Six Hundred Pounds of Butter, Please

INGRID THOFT

It's tourist season in Seattle, which means the boats are back.  An industry that was a trickle when it started in 1999, and is now a flood in 2018, the cruise industry employs 4,000 people in our area and brings in $500 million dollars of revenue each cruise season.  This year, fifteen boats will be in and out of the port, varying in size from approximately 200 passengers to 3,100 passengers and a crew of 1,100.

Regardless of how you feel about cruising, it's hard to deny the engineering and logistical feats that are these massive ships.  My husband and I live in walking distance of one of the cruise ships docks (there are three total) and we often venture down midday on Saturday, have some lunch, and watch them load the supplies required for a week-long cruise to Alaska.  What are some of those supplies?  Here's a list courtesy of Princess Cruise Lines for the Royal Princess, a boat that carries 500 more passengers than the largest boat that visits Seattle.  Still.  The amounts are staggering!

• 600 pounds of butter used each day
• 1,500 pounds of flour is used each day to create the ship’s fresh-baked bread, homemade pasta and pastry shop treats
• 18,000 bottles of wine and champagne in the wine cellars
• 54,600 napkins washed per week
• 4,000 pieces of art on board

• 21,200 bath towels washed per week
• 250,000 eggs used per week
• 3 tons of ice -- used to carve 20 sculptures per cruise
• 170,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables consumed per cruise
• 900,000 pounds (about 20 truckloads) of supplies loaded every 10 days

A ship that recently made its Seattle debut was the Norwegian Bliss.  We were able to get some photos of this behemoth, which includes a go-kart track on the top deck and a water slide that ventures off the side of the boat over the open ocean.

The Norwegian Bliss as seen from 39 stories up.

See the go-kart track right behind the stack?  The water slide hangs off the boat on the right.

So Reds and readers, are you ready to come aboard?  How about that water slide?

My Name is Ingrid...

"My name is Ingrid, and I'm addicted to Target."

I did not say those words!

They were spoken to me by the sweet concierge who greets me when I enter my hi-rise home in Seattle.  I wish I could deny this assertion, but it's true.  I may have a Target problem, but let me explain.

Living in the heart of Seattle, I do my grocery/housewares shopping in two locations.  The first is the phenomenal Pike Place Market where I get produce, meat, fish, flowers and a host of other items like thick balsamic vinegar and interesting spice mixes.  But the bounty doesn't end there!  Thankfully, a few years ago, a City Target opened half a block away, and I can't imagine life without it.  Anything I can't get in the Market, I can find in Target.

This is kind of my Target motto

City Targets are a slightly different breed than the superstore you may be used to way out in the sticks.  The stores are much smaller, and in an existing building.  They tend to sell items that in smaller packaging to fit in smaller urban households.  They don't play music—do they play music in the suburban stores?

We have lots of colorful shoplifters!  Just the other day, I witnessed a man heading for the exit with a large bottle of Johnny Walker protruding from his sweatshirt.  It looked as if he were suffering from an unusually-shaped goiter, which did not fool Security, as you can imagine.


Where else can I find workout shirts for my husband, pork loins, candles, and ear buds.  In the market for a pool float?  I can't imagine why you would be in the downtown shopping district, but Target's got you covered.

Feeling virtuous?  Pick up a yoga mat and some steel cut oats.  Feel like breaking some dietary guidelines?  Look no further than aisle three on the first floor.

Another reason to revel in the warm glow of Target?  The store is inclusive (after some rough patches in the early years), both in its merchandise and in its hiring practices.  Want to know what America really looks like?  Come to my Target where the employees span races, ethnicities, religions, and gender.  We're all together, getting along!

My one bone to pick:  The book section of my store keeps shrinking, and I suspect this is true across the country.  It's tucked away in a corner on the third floor, where there is no foot traffic.  If you're looking for a padlock or a fishing lure, you might stumble upon it, but otherwise, it's a sad little spot with few visitors.  Come on, Target!  More books!

So I've admitted my addiction in a very public way, and I already feel better.  So good, in fact, that I may just have to wander over to Target later today and pick out a new nail polish.  Or a bottle of wine.  Or a shower caddy...

