Cindy Hoyt is an author of books and also has written and acted in comedy sketches for a regional variety show with audiences 600-strong.

She has had vivid dream recall since the age of two, and could manipulate those dreams by age four. (After a tornado, she arranged for Popeye to rescue her family home from atop a flagpole. Not bad for a preschooler!) That inspired her to write her new book Lucid, which she calls “the first how-to novel about lucid dreaming.” In fact, it may be the first how-to novel, period—packed with equal parts wit, suspense, and rock ‘n’ roll.

She’s also explored every aspect of sun worship, from its 5000-year history to the latest tanning tips to an A-Z list of the most entertaining activities you can perform lying on your back. (Can you guess which letter she assigned to “sexxx?”) That was the inspiration for Tansmania, the first humor book on how to get a tan while laughing.

Besides Lucid and Tansmania she’s written humor columns and video game dialogue, and curates a funny email blast weekly for a growing list of subscribers.