About the Author

Father, storyteller, and dog lover living in Sandy Springs, Georgia, with London curled at his feet. Circus Bim Bom: A Cold War Adventure is the first book in his debut duology, followed by Circus Bim Bom: The Great Escape.

From Entertainment Law to Storytelling

For over 40 years, Cliff practiced entertainment law, representing multi-platinum recording artists, record companies, and motion picture producers. As Senior Vice President of Legal and Business Affairs at LaFace Records during the 1990s, he reported to multi-Grammy producers Antonio “LA” Reid and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds.

After leaving LaFace, he re-entered private practice, representing multi-platinum artists including Usher, Organized Noize Productions, and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, and serving as General Counsel for multiple digital media agencies. A graduate of Tufts University with a BA in Philosophy and Emory Law School with a Doctor of Laws degree, Cliff brought his expertise in entertainment and Internet law to the evolving digital landscape.

Advocate for Reconciliation and Justice

Cliff’s greatest accomplishment came in bridging historical divides. He envisioned, created, and co-produced a groundbreaking event of reconciliation between descendants of the Buffalo Soldiers and the Lakota Native Americans—groups whose ancestors were engaged in combat for over thirty years.

His commitment to honoring unsung heroes extends to his ongoing advocacy work for Lieutenant Henry Ossian Flipper, the first African American graduate of West Point. Cliff led a petition campaign to rename Fort Benning after Lieutenant Flipper, a former slave from Thomasville, Georgia, who became the first Black officer to lead Buffalo Soldier cavalry units and later distinguished himself as a civil engineer, translator, and expert witness before the U.S. Supreme Court.

These experiences of bringing together people separated by history and ideology became the foundation for Circus Bim Bom‘s central question: Can human connection transcend the barriers that divide us?

The Journey to Circus Bim Bom

In 1990, Cliff witnessed something extraordinary: the first privately owned Soviet circus arriving in America as the USSR crumbled. What began as a simple cultural exchange became a journey through the chaos of a collapsing empire, where performers navigated treacherous waters filled with mobsters, Soviet agents, and political intrigue.

Inspired by the real Circus Bim Bom and the courage of its performers, Cliff spent years researching this pivotal moment in history. The result is a genre-bending duology that blends historical events with satirical fiction, exploring whether storytelling itself can bridge the divides that separate us.

Dedication & Acknowledgments

This book is dedicated to:

My father, Eugene Lovette, my grandfather, Sigmund Metz, and my late friend, David Rams, whose persistence prompted me to embark on this story.

Bobby Liberman, who introduced me to the unforgettable story of Circus Bim Bom and lived it, and to his lovely wife, Tatiana.

The legendary Moscow clown duo, Bim and Bom—Ivan Radunsky and his partners—whose satirical wit and courage in the face of censorship embodied the spirit of artistic defiance that lives on in every circus performer.

Slava Polunin and the co-founders of the MIR Peace Caravans, comprised of 20 theater-circus groups from Eastern and Western Europe, who traveled from Moscow to Paris in 1989, giving 400 goodwill performances across Europe.

Finally, to the real performers, crew, and families of Circus Bim Bom, whose courage and resilience in the face of impossible circumstances inspired this story. Their journey from the Soviet Union to America in 1990 reminds us that even in the darkest moments, human connection can transcend the barriers that divide us.

With Gratitude:

This story would not exist without the generous support of my beta readers: Lisa Warfield, Scott Swezy, Jody Kassel, Jan Kurth, Gray Goodman, Camellia Whiting, Patty Marcus, Patty Lucent, Suzanne Vanderpool, Keith Masnick, Mike McQuary, Elaine McBee, Gary Russell, Len Lipton, Spencer Lovette, Brad Lovette, and Margaret Mortimer.

Special thanks to those who shared their expertise and inspired my interest in storytelling: Marci Haber, Professor Seymour Simches at Tufts University, Al Haulenbeek and Roger Erickson at Friends Academy, Tim Barber at Dissect Designs, Eric Gow at storyorigin.com, Danielle H. Acee at Authors’ Assistant, and Doreen Martens at Reedsy.

I’m grateful to The Alliance of Independent Authors for their ongoing support of independent writers.

Any errors in fact or judgment remain my own.

Connect with Cliff

Email: cliff@circusbimbom.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/bimbombookclub
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/TheRingmaster606