(2012)

For some people, purgatory is a circus where you can relive your past sins (and get eaten by tigers) every night under the big top.  And sometimes, you can rise above those past sins and fly.

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Inspiration

Obviously, the circus is awesome and after becoming obsessed with it a couple of years ago I decided it was high time I wrote something about it.  I had this idea that “Ghosts of Circus Past” would be a cross between The Night Circus/Water for Elephants and “American Horror Story.”

Soundtrack

Here is an 8tracks playlist – traditional circus music plus some creepier stuff.  I also enjoyed listening to Cirque du Soleil’s soundtracks while writing – favorites are Alegria, Corteo, Saltimbanco, Varekai, and Quidam.

Research

Since I became obsessed with the circus, I have read a lot about it.  And watched a lot of movies.  And gone to many live circuses.

Fiction

• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Nonfiction

• Images from the World Between: The Circus in Twentieth-Century American Art by Donna Gustafson
• Circus Mania! by Douglas McPherson
• Learning to Fly by Sam Keen
• Cirque du Soleil: 20 Years Under the Sun by Tony Babinski

Film

• Freaks (1932)
• The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
• Trapeze (1956)
• Vampire Circus (1972)
• Cirque du Soleil: Nouvelle Expérience (1991)
• Cirque du Soleil: Cirque Réinvénte (1992)
• Cirque du Soleil: A Baroque Odyssey (1994)
• Cirque du Soleil: Saltimbanco (1997)
• Cirque du Soleil: Quidam (1999)
• Cirque du Soleil: Dralion (2000)
• Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man (2000)
• Cirque du Soleil: Alegria (2001)
• Carnivale (2003-2005)
• Cirque du Soleil: Varekai (2003)
• Cirque du Soleil: Fire Within (2004)
• Cirque du Soleil: La Nouba (2004)
• Cirque du Soleil: Solstrom (2005)
• Cirque du Soleil: Lovesick (2006)
• Le Grande Cirque (2006)
• Cirque du Soleil: All Together Now (2007)
• Cirque du Soleil: Corteo (2008)
• Cirque du Soleil: Kooza (2008)
• Cirque Rosaire (2008)
• Circus (PBS, 2010)
• Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant (Universal Studios, 2010)
• Water for Elephants (Fox, 2011)

Circus

• Big Apple Circus: Dance On! (2011)
• Cirque du Soleil: Ovo (2010)
• Cirque du Soleil: Quidam (2011)
• Cirque du Soleil: Totem (2012)
• Cirque du Soleil: Saltimbanco (2012)
• Cirque du Soleil: Amaluna (2014)
• Cirque du Soleil: Varekai (2014)
• Cirque Eloize: ID (2011)
• Cirque of the Dead (2013)
• Les Sept Doigts de la Main: PSY (2011)
• Les Sept Doigts de la Main: Sequence 8 (2012)
• Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus: Barnum 200 (2011)
• Speakeasy Circus (2014)