What about you, Reds and Readers?  Do you have a store that is your happy place?

And a little housekeeping: Brian Vincent, you've won a copy of David Joy's book!  Denise Ann, you've won a copy of Christine Carbo's latest since the first winner was a no-show!  Please send your mailing addresses to ingrid@ingridthoft.com.

Behind-the-Scenes

INGRID THOFT

The other morning I was walking home from the gym, strolling through Pike Place Market.  It was early, and I realized that the market I was seeing was a far cry from the market that most tourists, and even locals, usually see.  In the middle of the day, rain or shine (yes, it really does happen) Pike Place is a riot for the senses.  The scent of lilies and raw fish, the deep colors of fresh cut blooms, and the sounds of buskers are all part of the experience.

That particular day the market was technically open, but it was empty and quiet, and I got a kind of behind-the-scenes peek into what goes in to bringing Seattle's top tourist attraction to life everyday.  There are some permanent stalls, but even the fish mongers and the produce people have to pack their products away each night, although their "store fronts" remain in place. 

Most of the vendors have to pack away not only their wares, but also their display cases and lighting.  At the end of each day, they store everything on pallets with wheels, lock it away in a secure part of the market, and roll it out each morning to begin again.  

It isn't just the behind-the-scenes at Pike Place that interest me.  A number of years ago my husband and I sprung for the full-day Backstage Tour at Disney World.  We'd been to the park enough times that we were ready to see something new and did we ever.

We went into the famous tunnel system under the park, which allows "cast members" to move about without being scene by the general public.  We learned that they test carpet samples in the employee buildings to decide which options are most durable.  We saw the enormous department dedicated to holiday decorations and were told that the park is always being painted and the light bulbs are always being changed.  When they finish, they immediately start again.  This tour satisfied my inner organizational freak and changed the way I look at the park forever.

Where else would I like to go behind-the-scenes?  I know it will never happen, but I would love to get a peek behind the curtain at a big international airport like Dubai.  I can only imagine the systems that exist in such a facility.

How about you?  Have you seen inner workings that have amazed you?  Is there any place where you'd like to get the backstage tour?  

Stranger in a Strange (Seahawks) Land

INGRID THOFT

Think back to February 1, 2015.  Unless you are an avid football fan (or live with one,) you probably don't remember where you were on that particular day.  My husband and I were at home in Seattle watching the Superbowl, that nail biter of a game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.  If you watched the game, you were either thrilled with the outcome (Yay Pats!) or despondent (insert crying emoji).  But it's not the game itself I want to focus on; it's the two weeks leading up to it.

Did it ever feel so lonely being a Pats fan?  Did my husband ever feel more out of place when donning his "flying Elvis" hat?  Is there anything more divisive (putting politics aside, of course) then loyalty to a team or a place?

Do you stick with your pack, even far from home?

People have asked me if we ever considered shifting our allegiance to the Hawks when we arrived in Seattle to which I always give a resounding "No!"  What kinds of Pats' fans would we be if 3,000+ miles were all it took to dampen our enthusiasm?  But we're not unique in this regard.  Head to any sports bar in any city in America on Sunday, and you'll find fans far from home.  Each big screen will have a small crowd before it, wearing the hometown team's colors, connecting to their sense of "home" if even for three and a half hours.

Not everyone is a sports fan, but most of us have a place or a group to which we have allegiance.  Maybe it's your alma mater, a volunteer organization or your book group from before your move to a new city.  Our allegiance exists even when great distance separates us from the origin of that loyalty.  Or perhaps, distance really does make the heart grow fonder? 

So tell me about your team/group/club loyalty.  What makes the pull so strong?

What We're Writing: The Perfect Setting by Ingrid Thoft

"What are you writing these days?"

It's the question that can elicit either dread or elation, depending upon where you are in the process.  These days, I'm somewhere in the middle of that continuum, although the constant is that I never feel I'm writing enough.  I remind myself that is a common affliction among writers!

I always consult the best reference books!

