Linsey Lanier
Sally Kilpatrick
Sia Huff
Romily Bernard
Darcy Crowder
Marilyn Baron
Tami Brothers
Sandra Elzie
Carol Burnside
Debbie Kaufman
Maxine Davis
Tammy Schubert
Susan Carlisle
Pam Asberry
Lindy Chaffin StartGina Leuci on Pyrophobia and Other Fears
Petit Fours and Hot Tamales welcomes Gina Leuci!
Gina Leuci is the author of A Lesson In Love, a story of a woman who falls in love with the right man at the wrong time. She lives in New Hampshire with her firefighter husband, their son who started kissing girls in Kindergarten, and a puppy who thinks she’s a diva. Gina is a member of NHRWA. Her website is www.ginaleuci.com 
Pyrophobia
By Gina Leuci
Once upon a time, I had a fear of fire, also known as Pyrophobia (that’s FEAR of fire, not a fire starter, people). It started when I was young and at camp with Suburbanettes Drum and Bugle corps. We slept in a huge room with a dozen or so bunk beds. The trash can was by the door. During the day, a building worker threw out a cigarette and it smoldered until it caught fire during the night, blocking our only exit. Over the years, the fear grew until a point where I wouldn’t even light candles on a birthday cake.
So what did I do to get over my fear? I married a firefighter. Ironic, I know, but it worked.
With a fear of fire and married to a firefighter, you might think I would be a basket case when dear hubby goes off to work. Fortunately, I’m not. Hubby loves his job; he knows what he is doing; and I trust that he will come home safe at the end of the day.
At one of my jobs, my boss sent all his employees to an Anthony Robbins® seminar where we got to walk over a bed of hot coals. They had a bonfire and literally took shovels-full of the coal to make the paths. Holy smokin’ walkways, Batman. I watched for nearly an hour before I got in line and ran across. I thought for sure my delicate size 10s would be smoldering. Nope, not a scratch, burn, or red mark on them.
At one point, my husband was the training officer of the department and I watched as he burned down buildings as part of department training. I brought my camera, which makes for a very interesting photo album, by the way.
My mother has a fear of cats (Ailurophobia). My mom could be in a room and when a cat walks in, she jumps up and stands frozen until the cat is gone. Mom’s mom, my Nana, also had this fear. Did watching Nana’s fear of cats cause my mom’s fear? It’s possible. However, my cousin who lives in Georgia and was not around to witness the family reaction to the felines, also has this same ailurophobia.
In my current work in progress, my heroine has a fear of heights (Acrophobia) but climbs a tree to rescue her young daughter. Unfortunately, heroine looks down and her fear leaves her paralyzed and stuck in the tree. Enter gorgeous firefighter hero to rescue her.
This got me thinking about phobias. What kind of phobias do you have? Is there a reason that caused this or is it unknown? Have you worked to overcome your fear?
I have come a long way with my pyrophobia. I will light birthday candles and I will sit around a campfire and toast marshmallows for S’mores. I still refuse to light a gas grill and leave the open flamed cooking to my husband, but, hey I walked across a bed of hot coals, what more is there to ask?
Visit Gina at her website www.ginaleuci.com
Better yet, read an excerpt of A Lesson in Love: http://www.ginaleuci.com/html/excerpt.html
Tags: A Lesson in Love, Gina Leuci, pyrophobia
About the author
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Debbie Kaufman | |
July 28th, 2010 at 7:05 am
Gina, what an insightful post! I have a fear of snakes–not debilitating but not good for the snakes. What a great plot you have.
July 28th, 2010 at 7:49 am
No real phobias, but married to the former volunteer fire chief of our county. Firefighters are the best!
July 28th, 2010 at 8:00 am
Sally — ooh, snakes. Yeah, I don’t like those either. I’m not crazy about most things that slither or crawl. Yuck.
July 28th, 2010 at 8:01 am
Debbie – Yes, I totally agree, firefighters ROCK!
July 28th, 2010 at 8:13 am
Gina,
Greetings from Florida (Nationals)
Great post and yes, I fear snakes also. I really don’t care for spiders…but I’m afraid of the big hairy ones.
I don’t fear water, but have a very healthy respect for it after nearing drowning a couple times in my life.
Thanks for sharing with us today.
Sandy
July 28th, 2010 at 8:17 am
I have a fear of a particular bug, which shall remain nameless, but it starts with an R or sometimes a C or a P (can you guess?) and I don’t think I’ll ever get over it. It’s a paralyzing, irrational fear. I don’t want to confront it because I’m afraid to. No fear of other bugs, spiders, even snakes, etc. or really anything else.
My sister has a fear of flying, but she does fly when she has to. I love to fly.
