skerr1 wrote, in part:
One was black, and the story reminded me a lot of Stephen King's Needful things, though obviously aimed at a younger crowd. It involved a magician or some other mysterious trickster, coming to town and selling people what their heart desired, or something along those lines.
Hopefully this rings a bell for someone? I'd love to track this author down.
This is a very long shot, since the book I'm thinking of isn't horror, but the first book you're looking for reminds me of The Man Who Was Magic, 1966, by Paul Gallico. It's about a magician who comes to a town inhabited solely by magicians. The first trick he performs for them is to un-scramble an egg. The townspeople realize that it isn't possible to un-scramble an egg. In other words, this guy must somehow be able to perform real magic, not the trickery they perform, and, if that's true, he would be a terrible threat to them because he could put them all out of business, especially if he's not the only real magician in the world. Then he starts to go all over town giving people what they really want. Then the mayor's daughter starts to fall in love with him, and the story begins to meander, and 12-year-old me lost interest, so much older me doesn't remember how the book ended, but it seems to resemble the first book you're looking for.
Regardless, good luck with your search; I know how frustrating it can be to really want to recover a treasure, especially from childhood, but no longer be able to remember something you used to be able to recall effortlessly!