To answer the question, I’m writing a stand alone suspense/thriller, a departure from my Fina Ludlow series.  I still can’t tell you much about it, but I can tell you that the process has been daunting at times, but mostly exciting.  It’s been liberating to create a new universe populated by an original cast of characters.  I don’t have to worry about adhering to the rules of Fina Ludlow's world, which gives me a lot more wiggle room.

The new book is entitled SUBMERGED, and it’s set in an idyllic town on the New England coast.  Two families, who are neighbors, are bonded through friendship and time, but they find their charmed lives shattered by a violent event.  I look forward to telling you more in the coming months!Like my Fina Ludlow books, I’ve set this one in Massachusetts, where I was born and raised.  Many people have asked why I don’t set a book in Seattle, my home for the past ten years.  As much as I love my adopted hometown, I don't feel quite ready to use it as a setting.  Not yet.

Many of the Reds write about far flung destinations, but I admit to feeling intimidated by the prospect of writing a book where the action unfolds in an unfamiliar location. There’s something about the place where you grew up—where you learned to drive, had your first kiss, cheered for the home team—that would be challenging to replicate.  Obviously, writers do so with great success, and perhaps once I get this stand alone under my belt, I’ll feel inspired to choose a brand-new setting!

For the writers out there, how do you choose your setting?  Is it a place you’ve lived or visited or do you branch out to the unknown?

And for everyone, where would you set a book if time and money were no obstacle in the research process?

Happy Pub Day, Glen Erik Hamilton!

INGRID THOFT

I'm thrilled to welcome Glen Erik Hamilton to Jungle Reds. The third book in his critically acclaimed Van Shaw series, EVERY DAY ABOVE GROUND, is out today.  Glen's debut, PAST CRIMES, won the Anthony, Macavity, and Strand Magazine Critics awards for Best First Novel and was also nominated for the Edgar, Barry, and Nero awards.  The follow-up in the series, HARD COLD WINTER, was published to rave reviews in 2016.  Glen is a native of Seattle, but currently resides in LA with his family, where we recently met up at a tiki bar for great conversation and strong zombie cocktails!  I'm so glad he's spending his pub day with us!

INGRID THOFT: Your new release EVERY DAY ABOVE GROUND is out today, and it’s fantastic. Can you tell us about it?

GLEN ERIK HAMILTON: Thank you! EVERY DAY ABOVE GROUND is the third in the Van Shaw series.  Van was raised by his grandfather, a professional thief, and escaped the criminal life in his late teens to serve in the Army Rangers.  At the start of EDAG (as the publisher and I affectionately call it), Van has been out of the military for a few months.  He’s trying, with some difficulty, to rebuild his life and home after the events of the last book.  An old partner of his grandfather’s approaches Van with the offer of a safe cracking job.  Van would normally refuse any criminal work, but he convinces himself that this score is at least semi-legal and on the side of the angels.  As is often the case in crime thrillers, the job does not go as planned.

I had a lot of fun writing EDAG:  Van is forced to contend with some wild characters, villains at both the apex and bottom rungs of the smuggling world, and no less dangerous for being at either end.  His personal relationships are also rocky.  Van has the bad habit of neglecting his emotional life for his more active one, even when he needs the people around him more than ever. He’s a family guy without a normal family. Part of EDAG is him wrestling with those friendships and those responsibilities. 


IPT: You grew up on a boat, which is a very unique setting in which to live.  Has that experience influenced your writing?

GEH: Tremendously.  Some of those inspirations are easy to spot: I have major characters living aboard and many scenes set on or around the waterways that almost completely surround Seattle. Seattle is also our largest western seaport north of Los Angeles, so the shipping business is a tremendous opportunity for crime stories.

But beyond that, people who live aboard boats make the deliberate choice to be a little removed from mainstream society. There’s an outsider mentality, which includes a distrust, if not outright rejection of the norm (whether that’s a positive or a negative, I leave for the observer).  I have at least some of that outlook, and there’s no question that Van, with his skewed upbringing, does as well.


IPT:  If writing is your dream job, what would your second dream job be?

GEH:  This is a tough one.  I love acting on stage.  Before writing, theater was my primary creative outlet; I have a degree in it and it’s how my wife and I met. I fully intend to continue acting for the fun of it when life allows. I also enjoy reading history, and teaching, and can easily imagine an alternate life path that could have lead me to becoming the world’s foremost expert on post-WWI North African territorial wars, for example, and the impoverished academic career that might result.

