“Making art… is a way to find meaning and order in life’s chaos, one means of keeping the wilderness at bay. Wilderness, whatever its forms—whether sorrow, alcoholism, sickness, Mother Nature—takes over if you let it.”
--Clay Carmichael
…continuing our talk with author Clay Carmichael on art, life and how a stray cat influenced a novel…
art by Clay Carmichael
Q: C’mere, the wild cat, has a voice in this tale. And in fact, it’s the cat’s story that eventually sheds light on one of the central mysteries in the book. What inspired you to weave C’mere’s story in as part of the novel?
“He did. The real Mr. C’mere, a neighborhood feral, was the true inspiration for Wild Things, where this story began. It’s hard for me to convey what an extraordinary soul he was, a once-in-a-lifetime animal. I was a confirmed dog person before he lumbered into my life. The quality of his devotion and love was remarkable—and I’ve only put part of his miraculous story in Wild Things.”
Q: You’re an author and illustrator, and your art walks through Wild Things with a life of its own. You’ve noted in the afterward that this story first came to you from a wild cat. Can you talk about the weave of art and prose and how it affected the writing of Wild Things? Was it a given that you wou
Every single one of you should read this book. Really, young or old, I want you to read this and then tell me how far in love with the characters you fell. I was enchanted with the story, loving the characters, and so sad when it ended...yet happy. A beautifully written book, screaming out for readers.
Wild Things is written by Clay Carmichael and about true love and nurturing within families and with nature as a whole. Our four main characters know about not much else than being left behind. 11 year old Zoe has come to stay with her Uncle, a man she didn't really know about until recently, when her insane mother died. Her father is also dead and the string of her mother's "friends" ran out pretty quickly, leaving her with nowhere to go and no one to trust.
Henry, Zoe's uncle, is a former heart surgeon that retreated into a hermit-like state after the death of his wife, no longer operating on humans, but rather on the metal sculptures he creates to pay the bills. He's a hard man, tough to love, and doesn't trust anyone. Except maybe Fred and Bessie.
The stray cat gets his own chapters. He's wild, unlovable, and refuses to trust any human. Until Zoe comes along...
And finally, the wild boy. Living in the woods behind Zoe and Uncle Henry's house, he makes his own home with nature. Another one that can't trust anybody and that doesn't feel he needs anyone's help for survival.
When these four characters collide, you'll be so involved in this story, you won't be able to put it down. Zoe is one of the quirkiest female characters I've come across in a long time, completely headstrong and quick-witted. I loooooved this book and cannot wait to read more of Carmichael's work.
My only "complaint" about the book is its cover. It's not reader-grabbing in the least. The cat is tiny, the colors too muted. I think maybe the lettering being made of metal sculptures or a photo of the girl and the cat on the cover might have been more successful. Even with the somewhat boring cover, you'll definitely want to read what's inside!
To learn more or to purchase, click on the book cover above to link to Amazon.
Wild Things
Clay Carmichael
248 pages
Middle Grade fiction
Front Street
9781590786277
May 2009
Sounds like a great book and I agree with you about the cover. Doesn't really look all that appealing. But thanks to great librarians like yourself, we are made aware of the treasure that is inside!! I will be ordering this for my middle school!