Six months ago, if some clairvoyant had told me I'd be schlepping around Taiwan spending my nights in a shipping container guarding seven tigers, six chihuahuas, five bears, four sea lions, three geese, two horses and a "killer dog" named Ludwig, I'd have said "You're supposed to read the tea leaves, not smoke them". The lengths to which writers will go for inspiration. While people joke about "running away with the circus", I never thought I'd actually do it, but there I was. Our crew survived typhoons, culture clash and even death threats. The end result is Running Away With the Circus -or- "Now is the Winter of our Missing Tent", an illustrated account of one of the last remaining animal circuses. It's a sort of cross between Bill Bryson and The Far Side. Often humorous, sometimes gut-wrenching and occasionally unbelievable, I confront the emmotional issue of animal cruelty frankly, and with photographic evidence.
Emmy winning TV producer Norman Campbell said "Your lively prose astounds me... It is really great writing and observing."
To read a condensed excerpt from Running Away with the Circus, click here.
© 1999 Mel Atkey
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