind of just like, more like, I guess, a poem. I just wrote this little thing and then lost it and forgot about it. So it's not like I set out to write a book at first. I just sort of was writing ideas. I have a lot of things that I've written, but this was the one that I kept coming back to. You know, they'll say like when you have that nudge in your gut or your heart that you just can't seem to forget about it or just it's nudging.
Alex Arnold Lee [:I think the universe is telling you like you're supposed to be doing this. You're supposed to write this. And so that's how it came out.
Adrian Tennant [:When we were preparing for this interview, you mentioned to me that you wrote that book around five years ago and then lost it. But when you found the manuscript again, your daughter Frankie was kind of the perfect age. How did she influence the final version of the book?
Alex Arnold Lee [:Yes, she was 11 when I found it. And I had forgotten about it. And I was busy. I had the studio and everything. But I sold the business. And it was at that moment that I was like, "Oh, I want to do this. I have the time now to do this." And right when that happened, weirdly, magically found it. And I was like, "Oh my gosh!"
Alex Arnold Lee [:"Okay, this is divine timing." I believe in divine timing. Now, you know, "Let's do this!" Just watching her and seeing her, and she really started to get heavily into dance by that time. I saw a little version of myself in her. And when I was deciding on the age that I wanted to represent, because I'm now in my 40s, I didn't want to write a children's book about some old broad dancing around the stage in her 40s, it just made sense that Dazzle would be Frankie's age, like an 11-year-old that's really starting out. Now, I had done magic at her same age with my dad, but not our act that it is now, but our old act, the straight magic act. Yeah, it just made the most sense that that's the age that Dazzle would be.
Alex Arnold Lee [:And I just felt that and used her as my muse. She's super-talented and she looks a lot like me. So I thought, "How fun would that be?" And if I'm being honest, I thought it'd be really cool to be able to dress her up as a young Dazzle and her go to book events with me and be like my sidekick. Mainly because I didn't want to have to dress up in all the makeup and wig and costume anymore, unless I'm doing a show. I wanted to be able to be an author and just go and read my book in a normal outfit. So I also thought, "How fun would that be?" I would have a little, you know, sidekick, like that she could come and be the little youthful Dazzle. She's so cute.
Alex Arnold Lee [:Kids gravitate to her. So I did have a little ulterior motive in the back of my head. I mean, it would take years before it came, but yeah.
Adrian Tennant [:I imagine that writing a picture book is very different from writing other forms of literature or indeed any other kind of magic book. Can you explain your process?
Alex Arnold Lee [:I mean, it's funny because I didn't really know exactly what I was doing. To be quite honest, it was a lot of trial and error and not knowing but do it anyway. So when I set out to figure out how to write a children's book, it's just context. reach out to people that have written books, pick people's brains. I had this one story where I was feeling very stuck. I'd written it. I didn't know what to do next. And I sat in my car praying. I'm a very prayerful person. And I was like, "Lord, send me somebody, a mentor, something."
Alex Arnold Lee [:"I need the next direction. I feel lost. I feel like I'm meant to do this, but I don't know." I was in the parking lot of Barnes and Noble, actually. And it was right before I was going to go in, and I didn't even know why I was going in. I was just going to go in and browse around, and maybe something would lead to something that then would lead to something. And sure enough, I'm browsing not 20 minutes in the children's section, and a woman was standing there. And she looked at me and said, "Are you doing the same thing that I'm doing? Are you doing research? Are you a children's author?" And I was floored.
Alex Arnold Lee [:And I said, "Well, I want to be. I don't think I am yet. I actually don't quite know what I'm doing." And she was similar, but a little older version of a me and farther along. We ended up talking for an hour in the bookstore. She took me out to lunch, if you can believe it. And an hour date turned into like a six-hour conversation over lunch. And we hit it off.
