We recently had the pleasure of hearing Craig Pittman, author of CAT TALE, at the Key West Library discussing his new book about how Florida panthers nearly went extinct and how they were saved. We had the opportunity to ask Craig a few questions about his new book, his writing process and what he’s reading and recommending these days.
It wasn’t so long ago when a lot of people thought the Florida panther was extinct. They were very nearly right. That the panther still exists at all is a miracle–the result of a desperate experiment that led to the most remarkable comeback in the history of the Endangered Species Act. And no one has told the whole story–until now. With novelistic detail and an eye for the absurd, Craig Pittman recounts the extraordinary story of the people who brought the panther back from the brink of extinction, the ones who nearly pushed the species over the edge, and the cats that were caught in the middle. This being Florida, there’s more than a little weirdness, too. An engrossing narrative of wry humor, sharp writing and exhaustive reportage, CAT TALE shows what it takes to bring one species back and what unexpected costs such a decision brings.
Q: How did you come to write this book? What changes do you hope it will foster? Who is the audience for the book?
A: I’ve been writing about Florida panthers since I started covering environmental issues for the Tampa Bay Times in 1998, and I’ve wanted to write a book about them for 20 years. I had to wait until I had a good ending, and I finally got one a few years ago. I hope this book will help people see the panther as more than just a figure on a license plate or a hockey uniform. They’re living, breathing animals, apex predators that need wilderness to survive. The audience for this book would be anyone who cares about Florida’s state animal, anyone who’s apprehensive about saving endangered animals, and anyone who loves cats. (But don’t worry, dog fans, you get some love too.)
Q: OH, FLORIDA was funny. CAT TALE is a light-hearted title; how would you describe the tone of this book? Do you enjoy the serious journalism as much as the humorous stuff? How do your research and writing processes differ between various types of projects?
A: CAT TALE is, overall, a more serious book, but it has some light-hearted scenes in it, and because this is Florida the story takes some weird twists and turns. For instance, Florida’s version of Bigfoot, the Skunk Ape, gets a cameo. Serious or humorous, you have to take the same approach to researching and writing the story. Your first loyalty is to telling the story right.
Q: What are you working on now, if you don’t mind saying?
A: I’ve got a Florida novel I’ve been working on since 2017 and I’m on my third rewrite. Maybe this will be the one that gets a publisher’s attention! The title is “Death of a Dolphin” and it concerns the death of the most famous Florida dolphin since Flipper. There’s also a mysterious fish kill, a developer who’s disappeared, a barbershop quartet made up of crooked cops, and a Weeki Wachee mermaid who is not what she seems.
Q: What Florida books are top-of-mind recommendations for you?
A: How much time do you have? I have a VERY long list. It includes nonfiction such as:
- Jack E. Davis’ THE GULF
- Gilbert King’s DEVIL IN THE GROVE
- Julie Hauserman’s DRAWN TO THE DEEP
My list of fiction features such titles as:
- Lauren Groff’s FLORIDA
- Zora Neale Hurston’s THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD
- John D. MacDonald’s CONDOMINIUM
- Elmore Leonard’s LABRAVA
Along with pretty much everything from Tim Dorsey and Carl Hiaasen, of course. Among Keys authors, I always recommend Tom Corcoran, who has a real sense of place in his novels.
Q: What else would you like to share?
A: I always brag about the fact that I am a Florida native, and my parents still live in the Panhandle. My mom taught me to appreciate a good book while my dad taught me to appreciate a good story. CAT TALE is dedicated to my dad. I dedicated an earlier book to my mom — THE SCENT OF SCANDAL which is about an orchid smuggling case involving Selby Gardens in Sarasota. It’s the only book I know of that is classified as “True Crime/Gardening.”
Special thanks to Key West Library Administrator Michael Nelson for facilitating this interview.