As far as fire, I don’t have a fear of it, but for some reason I can’t light a match. No matter how hard I try I can’t do it. I think it might stem from my father telling me to stay away from matches when I was a child. But that’s probably wise because I don’t have a sense of smell either so I could be in a room filled with smoke (and this has happened to me during a kitchen fire) and not know it because I was looking away from the room so couldn’t see the smoke and couldn’t smell it.
Being married to a firefighter sounds like a great way to confront your fears. I guess I’d have to be married to an exterminator. But instead I married an economist.
Thanks for your great post and for blogging with us today.
Marilyn Baron
July 28th, 2010 at 8:31 am
Sandra – nearly drowning a COUPLE times? Yep, I’d have a healthy respect as well. Have fun in Orlando and don’t wade too far in the water this week.
July 28th, 2010 at 8:33 am
Marilyn – I have to laugh because I have a 7 yr old and EVERY bug he sees he thinks it is one of THOSE bugs. I saw one at a hotel we stayed at in FL. It was on the floor that had the guest clothes washers/dryers and I wanted to dry our swimsuits before repacking to head on a cruise. I refused to go back and my husband did the laundry that night. (My husband is a saint, btw)
July 28th, 2010 at 8:53 am
Phobias are great conflict for a book. I also have a heroine who is afraid of heights, so of course I made her go up. lol
I used to totally freak when I’d see those HUGE cockroaches (that are actually waterbugs, but look like monster roaches), but had to learn to stop when I realized it was freaking my kids.
I also have irrational fear of bears (used to have killer nightmares about them), but I don’t know if that has a name. My family makes sure I know of any and all bear attacks, so I can “get over” my “irrational” fear. (Personally, I think it is a very sensible fear.
July 28th, 2010 at 8:56 am
Wow, Gina, walking over hot coals.
Enjoyed your post.
Betty Gordon
July 28th, 2010 at 10:13 am
Hi Gina! What a fun post. I love the tone and the way you tell us about your phobia. Your voice really draws me in and makes me want to read your book. I’ve added it to my wish list.
This reminds me of a fun ride in the car just last month. I recently purchased the Droid phone and my son was downloading some apps on it during the ride. He found a phobia app and started naming off a few things. This resulted in quite the conversation and an explanation that was a bit more than I’d expected to have to have because of my new toy…grin…
I just pulled up the app and a few of the phobias it brought up were the fear of men, fear of the number 8, fear of property, fear of tapeworms, fear of erection. It would be this last one that led to the discussion we had with the kid…
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As for me, I don’t fear many things but one thing that most people who know me will tell you is that if a bug gets in my hair, get out of my way and watch me dance. Doesn’t matter what kind of bug or how big or small. Just the thought sends a shiver down my spine.
Thanks for a fun read! Have a great day!
Tami
July 28th, 2010 at 10:19 am
Mine is claustrophobia. I once was stuck in an Egyptian tomb until the rest of the tourists left the tunnel so I could see light at the end to crawl out. That was the end of tombs for me! http://www.dkchristi.com author of Ghost Orchid
July 28th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Pauline – I looked up the fear of bears and it is Mellisophobia which sounds more like a fear of girls named Melissa. Very strange name.
July 28th, 2010 at 10:49 am
Betty – Yes, hot coals. Now I can say I did it and never have to do it again. Thinking back on it, I was absolutely crazy. I still don’t know HOW I didn’t get burned.
July 28th, 2010 at 10:51 am
Tami – Fear of erection? LOL. I bet that made for a very interesting car ride conversation. They say to have “the talk” with your kids when driving because they are a captive audience, but this would be a new twist. Still chuckling thinking about it.
July 28th, 2010 at 11:26 am
DK Christi
Eqyption tomb? That sounds fun, but CRAWL out? Was the entrance that small? It’s not the dark that would bother me, but how many people huddled into the dark, dank area. I’m thinking stale air and body odor. Raise your hands if you’re Sure!
July 28th, 2010 at 11:51 am
Lots of phobias for me, unfortunately.
Love your book cover and title!
Best of luck.
July 28th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Gina, like a lot of people, my phobias are spiders and snakes. Unlike most: escalators – from my grandmother, who would always warn me my toes would get caught if I didn’t step on or off quickly.
July 28th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Gina, a pyrophobic marrying a firefighter means you trust him to protect you from your biggest fear. You must have a strong marriage!
Want to hear a weird phobia? When I was a child I was terrified of butterflies. I think it came from seeing my sister step in a bee’s nest; I equated anything that flew and sat on flowers with dire physical pain. I didn’t get over it until years later when a friend who did not know about this phobia sent me an encyclopedia of butterflies as a gift. I became so fascinated with the colors and shapes that I spent an entire summer doing paintings of “butterfly people”.