Alex Arnold Lee [:And I just think that was so cool. had so much information now at my fingertips, because we'd hit up a conversation. So that would be my advice to people if let's say they didn't go to school for it, but they have this desire, just do just start do a little bit something each day that pushes you towards that main goal. So for me, it was go to Barnes and Noble, look around, find books, do some research. I would go on Pinterest. I would go to Instagram. I feel like you have to be friendly. You have to start talking to people and put it out there in the universe. Say, "I'm writing a book." Not "I want to", not "I hope to", but "I'm doing this. This is what I'm doing."
Alex Arnold Lee [:And it might take you a year, it might take you three years, but "This is what I'm doing." And you'll be surprised how many people want to help you and how many people, even if they just say the tiniest thing, they'll push you to the next thing. That is, I know, a lengthy answer to your question, but that really was my process. Trial and error, little baby steps, and just don't give up. Just keep doing it until you do it, until it's done.
Adrian Tennant [:Now, you could have used artificial intelligence to generate the book's illustrations, but you chose to work with a real artist. Why was that important to you?
Alex Arnold Lee [:I am an artist. I am a dancer. I am a choreographer. I love collaboration. I think dance is something that is so emotional and so communicative because you're with other people all the time. And writing is more of a solo mission. It can be a little lonely. I craved the conversation. I craved being able to collab with somebody on this.
Alex Arnold Lee [:And I think that's something that you're just not going to get with AI. And so when I found Adam, my illustrator, I had to go through great lengths to find him, a lot of just scrolling and looking at things. And I had Pinterest his artwork and actually had no idea that I pinned him and found him months later through a different avenue. And then I put two and two together and realized it was the same guy that I had also pinned some of his artwork. But the cool thing with Adam is that he really listened to what I was trying to convey. He really understood the vintage vibe I was going for.
Alex Arnold Lee [:He really understood body language was important to me because of being a dancer. And Dazzle has such quirky body language. I wanted the drawings to represent her quirkiness as well. And he just totally nailed that. He understood it. I don't know that AI would really get it, you know? And the way he shades, his color choices, and just being able to have a human to talk about this with, I don't think it would be the same book. Not even I don't.
Alex Arnold Lee [:I know it would not be the same book had I not used an actual artist to collab with. It just brings a more, I just think, personal ... It's about being personal and connection. And I think we need more of that right now in our world. So for me, that's important. I loved that personal connection that I was able to have with him.
Adrian Tennant [:What part of the world was your illustrator based in?
Alex Arnold Lee [:He's based in Brisbane, believe it or not.
Adrian Tennant [:In Australia.
Alex Arnold Lee [:Yes. And funny fact, like, as much as I love communicating, it was all through email, writing back and forth. We never sat and had like a phone conversation because our time difference too just doesn't really make sense. But the emails back and forth, there has to be hundreds. And I had to really learn to articulate what I was trying to convey to him so that it would not be, you know, too wordy. I just really wanted to get to the point so he would draw something, I would have my notes, he would make those changes, and yeah, just back and forth was the way that we communicated through email.
Alex Arnold Lee [:And I'm just really thankful for his ability to read those notes and tweak and change because there were so many. When I say I'm very nit-picky, whoo! And to the point where we got the book almost finalized and I realized I did not like the look of the mother that he had done. And that was like early on in the first stages of character development. And I was so embarrassed that I had to go back and be like, "Adam, I'm so sorry. She's bothering me. I just don't love her." And bless his heart, he totally got it. He's like, "I understand." But I also would show photos of my real family.
Alex Arnold Lee [:I would show photos of Frankie of a younger version. I was very adamant, even down to jewelry. "She needs to have a bracelet on. You forgot the bracelet on this wrist." I mean, just little nit-picky things. But yeah, he changed the mother in the story towards the tail end. He was a saint.
Alex Arnold Lee [:He was very patient, and oh my gosh, if I could do like 50 more books with him, I would, because working with him was a wonderful experience, and it made the process great. And honestly, he has done a few other books before, so it was a good resource to have, because he also knew how to help guide. He also was just so professional. He has an agent, and so all the financial went through the agent. So he's very separated, and I can't recommend that enough. Because I did try to go a little simple at first and use a college student to keep costs down. But you do get what you pay for. And it was just all over the place and it was not working out.
