Norris Church Mailer is a real person.  That may seem like an odd way to start a blog post but her memoir and her life could be the stuff of great fiction.  A beautiful girl, a much older famous man, his former wives, his large brood of children, a modeling career, famous friends, attendance at historical events, and the list goes on.  But what makes A TICKET TO THE CIRCUS so readable is that it’s real and Norris doesn’t hold back.

She shares the good, the bad and the ugly.  There were affairs, there were arguments, there was sickness and death – but there was also love and family and art and humor.  After reading  A TICKET TO THE CIRCUS, meeting Norris was like meeting someone I’ve always known.  She was unapologetic about her life choices (as she should be) not in the least bit braggy and totally brave.  She admits her health is not good (she’s living with a cancer that should’ve killed her years ago) and yet she is still living her life to the fullest. 

My favorite moment in the interview came when I asked Norris if she ever felt out of place when hanging out with people like Muhammad Ali or Fidel Castro… and she said “No.  I looked around at the other people there and I thought ‘Why not me?'”  I totally love that.  I’m going to make it my new mantra.

Enjoy the interview, and click here to check out the rest of the great authors talking about their books on our podcast!

— Dana Barrett, Podcast Host