Creative Arts Books to Release JESUS LIVES IN TRENTON by Christopher Klim.

Features & Publishing Editors

TRENTON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 19, 2002

What happens when people start seeing Jesus on a Trenton, New Jersey billboard?

Award-winning author Christopher Klim has the answer, and it is pure comedy and intrigue in his novel Jesus Lives in Trenton, due from Creative Arts Books in March 2002.

A send-up of religious fanaticism, the novel is no stranger to controversy. "The title alone seizes your attention," says Christopher Klim. "People are making judgment calls without even reading the first page. Some would like to block it from the stores."

Jesus Lives in Trenton is the story of tabloid photojournalist Boot Means, who discovers big trouble and sees the chance to erase his impoverished roots as an orphan and launch into fame. It is an exhilarating and hilarious journey into the heady world of TV evangelism and the seamy underworld of cult organizations.

While the novel is respectful of Jesus and Christianity, it pokes holes in the business of religion, and like Irving and Palahnuik (Fight Club) before him, Mr. Klim goes headlong into his subject matter. The results are clear with the critics:

"Understated humor and lack of pretension lend this wry urban fable undeniable charm," writes Booklist, February 2002. "Klim's lighthearted entertainment posses genuine heart."

"Christopher Klim is that rare talent who brings characters and stories that resonate with the working class and excite the sensibilities of literary connoisseurs," says Robert Gover, popular satirist of One Hundred Dollar Misunderstanding. "Maybe he's the New Jersey reincarnation of John Steinbeck."

A former physicist for the space program, Mr. Klim gained experience of the inner workings of small daily newspapers while touring the country. In the late 90's, he abandoned a successful career to raise his children and pursue his dream as a novelist. The gamble appears to be paying off.

The author puts storytelling first, while examining the motivation behind religious fanaticism. "We all have a thirst for grace," says Mr. Klim, "a drive for fame and success, the desire to be close to something bigger than ourselves."

Jesus Lives in Trenton deftly addresses the marginalized members of society. Boot Means has grown up in foster care, trying to define himself as an adult in a society that wanted little to do with him as a child. "Boot is behind the eight ball," says Mr. Klim, "but he's going to make it somehow."

A local and national book campaign is planned, beginning in the NY/NJ/PA area, by Hopewell Promotions. The book is readily available through BarnesAndNoble.com.