Alex Arnold Lee [:And the character development wasn't quite what I was hoping for. You know, I think when you're trying to force something, you know it's not right. With Adam, we never had to force anything. It just really effortlessly flowed. And that's how I feel like, you know, it's sort of meant to be. There weren't as many roadblocks. The process was nice. It was enjoyable and fun.
Alex Arnold Lee [:And not to say there weren't moments that I was like, "Oh, like, oh my gosh!" Like, you know, because it takes a while and you have to be patient. And he had a lot of other projects he's also working on. But it was a wonderful process. And working with a person was just, yeah, can't say enough good things about that.
Adrian Tennant [:Well, you said that it took a while. So I'm curious, how long did it take?
Alex Arnold Lee [:So once I found Adam, it took about a little over a year for him to complete all the illustrations. Originally when I wrote this manuscript and then I sent him my visions and I sent it to him, I also drew with my stick figures. It was a really bad drawer. I was a horrible illustrator. But I did a play-by-play. And I, again, looked that up on Pinterest and Googled it, like just how-tos. I did so many research of how-tos. And then I would just copy.
Alex Arnold Lee [:And so I did little boxes. I did my own little drawings, and then I sent it off to him, and he managed to take my chicken scratch and turn it into something amazing. He did the backgrounds first, and then the people, he just put his little blobs so that I could see we were in the right direction. And then from there, yeah, it just such a process, the back and forth such a process. So yeah, about a year and some change, maybe close to even a year and a half before it was fully completed.
Alex Arnold Lee [:But I also wasn't in any rush. I didn't give him a timeframe. This was a project that I didn't want to rush because I wanted my first time to be perfect, in my mind that was perfect. You know, like, I didn't want to get this end product and say, "Oh, I wish I would have taken more time on that" you know. So while he was doing his stuff, I was still revising and still taking things out. And then while he was also working, you know, on the illustrations, I was also now looking up how the heck I was supposed to publish this thing. Do I go look for an agent to represent me? Do I send it once it's all done? Do I send it off? But there was a lot of worries about that because my character is so close to my heart that I didn't want just anyone to be able to tweak and change Dazzle. And so I ultimately ended up self-publishing. Clearly, I have control issues.
Adrian Tennant [:Well, you mentioned the dynamic layout. There's a wonderful scene in the book involving birdseed left over from a dove act. Now, that actually happened to you in real life, didn't it?
Alex Arnold Lee [:Yes, Amos Levkovitch, he's since passed, but he used to do a wonderful dove act. And my dad and I were doing a show where I think we were closing and he was on right before us. And the stage was a sea of birdseed. I don't know. I've never seen a dove act use this much birdseed. But it was just a mess of birdseed on the floor. And so then when we started our act, I noticed it, but it didn't click in until I had gone off stage.
Alex Arnold Lee [:And there's a moment where the music gets more upbeat and I come rushing on. I do a big high kick. When I did it, it was like a cartoon where you see the person slide on gravel or marbles. I slid like halfway across the stage, flew up into the air, landed on my back. The crowd went wild. So much humor, so much laughter. Anyway, I got off stage later and when the show was over and in the wings and (Amos) he's laughing. "Oh gosh, that's hilarious!"
Alex Arnold Lee [:"Oh my gosh, where'd you learn to do that?" You know, as though I like took stunt classes or something. I wish I was, I wish I was that talented. And I just looked at him with a blank face and I just said, "Birdseed." And he got it. He goes, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." But yeah, so I just love that.
Alex Arnold Lee [:I'll never forget that story. I had to go to the chiropractor a few times after that show. It was very painful, but it taught me that people like falling. So I added later in the show, like as I'm dancing a slip into the splits because the splits is a fall that I could do that gets a huge crowd please and it's funny. So I do that later in our actual act. But for the book, I thought that's a really cute scene. I think that'd be so cute with birds flying everywhere and dazzles flying in the air.