IPT: Ha!  I had no idea that you have an interest in post-WWI North African territorial wars!  What are you working on now, and is there a book you’re dying to write? Romance?  Sci-fi?

GEH:  I’m working on a standalone novel, more of a direct thriller than the mystery-thrillers of the Van Shaw series. What I’m most eager to try next, time allowing, are short stories. The interstitial chapters of the Van books show our hero at different ages.  I approach those as if they were independent stories, and I have a lot of fun with the flexibility and the challenge.  Seeing one of my short stories appear in "The Strand" or "Ellery Queen" someday would be a huge milestone.


IPT:  Okay, you know I have to ask: How do you come up with character names?

GEH:  [For the reader:  Ingrid is asking this because one of the major characters in EDAG is also named Ingrid.  She’s a bad bad person.  The character, that is…]

Anytime I hear a name that strikes me as unusual and evocative, I note it down in a running list.  The best names have a particular tone, a musicality.  For example, Ostrander is a town in Washington State. The name always struck me as chilly, removed, and monied. I used Ostrander for the name of a well-heeled attorney and personal fixer for a billionaire in my second book, HARD COLD WINTER.

Van Shaw has a fun genesis – Van is short for Donovan; I wanted he and his grandfather to share the name.  In the Irish way, the granddad is Dono, so the younger Donovan is Van.  Shaw comes from two places: my favorite playwright George Bernard Shaw, and the late actor Robert Shaw, who would have made a wonderful Dono. The name Shaw also has an appropriate music to it, like a sword being unsheathed.

Oh, and the character Ingrid?  “Ingrid Ekby” had a great sound, both Nordic and subtly mechanical. Ekby, by the way, is a shelf unit from IKEA…

IPT:  Now it’s Glen’s turn to shoot a question to the readers of Jungle Red!
GEH:  What’s your favorite character name, the one that best sounds like the fictional person’s personality?

I’m going to make this a little harder and say: No Harry Potter characters allowed.  J.K. Rowling is just too good at that game.  Comment, and you'll be entered to win a copy of EDAG!


EVERY DAY ABOVE GROUND
It sounds like a thief's dream to Van Shaw: A terminally-ill ex-con tells him of a fortune in gold, abandoned and nearly forgotten after the original owner died in prison. To rebuild his destroyed house and to help the dying man leave a legacy for his pre-teen daughter, Van agrees to the job. But the safe holding the fortune is a trap and Van must figure out who the hunters are really after—while being hunted himself.


Glen Erik Hamilton's debut Past Crimes won the Anthony, Macavity, and Strand Magazine Critics awards for Best First Novel, and was also nominated for the Edgar, Barry, and Nero awards. Publishers Weekly and Library Journal gave Past Crimes starred reviews, and Kirkus called the book "an exciting heir to the classic detective novel". The follow-up in the Van Shaw series, Hard Cold Winter, was published to rave reviews in March 2016 by William Morrow (US) and Faber & Faber (UK).
A native of Seattle, Glen grew up aboard a sailboat, finding trouble around the islands and marinas and commercial docks of the Pacific Northwest. He now lives in California with his family but frequently returns to his hometown to soak up the rain.

Website: www.glenerikhamilton.com
Facebook: @glenerikhamilton
Twitter: @glenerikh

Sister Cities

INGRID THOFT

Tucked away in Seattle’s International District, you’ll find the Kobe Terrace park.  With its pine and cherry trees and stone lantern, the park offers a quiet respite in the city, compliments of the citizens of Kobe, Japan.  Seattle and Kobe are sister cities—Seattle has twenty-one sister cities—and they’ve shared a bond since Sister Cities International (SCI) was launched in 1956.  

  

Sister Cities International recently celebrated its 60^th anniversary and given the current political climate and various conflicts around the globe, its mission is as relevant today as it was in 1956.  Seeing people as individuals who are a sum of their parts, not just a religion or a political party, would go a long way to humanizing and de-escalating the acrimony of the times. 

