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Worlds collide in ‘The Magician & the Geisha’

Published online on Friday, Nov. 06, 2009

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Clovis author Jeff Morris’ book, “The Magician & the Geisha” (Idea Majik, $12.99), is based on a true story. The title characters’ love is tested when the magician must deal with Japanese traditions.

While he changed some elements, the basic story is based on Morris’ own experiences.

“The part in Japan is right on,” he says. “I shared a dressing room with dancers and fell in love with a geisha. I added the ending to give it more drama.”

This is the second book from Morris. His first book was the psychological thriller “Chat Room.”

Morris, who continues to work as a magician, always has had a passion to write. It took him a year of weekends and free moments to write “The Magician & the Geisha.”

The book is available at Amazon.com.

Here’s a look at some other books of local interest: *“Wilderness Children” (AuthorHouse, $28.95): F. L. Wright, a former Fresno State student, has written the story of a group of boys who in the late 1930s end up running from the law. It is not until more than 25 years later that their dark secret is revealed.

“‘Wilderness Children’ is a quintessential human-interest story. It’s a turbulent and tragic tale of young reform school boys who got caught up in the moment and would grow into manhood living out their horrible sins,” says Wright. “It’s primed for high school, college, and adults with a spirit of contrition.”

The novel revisits a tragedy called the Wrightsville Holocaust, that happened when Wright was a boy living in Little Rock, Ark.

“Wilderness Children” is available at Amazon.com.

* “The Union of Their Dreams: Power, Hope, and Struggle in Cesar Chavez’s Farm Worker Movement” (Bloomsbury Press, $28): This book by former Newsday and Los Angeles Times writer Miriam Pawel tells the story of the farm workers uprising that brought global attention to the central San Joaquin Valley.

Pawel’s perspective on the movement focuses on the charisma and power of Chavez that not only united the farm workers but drew in supporters from every walk of life. The author tells the story through eight people who joined the Chavez crusade.

In the preface of the book, Pawel writes, “This is the story of a different set of winners, a significant chapter of American history that deserves to be told in all its complicated glory.”

The book can be purchased at Amazon.com.

* “Put a Period to IT: When Divorce is THE Option” (BookSurge Publishing, $19.95): Author Helen L. Horvath, a doctoral candidate at Alliant International University who is taking classes in both Fresno and Sacramento, began writing the book as a pamphlet regarding abuse but turned it into a divorce and relationship manual.

The book is currently available exclusively on Amazon.com.

* “The Southern Review” (Louisiana State University, $12): The latest edition of the quarterly publication includes poetry by Fresno residents David Dominguez and Tim Skeen.

TV and movie critic Rick Bentley can be reached at rbentley@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6355. Read his blog at fresnobeehive.com.