Alex Arnold Lee [:So yes, she's a page in my book and it's a cute moment.
Adrian Tennant [:Just a reminder that you can be notified when new episodes of this podcast are published by subscribing to the email alerts. You'll find all the details on the podcast website at TheMagicBookPodcast.com, which is also where you can find transcripts plus accompanying blog posts with summaries, timestamps and links to resources mentioned in each episode. Alex, MAGIC Live 2025 was a landmark moment for you. You delivered a general session lecture and then performed with your dad in the gala show on the last night of the convention. But you also launched your book there. How did all of that come together?
Alex Arnold Lee [:Oh my goodness. MAGIC Live was the coolest, biggest blessing. I kept thinking, "How am I going to launch this book? Where am I going to launch my book?" And I say timing is important because had I rushed getting this book out, it wouldn't have lined up perfectly with the MAGIC Live dates. And as luck would have it, the book just showed up like we ordered them. They showed up and the timing could not be more perfect to align with MAGIC Live. That just came together. Also, I would say Instagram. Thank God for Instagram.
Alex Arnold Lee [:It's a love and hate for me. I don't love doing it. It's been a process trying to learn how to promote. I use it more for pictures for my kids and "Yay!" And I have a personal, but really learning how to use it for your business has been so important. Had I not started a Magical Dazzle Instagram page, MAGIC Live wouldn't have known I had a book. And so they had seen it and said, "Hey, this is really cool. Woman in magic. We should really look into this."
Alex Arnold Lee [:And so I got the call about maybe launching my book there. So I was going to reach out to them, but I was super nervous to do it. And what was so cool about that whole experience is that I didn't have to. They came to me, which made it feel extremely special. It was a really special moment in my life. And so that obviously, it doesn't get much cooler than launching your children's book at MAGIC Live. And then on top of that, the icing on the cake was, "And we think you should give a general lecture." Well, of course I said "yes" right away, but then after I said it, reality sunk in because I'd never actually done a lecture before.
Alex Arnold Lee [:I've taught my whole life, and I've done lectures in dance classrooms, and I've traveled on dance conventions, so I'm used to speaking in front of large audiences. It wasn't that. It was the fact that it was like a TED Talk-style, and I'd never done that before. And it sent me, for the next few months of planning this lecture, I was a nervous wreck. But I was so glad I did it. It was really confidence-boosting for me.
Alex Arnold Lee [:It just pushed me in ways I never thought I was capable, because I had a lot of self-doubt about it. I was just so nervous. But it was a fear that I conquered, and it was an experience that I'll never forget. I would like to do more if the opportunity presented itself, now that I have one under my belt. But yeah, I don't think I'd be quite as nervous as I was that first time. Plus being in front of all my peers, everyone that I had grown up with since birth, you know, you want them to enjoy it and appreciate you. And so there was a lot more at stake. But yeah, and then the gala show.
Alex Arnold Lee [:Then again, if that wasn't enough, Then they said, "Would you want to perform in the gala show with your dad?" And it was like, "Oh my gosh!" So we said "yes" to everything. And then reality hit the week of that I was launching. I had a booth. I was giving the lecture and doing the show. I barely ate the four days that we were there. And then to be honest, it ended on a Wednesday. I've never been so excited for a Thursday in my life.
Alex Arnold Lee [:It was the best Thursday of my life when it was just all over, the feeling of accomplishment and true gratitude. I cannot thank MAGIC Live, Stan Allen, the company he's built. Everybody is so professional and it made that experience an experience of a lifetime and just filled with so much gratitude.
Adrian Tennant [:Well, your lecture was titled "From Cringe to Classic." You shared very personal stories, as you have today, about self-doubt, reinvention and finding your voice. In the final analysis, was it more nerve-wracking to stand on stage as yourself or to perform as Dazzle?
Alex Arnold Lee [:Oh my gosh, without a doubt, hands down myself. Oh my gosh, the vulnerability when it's just you up there. Dazzle, I get to hide behind the quirky. I hide behind this facade and this character, the makeup and the wig, and Dazzle's like my alter ego. You know, Beyonce has Sasha Fierce.