Created as a bi-partisan nonprofit by President Eisenhower, the organization’s mission was to foster peace and prosperity between citizens of foreign countries.  Started not long after the end of World War II, the birth of SCI was seen as an optimistic and bold move.  One of the earliest partnerships was between Seattle and Tokyo—largely for trade purposes—but a surprising alliance given the deep wounds of the war.  A speech by President Eisenhower at the time, identified the unique and vital role that individuals could play in bringing peace to the world:

If we are going to take advantage of the assumption that all people want peace, then the problem is for people to get together and to leap governments—if necessary to evade governments—to work out not one method but thousands of methods by which people can gradually learn a little bit more of each other.

It’s no surprise that Seattle has a sisterly relationship with cities in Asia, given the city’s location and business relationships.  Nor was I surprised that Bergen, Norway is also on the list; Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood was traditionally a destination for Norwegian immigrants and still cherishes that part of its history.  But other sister cities like Gdynia, Poland and Sihanoukville, Cambodia have less obvious connections.  And the relationship isn’t always smooth sailing.  During the Amanda Knox murder case, relations were strained between Seattle and its Italian sister city, Perugia.    

If I were to choose a sister city for myself, which city would I chose?  A spin of the globe landed on Essaouira, a seaside town in Morocco.  Its location on the ocean holds great appeal, and the art, architecture, and textiles of the region are spectacular.  A city so different from any place I’ve lived would undoubtedly provide rich opportunities for learning about another culture and other religions.  I’m not the only one who’s drawn to Essaouira, however; it’s already a sister city with La Rochelle, France.

If you have had to choose a sister city for yourself (we’re just brainstorming, so it’s allowed) or your town or city, where would you choose?  And why? 

And congrats to Celia in Colorado!  She won the signed copy of "Burning Bright" from Nick Petrie!

What Makes Your Neighborhood Great?

INGRID THOFT

Anyone who has read my books knows that Boston is my hometown and the setting for my Fina Ludlow series.  That’s why some readers are surprised to learn that for the past nine years, my husband and I have lived in Seattle.  In some ways, Seattle and Boston are alike: the ocean, great food, progressive politics, and thriving tech businesses.  But they are different in other important ways:  Boston is a city steeped in history (literally) while Seattle feels like a newer city with an influx of transplants.

I love both places, but I’m especially enamored with my neighborhood in Seattle, the downtown core, literally a stone’s throw from Pike Place Market.  Living in an urban center—even a modest one by many standards—certainly poses challenges and exposes residents to the full range of human experience.  Poverty, homelessness, and drug addiction are on full display when I walk out my door, but I also see people from all walks of life, of all colors and creeds.  The diversity and the hum of downtown are a welcome respite from the solitary work of writing.

What are some of my favorite places in my neighborhood?

I grew up in a town by the sea just north of Boston, and I can’t be far from water.  I can see Puget Sound from my home, and the Washington State ferry dock is just a short walk away.  I love being out on the water, and the ferry takes me to one of my favorite bookstores, Liberty Bay Books in Poulsbo, WA.  The return trip to the city is equally spectacular, offering a completely different perspective on the same set of buildings.  The water and the weather systems that form over it are constantly changing and endlessly captivating.  How could you ever be bored with an ocean in your sight line?

Another favorite spot in my neighborhood?  The Seattle Public Library.  The unique central branch designed by Rem Koolhaas opened in 2004.  The building, with its glass exoskeleton and soaring ceilings, is a must-see for architect buffs and book lovers alike.  I’m a big believer in the value of public libraries, and the SPL doesn’t disappoint.  Need help with your homework?  Want to practice a second language?  Learn how to write a mystery?  The library can help you, for free, no less!

No discussion of my neighborhood would be complete without a mention of Seattle’s most popular destination, Pike Place Market.  To most people, the market is a tourist stop, but it’s my actual market.  I get my produce from Sosio’s (shown in the picture,) and when I ask them what’s good, I know I’ll get spot-on recommendations.  The Hmong flower sellers grow many of their blossoms just north of the city, and my butchers have been in business for generations.

