In 1960, a movie called Toby Tyler filled my eight-year-old head with glamorous thoughts of running away from home and joining a circus. Suffice it to say, circuses never came to town where we lived, nor did I have any skill sets which would have distinguished me as a star in life under the big top. You can, thus, imagine my delight when I was able to interview author and trapeze artist Teri Bayus who did, in fact, pursue something the rest of us can only dream of. She shares the experiences which led to her penning, The Greatest of Ease.

Interviewer: Christina Hamlett

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Q: So how, exactly, does one run away and join a circus? Are there open auditions? Do you submit an application? Do you have to know someone? Inquiring minds want to know all the details of this!

A: In the 1980s, the only way to join the circus, if you were not born into it, was as a clown or a prop guy. They were all running from the law. My entire book, The Greatest Of Ease, is about the why, how, where, and when the circus took me in. My biggest reason was that I was poor and wanted to travel and perform. I had been friends with a circus boy since I was 13, seeing them once a year and being pen pals between visits. When I was 20, he came to town and needed a female flyer as all the women in the troupe were pregnant. I expressed my desire to travel and perform. But I had no experience. I became accepted by utilizing my feminine wilds. In other words, I seduced a boy in red tights. It is different now because of Cirque du Soleil’s shows. Anyone can learn to fly and then audition.

Q: Short of being stepped on by an elephant or having knives thrown at oneself, I’d think being a trapeze artist would be one of the more dangerous occupations as a circus performer. What attracted you to this particular adrenaline rush?

A: Trapeze is dangerous but done correctly, predictable as a math problem. We practiced daily to ensure our tricks “stuck.” There was never a time that I was not afraid. Fear keeps you safe.

I was with a family that was ninth generation circus. I loved the physically demanding part, the adrenaline rush, and the feeling of flying. Knowing where you are in the air is breathtaking and a unique talent usually only utilized by pilots. The applause was addicting.

Q: Unlike juggling or gymnastics, becoming an accomplished trapeze artist isn’t a skill set one can practice in the backyard. Tell us what’s involved with this and what’s the most challenging part to master.

A: I spent three months on the ground building my core. That term was not around then, but I had to be able to hold a sit position in midair for at least 20 seconds. This was accomplished by thousands of sit-ups and planks. Then I had to learn to fall. The flying trapeze always uses a net (unlike the single trapeze), and while it can stop a fall, if you fall on it wrong, it breaks your neck. For the next three months, I learned to fly, to find myself in space, and to condition my hands for the calluses. Then I started going to the catcher.

Q: How did you mentally psych yourself into not worrying about flying through the air and stressing whether your partner would catch you?

A: The flying trapeze is all about timing. It’s also a matter of geometry. If I do my part right, the catcher will always catch me. He wouldn’t even try to catch me if I didn’t do it right. He would let me go to the net. There is no worrying in the trapeze world, only practice.

Q: What are three things about circus life that the majority of people don’t know?

A:

1. It was only families performing between 1910 to 1990.

2. The circus animals were never abused. In fact, they were treated better than us, and we ate their leftovers.

3. Circus people live in travel trailers. They do not have a home to visit when the show ends.

Q: How long were you with the circus, and do you ever miss it?

A: I was there for five years. I miss the discipline and pushing my body. I don’t miss the smell.

Q: What was your development process in writing a novel from your real life?

A: I started Writing in the first person but living with 20-something Teri was difficult. She was a knucklehead and did some idiotic things. When that hung me up, I turned her into a character named Gail and wrote in the third person. Once I finished all the stories, I returned to the first person. A story this unusual reads better coming from a personal narrative. After my last round of edits, I changed all the names. This book went through 25 drafts and 4 editing professionals.

Q: The Greatest of Ease is described as roman à clef. What does that mean?

A: The dictionary says a novel in which real persons or actual events figure under disguise. That term is used when all the events are actual, but you have morphed characters and timelines for novelistic reasons. Other roman a clefs are The Great Gatsby, On The Road, and To Kill A Mockingbird.

Q: What governed your decision to self-publish, and what did you learn from this experience?

A: I used to run the Central Coast Writers Conference, and I learned that self-published authors were the happiest. The only people who will tell you need an agent are agents. I am a marketer and entrepreneur by trade, so publishing was easy for me. I used three different editors’ (Developmental, Line, and Copy). I had a brilliant artist design the cover. Publishers make the author do the majority of promotion, I had already done three book tours, so I felt confident. With Ingram Spark and Draft2Digital, distribution was easy. I didn’t (and still don’t) see a need for publishers. In fact, I am helping other authors with Community Publishing.

Q: You’re also a fellow foodie. Tell us about that.

A: I was a food writer/critic starting in 1997. I wrote food articles once a week for three newspapers. For those counting, that is 1,352 regular articles. I also did special events like Best Chef competitions, Wine Festival food judging, and Foodie Events. In 2017, I produced and starred in my Television Show, Taste Buds. There is a significant element of food in all my work. The Pandemic destroyed all my food writing jobs with the closing of all restaurants.

Q: Please share your experience with Substack (i.e., what it is, what it offers, and what attracted you).

A: I needed one platform to share my writing, podcasts, and videos. I became a founding member of Chuck Palahniuk and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Substacks. I love the intimacy between the creator and the fans. I am inscribing about the writing process, doing a podcast with my scribe friends, and doing booktok type of videos.

Q: What else do you write?

A: I’ve also written (and optioned) screenplays, a coming-of-age comedy about the art of storytelling named Hookah, and a Christmas musical called Traditions.

I have completed four TV pilots. HOA is a dark comedy mystery that includes a weekly murder for breaking the HOA rules.

Culinary Tales is a magical realism 60-minute streaming creation about a food critic who sees fairy tales in restaurants.

Uncle Jerry is a dramedy about a gay man in the 1950s who collects animals.

Lilith is a comedy sitcom about how strip clubs work in Las Vegas. I have complete episode bibles written and outlines for seven seasons.

I’ve also written two culinary erotica novels, Consumed and SousVide, and a nonfiction book about my life, The Universal Conspiracy. (www.theuniversalconspiracy.com) about how the universe collaborates to make everyone’s dreams a reality.

Q:  If you could invite three authors (living or dead) to a dinner party, who would be on your guest list, and what would you most like to ask them?

A: Tom Robbins- I’d mostly talk about how he gets so much power from each sentence and is so hilarious.

Chuck Palahniuk- I’d talk to him about how he reaches so deep to be weird and wonderful.

Maya Angelo- We’d talk about putting your pain on the page and how to keep your authentic voice no matter what.

Q: What would readers be the most surprised to learn about you?

A: The only thing I am afraid of is moths.

Q: What’s next on your plate?

A: My non-fiction book, The Universal Conspiracy, and I am writing fiction books, Three Hour Tour and Gibnut, The Royal Rat.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

A: Whatever your age or situation, believe you can and keep writing. If you don’t write it, who will?