Alex Arnold Lee [:You know, I would say Dazzle's my alter ego. I do become more confident with her and she's just bigger than life. But when you're like yourself up there, it's so vulnerable. And then on top of that, I did not realize that they were going to have a camera on my face while giving the lecture the whole time. And that threw me for a loop because I thought, "Well, you know, it's a big stage. I could look at my notes and people aren't going to see me." And then I realized, "Oh, no. My big old face is going to be behind me the whole time."
Alex Arnold Lee [:So you feel, for lack of a better imagery, you feel a little naked up there. You feel exposed. It was me giving my real story. And to be honest, a lot of magicians don't even know me as Alex. They'll call me Dazzle. And sometimes people don't even recognize me as Alex.
Alex Arnold Lee [:This was the first experience that I had in a magic setting where people started to recognize me as Alex. And that was very cool because often they don't even know me unless I'm dressed up. So it was very cool, but yeah, definitely harder and more exposed.
Adrian Tennant [:Well, I was there and your daughter Frankie joined you on stage during that gala show. She seems very comfortable in the spotlight. So is she following in the family tradition, do you think?
Alex Arnold Lee [:You know, Frankie is so comfortable on stage. And if you go look at "Masters of Illusion" she, at the age of four, did help us one time. And afterwards I said, "Did you like that?" And she said, "Yeah." And I go, "do you want to do it again?" And she said, "no." And so since then, she's never wanted to. But now that she's 13, she was like, "Yeah, I know I'll help you, Mom. I'll do it." And she did like it. I don't know that it's her end all, be all.
Alex Arnold Lee [:She's a competitive dancer. She's a chip off the old block. But I don't know if magic is her thing. But I noticed she would be down to help and do a little bit here and there. But I would be surprised if she ever followed in the tradition. Now, I have a son, and he's five. And he's very interested in magic. So him and Papa Les sit there, my dad mesmerizes him. And he will sit there and watch things. And he's the one that will say, "Papa, show me magic." So I don't know. We might have a little fifth-generation magician on our hands as he gets older. He's showing interest. So stay tuned.
Adrian Tennant [:Okay. Well, you're now promoting the book yourself, essentially becoming your own PR agent. What advice would you give to other self-published authors about grassroots promotion?
Alex Arnold Lee [:Holy moly, it is the hardest thing I've ever done! I think I would pick going and doing another lecture in front of 1,600 magicians. PR, it doesn't come as natural to me. It's hard to boast about yourself. It's hard to promote yourself. I think there's a reason why people hire PR agents so that someone else can do it for them. But when you don't have the funds to do it, you have no choice. You either do it or you get stuck with 2,000 books in your garage.
Alex Arnold Lee [:So my best advice is to learn to be really friendly if you're not. Learn to work Instagram. I've learned this, that it's not even about how many followers you have, it's about who's viewing. So I have some views that are in the thousands, but I don't have really that many followers. So at least people are viewing it. And I've gotten actually a lot of sales just because of Instagram. So I think that's a wonderful tool. Not being afraid to go into stores and introduce yourself. I always keep my book with me.
Alex Arnold Lee [:It is with me in a bag, and I have about 20 always in my car. And believe it or not, I've sold them to toy stores, to bookstores, just because I have them. I sell off of Shopify, so they can order it and just tap right on my phone, so I can sell anywhere. And yeah, I've spent hours reaching out, finding emails, reaching out to people, introducing myself. I do find that same as the illustrator thing, real human contact is the best way to do it. If you can meet someone and talk in person, if you can talk to someone on the phone, but sending an email and then just waiting and hoping that someone's going to reach back out. Often I've gotten some responses, but it really is about making those personal connections, a face to the name. And that would be my biggest advice.