But it’s more than just the fresh food and gorgeous tableau that make the market feel like home.  When my husband and I were visiting the city, contemplating making the move, we noticed a quote nestled into the pavement at the edge of the market.  It is a favorite quote of ours, one we had featured on our wedding program.  Stumbling upon it that day seemed a clear sign that the road to Seattle was the right one to take. 

Reds and readers, tell me about your neighborhood.  What do you love about it? Any frequent haunts? Or maybe you’d like to live in a completely different place?

To Market, To Market — Farmers Markets by novelist Leslie Budewitz

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Lovely readers, do you love a farmers market? I do (hello Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket with your homemade doughnuts and hot-spiced apple cider) — and so does today's guest, double Agatha award-winning novelist Leslie Budewitz. 

She's the author of The Food Lovers' Village series; however, her newest novel, ASSAULT AND PEPPER, coming March 3 from Berkley Prime Crime is the first in her latest, the Spice Shop Series. And its setting is a farmers market — THE farmers market — Seattle's Pike Place Market. Here's a taste:

Just a pinch of murder... After the year from you-know-what, Pepper Reece finds a new zest for life running a busy spice shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Her aromatic creations are a hit and everyone loves her refreshing spice tea. Pepper is convinced she can handle any kind of salty customer—until a murder ends up in the mix.

And here's Leslie on Seattle's Pike Place Market as well as the legendary markets of France — take it away Leslie!

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Does anyone not love a farmer’s market? The Pike Place Market in Seattle originated in 1907 when the city council created a market for farmers to sell directly to “housewives.” On the first day, THE farmers ran out of produce before they got their trucks unloaded.

I fell in love with the Market as a college student in the late 1970s, not long after it was saved from the wrecking ball of “urban removal.” Later, as a young lawyer working downtown, I ate my way through the Market several days a week. I’d start at the front entrance with a slice of pizza from DeLaurenti’s walk-up window, browsing the covers of the magazines at the First & Pike Newsstand— eyes only until my hands were clean! I’d sip a sample cup of tea at Market Spice while watching the fishmongers throw salmon and amuse the crowd with their comedy routine, pick my produce and cheese for the week, and end with dessert—a hazelnut sable from Le Panier, the French bakery, or a Nanaimo bar from a now-departed shop in the warren off Post Alley.

A few years ago, Mr. Right and I spent a month in France. We loved everything about it, including the markets, small, medium, and large. Our first was in Arles, a city with Roman roots and medieval history, once home to Van Gogh and Cezanne. At the Arles Wednesday market, you can buy everything from herbs and spices to sausages to sunglasses and goats.

The next Sunday, we found ourselves in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, a magical town. Once again, produce, cheese, and sausage were king, but here too were tables of antique monogrammed linens, silver cutlery, and other French treasures. Accordian music. Duck sausage. (We ate a lot of duck in France. We fed a lot of ducks, too, to make up for it.) Ravioli made before our eyes. The produce seller who asked when we intended to eat the cantaloup—and rejected three before finding one he promised would be ripe the next day. And he was right, bien sûr! 

Roussillon is not a historic market town, but no matter: the butcher, baker, cheesemonger, and a few produce sellers crammed into the village’s single parking lot on Saturday morning, beside a beekeeper, a soap maker, and handful of artists. Best macarons of the trip.

Back in Paris, the Sunday Market on Boulevard Richard Lenoir, directly behind our hotel, left us speechless. Food lovers’ heaven. Vats of olives, baskets of mushrooms we couldn’t identify, bread so beautiful it made our eyes water. We wandered the blocks, eavesdropping on the Parisians as they filled their baskets and rolling carts for the next few days, and bought a picnic for our last evening on the banks of the Seine.

Markets are inherently festive. They fire up our senses and spark our imaginations. They make us hungry—and offer us everything from fresh-roasted peanuts to fresh-baked piroshky. And they bring us back, again and again, to see what’s old and new.

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: What about you, Readers? Do you have a favorite farmers’ market or a memory of one? Leslie is giving a copy of ASSAULT AND PEPPER and a bag of Market Spice Tea from Seattle to one lucky reader!

The first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction, Leslie Budewitz lives in NW Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their Burmese cat, a book cover model and avid birdwatcher. For more tales of life in the Great Northwest, visit her website.