I never have gotten over my fear of falling (not heights; I’m fine looking down from something stable like a tall building, but can’t deal with a stepladder!) so don’t take me anywhere near a roller coaster.
Best of luck with your book, it sounds wonderful!
July 28th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Jacqueline – FYI – I have more phobias than I admitted to in my blog so you are in good company. Thanks for the comment about my book cover. I think my editor did an amazing job.
July 28th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Christy – A fear of escalators all thanks to Grammy. Funny how a few simple words can have a lasting effect.
July 28th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
EC Spurlock – I don’t think a fear of butterflies is strange at all. There is a butterfly musuem not too far away but I have never been. While they are beautiful I don’t think I’d want a hundred of them floating around my face. Butterfly people paintings sound nice, though.
I had a stepladder fall from beneath me once and then I landed on my back on top of it. Not only was it painful, but it left me with never wanting to climb ladders again. If I can’t get to it with a 2-step ladder I leave it alone. Again, advantage to marrying a firefighter, he climbs ladders all the time.
July 28th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
Gina, Pauline,
You guessed the bug. Being from Florida you’d think I’d get over my fear, but no, it followed me to Georgia. If I see one in a room, I won’t go back there until someone gets it. Or I’ll put down a piece of newspaper and a shoe on top of it and then when my husand gets home he’ll have to deal with it.
I think it was waterbugs or some type of bug that looks like the bad bug that caused my fear in the first place. As a child, my sister and I were walking to school one day in Miami and the night before, apparently a swarm of them (like locusts) June bugs I think they were called, were dead all over the street and I had to walk through them on my way to the bus. I don’t think I ever got over that.
I could never write about them in a book or make them the source of a conflict because I can’t even stand to see the word written down.
I have a friend who is afraid of lizards, and I think they’re actually cute.
I love butterflies too. Sorry EC.
Marilyn
July 28th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Marilyn – I think you should write about it in a book — and NOT say what it is. Referring to it as you did in this post would make for some humorous dialogue.
July 28th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Great post Marilyn!
Christi – my grandmother was also afraid of escalators. She would only ride them when my dad was with us so he could lift her off at the end so she wasn’t scared it would catch her toes. Luckily for me, it didn’t transfer!
EC – I’m with you on that fear! I am fine on something high as long as it is stable and either I’m enclosed or there’s a stable railing… but a chair lift or coaster? Watch out!
July 28th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
DURN DURN DURN… I’m SO embarassed! I meant to write “Great post Gina!” I had all my intentions, but when I was just typing away, my mind was on the rest of my comment and there Marilyn’s name was on my screen 3 times! Sigh. Sorry Gina! (Marilyn – I did enjoy your comment too!!! I’m with you on *those* bugs!)
July 28th, 2010 at 6:57 pm
I have a fear of marriage. Does anyone know what that’s called? But if a handsome professor walked into my life, that could be one less phobia to deal with. Loved reading A LESSON IN LOVe.
July 28th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
Thanks Pamela. With so many posts today, I’m surprised I haven’t mis-posted a name. I looked up Fear of Escalators and it’s called ESCALAPHOBIA and it effects .03% of the population.
July 28th, 2010 at 7:36 pm
Tami – I’m still laughing about your comment. I looked it up and saw 2 different names for it. Medorthophobia or Ithyphallophobia.
Fear of an erect penis? We’ve got an App for that.
July 28th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
I want to thank the Chefs here at Petit Fours and Hot Tomales for inviting me to be a guest chef. I had a blast today. Thanks to all of you who left comments, I laughed, I sympathised and I did a lot of googling. My college roommate said she refused to comment today because she has a fear of blogging. Alas, I googled, but I could not find a proper name for it. Maybe we’ll have to creat out own.
Until the next time, my friends… Good Night.
July 28th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
Gina,
So glad to have you with us. I sure did enjoy you book and look forward to the next one. Heights are my thing. My husband and I were to ride the mules into the Grand Canyon and I practice looking down from any height I could find for six months. I didn’t want my fear to keep me from doing something so amazing. I was scared in the canyon but it was worth it.
July 28th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
For some reason a few posts came well after they were posted (at least on my computer) I wanted to send a shout out to Cindy and say tsk tsk no fear of marriage allowed. I write romance and there is always a happy ending. Glad you enjoyed A Lesson In Love.
Susan, thanks again for everything. Fear of heights is a tough one to take but sounds like you worked through it to have a great vacation.
Gina
July 29th, 2010 at 8:39 am
Hey Gina! I had to look back through the Phobia app to see which one it mentioned and it was the Medorthophobia. Had no idea about the other one…grin…
Thanks a ton for blogging with us yesterday. We really appreciate you stopping by and sharing your “phobias” with us. This was a lot of fun checking back to see what our readers fear most.
Tami