Alex Arnold Lee [:And that was my best advice when I owned the dance studio. When people are like, "I want to work here. I want to teach here." "Don't just send in your resume. And don't just every now and then email. Just be annoying. Go let them know, I'm it. You've got to have this." Let them fall in love with your personality, you, because you're not just selling your book. You really are selling you. And I've noticed that people are really excited to help you out when you've built a friendship. When you've built a connection ...
Alex Arnold Lee [:they're more excited to see this thing grow than when they just think it's a book. So it's hard. PR is so hard for me. It doesn't come natural. But just, yeah, dabble. Try it all. Throw a lot of spaghetti on the wall and see what sticks. What works for you.
Adrian Tennant [:The book's theme is about overcoming challenges and finding self-worth. Dazzle crosses out "Worst" and writes "Best" because of course she's resilient and believes in herself. What message do you hope young readers will take away from this?
Alex Arnold Lee [:I want them to know that all the things, all the little dreams, all the passions they have are doable. What's so hard is I think I was so lucky because I had two parents that really nurtured those dreams. And if I had a cockamamie idea like, "Oh, I want to start a babysitter's club. Oh, and this week I'm going to put on a show, and this week I'm going to ..." you know, whatever. They really did allow me that space to create and follow those passions, and I never felt like I couldn't do it. And I really hope that, you know, some kids might not have parents that are like that, but if they find it in literature, if they find it in a special book, that reminds them, like, "You're special, you're unique. You don't have to follow the norm. You don't have to follow what you think is expected, but you can create your own path." And really, the biggest message in the book is fall in love with your gifts. Fall in love with your God-given talents, the things that make you stand out in this world. And often when you embrace that, that is when you start thriving.
Alex Arnold Lee [:That is when you start finding your people. When you really embrace who you are and your special gifts, I think that's when you start to shine. And I think it took me a long time to find that. When I was a kid, I just was trying to always fit into that mold. Sometimes I was just almost like weary of saying, "Oh, I do magic with my dad" because it sounds hokey and embarrassing, unless you see the act and you're like, "Oh my gosh, this is totally cute." To me, it felt like, oh, this might be cringy or embarrassing. And then as I've gotten older, I realized how special and unique and I wish I would have embraced it even sooner.
Adrian Tennant [:Alex, in your MAGIC Live lecture you said, "you don't need to be perfect to be powerful. Sometimes your biggest cringe moment is your greatest opportunity." I think that's such a powerful message. What advice would you give to someone facing their own cringe moment right now?
Alex Arnold Lee [:The cringe ... lean into the cringe. The cringe is where I think your vulnerability comes out. And it's not until you allow yourself to be vulnerable and to witness yourself making those mistakes that you can do the necessary means to change. So if you're just always perfect or you say, "Oh, this is just good enough" you're not going to go that next level. You're not going to unravel something that could be really amazing. So the fact that we were able to laugh at ourselves and recognize that, "Oooh, this isn't working and gosh, this is dated." And The moment we were able to really lean into our cringy outdatedness was the thing that allowed us, I think, to spark new creativity.
Alex Arnold Lee [:Because then the next question is, "Well, if this isn't working ...?" I think for kids, even, it's a good lesson. If someone makes a mistake, like, that's your best learning tool. This is when we grow our most. Okay, now ask the intelligent questions. "Why? Why is this cringy? Why isn't this working? What needs to change? What could we do differently?" It's in those questions that you start asking yourself that I think all of those ideas, the wheels start turning and you can start creating maybe something really amazing.
Adrian Tennant [:This is The Magic Book Podcast. So, Alex, what is your most cherished magic book - or books - and why?
Alex Arnold Lee [:Okay, so I have a couple but I would say you use the word cherish and I just love that word. The thing I cherish most, it's a book that Mike Caveney wrote, you know, he's has written many. And he wrote it in 1987. So a while ago, I was still a little kid, there was only 1000 copies made. So it's a collector's item. And it's actually a biography about my great grandfather, The Great Leon. And I love this book because Mike was able to delve into things that I don't think I would have ever known because he's a historian.
