Some say that “life imitates art,” while others feel that “art imitates life.” I don’t know that anybody would put my Finnigan the Circus Cat children’s books into the category of “high art,” but there is a lot of real running through these books anyway!
Starting, of course, with the kitten himself. Yes, there was a real Finnigan in the family. That’s actually him on all of the book covers, a digital version drawn from a photo of him perched on my shoulder after climbing up my side like I was a tree. Those claws were like tiny needles!
And yes, he was also a rescue kitten. My youngest son and his wife brought him home at Christmas one year, and yes, he was the tiniest kitten I’d ever seen. I got to play with him for the next week and a half before the kids returned to the university, and I was enchanted.
Starting, of course, with the kitten himself. Yes, there was a real Finnigan in the family. That’s actually him on all of the book covers, a digital version drawn from a photo of him perched on my shoulder after climbing up my side like I was a tree. Those claws were like tiny needles!
And yes, he was also a rescue kitten. My youngest son and his wife brought him home at Christmas one year, and yes, he was the tiniest kitten I’d ever seen. I got to play with him for the next week and a half before the kids returned to the university, and I was enchanted.
Finnigan returned to my house again as a fully grown cat for several months while the kids did a semester abroad, and that’s where the germ of the “circus cat” thing got started. With his elegant grey and black stripes and long, white legs, he reminded me of a cocky trapeze artist in a leotard from the very start. Having a daughter who is a circus aerialist also meant that the subject of circus arts was never far from hand.
And so Finnigan’s brash, young, boisterous personality got woven into the story and also the art right away. As often as I could, I drew from photos of Finnigan to illustrate the chapters, whether as a wee kitten sleeping in my lap or his lanky, inquisitive “teenager” edition.
And so Finnigan’s brash, young, boisterous personality got woven into the story and also the art right away. As often as I could, I drew from photos of Finnigan to illustrate the chapters, whether as a wee kitten sleeping in my lap or his lanky, inquisitive “teenager” edition.
But the “real” didn’t end there! When I wanted the image of a sinister looking black car to introduce the arrival of the villains in the second book, Finnigan and the Lost Circus Wagon, I conjured up the front end of a 1964 Chevy Bel Air with a V-8 engine that I’d owned long ago and still miss driving! And when I wanted details of actual, historical circus wagons, I drew from photos I’d taken of the incredible wagons themselves at the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
When it came time to write the third book, Finnigan the Lionhearted, I was excited to have a reason to imagine going to the circus for the first time, with all that wonder and innocence! I know that in recent years, the use of elephants as circus performers has been waning, but I was drawing on my own memories here and so there were definitely still going to be some elephants in this circus. Unlikely friendships have been a constant in these stories, and so why not make one between an elephant and a pair of mice!
So whether “art imitates life” or “life imitate art,” Finnigan the Circus Cat has plenty of “life” to draw from. Where the one ends and the other begins…well the magic is somewhere in between!
So whether “art imitates life” or “life imitate art,” Finnigan the Circus Cat has plenty of “life” to draw from. Where the one ends and the other begins…well the magic is somewhere in between!
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