When the tent circus unexpectedly pulls into little Beechville, Wisconsin, absolutely nobody could be more excited than Finnigan the Circus Cat and his two "circus mouse" pals Leroy and Maximillian! All three are still living "under the radar" in the small but charming Farnsworth Circus Museum--Leroy and Max because they're mice, of course, and Finnigan because he's still being kept as a big secret from most of the Farnsworth family members.
While Leroy and Max--and now the high-flying Finnigan--have grown up surrounded by vintage wagons and posters and steeped in circus history and tales of adventure, they never imagined that their wildest dreams would actually come to life! And so they set off to explore the sparkling Big Top for themselves, hoping to wangle an audience with Finnigan's heroes, the big circus cats.
As they navigate the Midway and the Big Top, the trio encounters danger and adventure, and befriend an elephant named "Tiny." And their encounters in the lions' den yield valuable lessons about courage and kindness and loyalty, lessons which will be put to the test before the Grand Finale sounds!
Finnigan the Lionhearted received the most wonderful review from Chicago's Windy City Reviews! It's hard to pick a favorite sentence out of all that love, so here's the whole review in its entirely!
Mary T. Wagner’s Finnigan the Lionhearted is a charming tale perfect for children of all ages, even the young at heart.
This book is a marvelous trip down memory lane for anyone who remembers going to the circus as a child—and a most authentic introduction to the magic of the circus for those too young to have ever experienced it. The descriptions are so vivid you can almost hear the Ringmaster’s baritone voice announcing “Ladies and Gentlemen” with such power that it will have you leaning forward and rustling your popcorn box in excitement. Adorable pen illustrations add a visual sprinkle of joy for younger readers.
The storyline features a vast array of unique circus characters forming the most unexpected friendships and delivering meaningful life lessons along the way. The main characters are two curious mouse cousins, Max and Leroy, and their sweet pal Finnigan the Cat. Their adventure begins when the circus rolls into their hometown of Beechville, Wisconsin. They eagerly band together along with Boomer the dog to leave the comfort, safety, and secrecy of their home at the Farnsworth Circus Museum and embark on an adventure of a lifetime.
Their escapades bring them face to face with lions, tigers, and elephants. As the trio finds their way around the tent, they soon discover that things aren’t always what they seem: the most threatening-looking characters turn out to be the kindest, and those that seem to be the weakest rise to the occasion to face their fears and find their courage. As the suspense builds page after page, lessons in acceptance, trust, vulnerability, growth, and perseverance are delivered flawlessly, as if directed by the Ringmaster himself.
Finnigan the Lionhearted is the third book in this series of stories about Finnigan the Cat. It comes as no surprise that author Mary T. Wagner’s story is inspired by her family’s real-life rescue kitten, her home state of Wisconsin, and her younger daughter’s talent as a contemporary circus aerialist.
I highly recommend this book to any parent who’s looking for a delightful story and some good old-fashioned fun along with a few timeless lessons for themselves and their little ones.
I'm absolutely thrilled to share the news that my latest Finnigan the Circus Cat chapter book, "Finnigan the Lionhearted," won first place in the "Book Design" category of graphics and design in the Illinois Woman's Press Association annual communications contest. The IWPA is the oldest women's press association in the country, and now the first place winners go on to compete at the national level in the National Federation of Press Women annual contest.
There are SO MANY THINGS that aren't apparent in building a book when you're a self-published/indie author, and if nobody that's reading the book notices them, so much the better! You WANT all the unseen decisions you've made to go into a nice, seamless reading experience. But they all must go into the package nonetheless: fonts, type sizes, margins, line spacing, artistic embellishments, cover designs and color schemes, and, of course, the fact that I drew the pictures inside all three Finnnigan books!
Now...ONWARD TO NATIONALS with my fingers crossed!
I'm currently sitting on pins and needles until October 16 when the winners in Florida's Royal Palm Literary Awards will be announced, but the news of the moment is that both Finnigan the Lionhearted and an essay I wrote called "The Werewolf's Queen" are both FINALISTS in this esteemed and competitive writing contest! This has a special significance for me because back in 2016, my FIRST children's book in this series, the unpublished manuscript for Finnigan the Circus Cat, won a first place in the same contest. Hoping that lightning will strike twice!!
I'm happy to share that my third children's book, FINNIGAN THE LIONHEARTED, took home Third Place for book design in the National Association of Press Women's annual communications contest! The awards were announced on June 12 at the NFPW annual conference.
This award really warms my heart, as well as did the comments from the judge in the Illinois Woman's Press Association for the book's second place finish there in the category of Children's Fiction.
"Well-written tale for children to early teens. And for those of us who look for the message within the story, it is an adventure of kindness and courage demonstrating that “Kindness is never wasted”. Words to live by, and to write by as well!!
Excited to announce that FINNIGAN THE LIONHEARTED has been named a semi-finalist in the Royal Palm Literary Awards, which is the annual writing contest of the Florida Writers Association! My FIRST Finnigan book, Finnigan the Circus Cat, took first place as an unpublished manuscript in the children's books category back in 2016. This time around I was able to enter the book as a finished product. Keeping my fingers crossed!