Alex Arnold Lee [:He really loves history. He knows how to write in such a way that paints a picture. I mean, how many times have we read history books? and it's about people we don't really know, right? This is a history book that was written about my family member, one which I never met. He had passed well before I was born, so I only have photos and maybe some stories that my dad has told. But there was so many great things about him that I had no idea, and about my great-grandmother. It was so fun. It's so neat. I loved reading that book and I totally cherish it.
Adrian Tennant [:Very nice. Where can people find and purchase "Dazzle: The World's Worst Magic Assistant"?
Alex Arnold Lee [:Well, I'm glad you asked! You can go onto my website at MagicalDazzle.com. I do everything through Shopify. I have my own shop there. And you can click on the little shop button and I have not only the books, but really cute t-shirts. And then if you're thinking of some fun holiday gift ideas, I make up box bundles with magic tricks. And for little girls, I have sparkle capes and wands and magic-themed jewelry. And so yeah, I'm starting like a little store and a little shop and you can buy my book there.
Alex Arnold Lee [:You can also buy it at The Magic Castle. So if you're in Hollywood and you visit The Magic Castle, they now sell it in their gift shop. And then some local bookstores around. I just sent them off to Main Street Magic Shop and Theater in South Carolina. They're now going to be carrying it. They're opening soon. They're a great little spot. And yeah, currently looking for more bookstores and toy stores and any theaters that you think might be interested.
Adrian Tennant [:I'm sure somebody listening will take you up on that offer right away.
Alex Arnold Lee: I would love that. I was just excited to get it in. I would even love it more if I could go visit. So if it's local or a spot I'm going to be visiting, I'll hand personally deliver them and make a trip out of it. Wouldn't that be fun?
Alex Arnold Lee [:Finally, what's next for Alex Arnold Lee and Dazzle?
Alex Arnold Lee [:You know, I'm big on family. So that's always first. I'm a mom and a wife. And so Alex is always busy doing that. But Alex, the author, would love to write more books. I would love to collab again with Adam. He made my vision come to life. And then ultimately for Dazzle, I see her becoming a little bit more of a household name. That would be my ultimate dream. I would love for the Dazzle book to get in the hands of more children because I think more than anything the time right now we need to get off of computer screens and sit with humans and have conversation.
Alex Arnold Lee [:And what better way than laying in bed at night, reading to your children, having conversations about the books. I hope that Dazzle becomes a conversation piece. I would love Dazzle to become a doll. That would be an ultimate dream. So I need to start looking into that. And who knows? Maybe even Dazzle-themed magic kit. That could be cool. But I think there's a lot we could do with Dazzle. And I think the fact that she speaks to girls and that she is an assistant. She's part of the magic, of course. I do consider myself a magician in the sense that the act is something I did create as well.
Alex Arnold Lee [:But I love the role as assistant. I love embracing that. And so I think we could highlight the importance of magician's assistance more so and celebrate them. I think that would be really cool, whether you're a girl or a boy. I just think that would be wonderful. And so that's where I see Dazzle going. And that's my mission, I guess, in the next couple of years to come.
Adrian Tennant [:Lovely conversation. Alex, thank you so much for being my guest on The Magic Book Podcast.
Alex Arnold Lee [:Thank you so much for having me. This was an absolute dream and joy and this was so much fun.
Adrian Tennant [:You've been listening to The Magic Book Podcast. In this episode, we learned about Alex Arnold Lee's journey from reluctant fourth-generation magician to children's book author. We explored how a cringe moment became the catalyst for creating the beloved Dazzle character, heard about the challenges of creating a picture book, and discovered what it's like to launch a book at one of magic's biggest conventions. I hope you enjoyed this conversation about transformation, family legacy, and the power of reinvention. You'll find the transcript accompanying this episode on the website at TheMagicBookPodcast.com, plus a blog post with a summary, timestamps, and links to the resources we mentioned. If you have a question or would like to suggest a topic for a future episode, please contact me, adrian@themagicbookpodcast.com. Thanks for listening to The Magic Book Podcast. I've been your host, Adrian Tennant. Until next time, goodbye.
