"From the Comfort of My Couch"

INGRID THOFT
One day I was sitting with my sister and her daughter discussing books, and we started talking about autobiographies.  We mused about what we would entitle our autobiographies, and although I don't remember most of the conversation, I do remember my niece's suggestion for my sister's book.  She declared that it should be called "From the Comfort of My Couch," which cracks us up to this day.  

My sister is the most tenacious, courageous person I know—in matters of life, however, not thrill-seeking.  In fact, it has become a hobby of mine to find photos and videos that will get her feet sweating and prompt an unequivocal "heck no!" from her when I share them.  

Some of these photos and videos are from my own adventures.  My husband and I have made it our mission to take pictures while scuba diving that we're sure will get a reaction.  For instance, my encounter with a giant Potato Cod fish on the Great Barrier Reef freaks her out no matter how many times she's seen it.

On a recent scuba diving trip, we filmed a shark swimming towards us with the great deep blue sea behind him, which is another one of her favorites—sharks and the infinite creepiness of the ocean.

Photo courtesy of Video Vision 360/Natura Vive

I also like to bring travel opportunities to her attention, like the Natura Vive Skylodge in Peru.  What could go wrong, sleeping in a glass pod 1,312 feet above the floor of the Sacred Valley?  Her first question (and mine) was how do you answer the call of nature?!

And how about learning to wing walk on her next vacation?  That sounds exciting, and I'm sure it will get more than just her feet sweating!

Truth be told, I have no interest in sleeping cliff side in a glass pod or walking on an airplane wing mid-flight, but her reaction is so satisfying, I can't stop making these types of suggestions. 

I asked her if I could write about this, and she was happy to indulge me, but she insisted that I include two things that really give her the willies:

The perspective of looking up at cruise ship from below:

This is the best I could find!  Note the man in the tiny skiff.

and hot dog eating contests!

Go figure!

What do you say, Reds and Readers?  Do your feet sweat when you see a shark?  Do hot dog eating contests give you the willies?  Do you lovingly torment your siblings in a similar fashion?

Galeophobia and Banana Cake

HANK:  Galeophobia? A bête noir cake? A Scattergories challenge?

More about our new Reds! So much to find out…

I confess--I am singing impaired. Honestly, if I sign a song, you might have no idea what it is. Ingrid and Jenn—give us the scoop. 

Can you sing? Play an instrument?

Ingrid

INGRID: I have a decent singing voice and performed in musicals in my younger years.  My sister Lisa and I used to perform our own version of “The Donny and Marie Show.”  She, very graciously, was Donny.  I never studied an instrument, but another sister, Erika, was a wonderful piano player (and singer), so I grew up listening to lots of classical piano music.

JENN: I'm a singer. The rest of my people are musicians. With Hub being a professional guitar player and our sons following his lead, the frat house is a very loud house! I’m actually the backup singer for Adele. She just doesn’t know that.

HANK: Yeah, I’m backup for EmmyLou. Who is equally oblivious. How about food? Are you a good cook?  What’s your specialty?  Or if not—what’s your downfall?

INGRID:I can cook certain things well, but I am not an enthusiastic cook.  I cook because I need to eat, and I try to eat healthy foods, which often requires that I cook them.  I do love to eat, and I like flipping through cookbooks.  If only I had a personal chef!   I prefer baking to cooking and make a delicious Swedish apple pie.  My baking downfall is the amazing banana cake from the Silver Palate cookbook; that recipe never turns out right, but I can’t figure out where I’ve gone wrong! 

JENN: I'm a baker. Since I write a cupcake bakery mystery series - cupcakes are a specialty. Regular food cooking is meh. Clearly, I'm sugar motivated.

HANK: I won’t even ask about your TBR piles..tottering TBRs are a hallmark of us all. But what book are you reading right now? (I’m reading Duplicity…J)

JENN: I'm rereading Postcards from the Edge with The Princess Diarist up next. Yep, I'm taking Carrie Fisher's passing pretty hard. She was a brilliant writer

INGRID: I’m reading the ARC of “Burning Bright” by Nick Petrie.  I really enjoyed Nick’s first book, “The Drifter,” and it’s been great diving into the next installment in the series.  Nick and I are doing a couple of events together on my upcoming book tour (in Scottsdale and Houston,) and I look forward to picking his brain about his engaging but enigmatic character, Peter Ash.

HANK:  What’s the one thing no one besides your family knows?

INGRID: I polled them, and they seem to think that only they know I’m a mean Scattergories competitor.  This is true. 

JENN: I suffer from galeophobia (fear of sharks). I blame Shark Week.

HANK: Well, now we know the difference—Ingrid’s a scuba diver! But still, as we know, wary of sharks.  Final question for today. Mine is: “You never know.”

What’s your motto?

INGRID: In college, my best friend, Davenie, and I had a motto that has served me well: “You look good, you feel good, you do good.”  This is why I don’t work in my pajamas.  Nor do I wear an evening gown, but I also try to look like I made an effort.  I think it signals to my brain—and the world—that I mean business!

Jenn

JENN: "Never give up and never, under any circumstances, face the facts." Ruth Gordon said it, but it's been my motto for decades.

HANK:   Oh, um, okay. Off to change clothes.  But I am great at ignoring the facts—in fiction, at least.  And we are so happy to have you all here…new Reds, and the new friends we are making. Hurray!

My turn to have a giveaway today—introduce yourself! Tell us where you are! And one commenter will win the first in both my series: Agatha winner PRIME TIME and Mary Higgins Clark Winner THE OTHER WOMAN!

So introduce yourself, not only to us, but to each other—Jungle Red stalwarts—you, too!  And tomorrow, I’ll announce the winner.

Tomorrow—a very special kind of food.  Will you like it?

Friday: YOUR questions to new Reds Jenn and Ingrid.

Saturday: a big giveaway.

And Sunday: our dear Kaye Barley. Aw.  Wait ‘til you meet her!

Okay—eager to hear from you!