Archives for August 2013

 Enjoy these answers from erotic romance authors — then enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a $100 Amazon or BN GC and more!

Melissa Schroeder  BUGS. I hate bugs. I literally come out of my skin when I see them. So, it makes sense that we have been stationed mainly in the south for most of my husband’s career. Oh, and Hawaii. It is why I voted for Virginia as our place of retirement. I loved having the bugs die in the winter.

Oh, and I hate that glaucoma test. I am always convinced that the machine will break and then hit me in the eye.

Karen Stivali  Spiders. Ack. I don’t even like saying the word. *shudders* I’ve hated them since I was a child. And for some unknown reason they seem attracted to me. They’re always by my desk, in my car, sometimes actually on me. It makes me crazy. I once pulled over my car because there was an enormous spider on the windshield but I couldn’t reach him and I knew if I didn’t keep an eye on him he’d disappear somewhere in the car and I’d be too freaked out to drive not knowing where he was. I actually called a friend and said “Either you come kill this spider for me or I’m going to have to sell this car.” I’m lucky. He loves me. He came and killed the spider. (And he admitted it was a particularly gross and scary one.)

Brenna Lyons  Yes, I do. I am phobic about open heights, including glass elevators and balconies or other areas that have a waist or chest-height wall and openings above that. I’m also phobic of walking on bridges or driving on bridges where I can see over the edge, but I think that’s interconnected to the first phobia.

Marie Tuhart  Spiders, I’m deathly afraid of them and have been bitten by them twice.

Erin M. Leaf  I am so very much afraid of heights it’s not even funny. I went on a Ferris Wheel once. My husband claims his thigh never recovered (I’d clamped a hand down on it in terror).

Wendi Zwaduk Heights. Don’t put me up high or in a cramped space. You won’t like the reaction you’ll get.

Sandra Bunino  I have a fear of large bodies of water and tunnels that are built under them. I think it’s just a matter of time before they spring a leak.

Megan Slayer  Getting lost. I hate getting lost and not knowing how to find my way home. I don’t have GPS and hate to use it, but I need a map somewhere close.

I’m also not fond of surprises. Shocking, isn’t it? I hate not knowing what will happen. Don’t shock me, scare me or try to throw a surprise party. I’ll hate it.

Renea Mason  Centipedes. I hate centipedes. They look like Alien, a caterpillar and a spider all got together for a good time, nature got pissed and so it gave us the centipede as payback. Creepy little bastards.

Jessica Jayne  Spiders. I have a scream that my husband calls the “spider scream.” I don’t care what size the eight-legged creature is… he could be four inches in diameter or he could only be seen by most with a magnifying glass.. If I see him, I give the spider scream and my husband comes to save the day!

Jessica E. Subject  I’m afraid of things that lurk in dark corners and being alone. I hate bugs and spiders, but I’m not afraid to kill them.

Valerie Twombly  Yes! Spiders and snakes. I can handle a spider if I am alone and have to dispatch it, but snakes. I run screaming like a little girl, it’s not pretty.

Amber Green  I have a really difficult time walking down a significant staircase if I can’t hold a rail. One of those massive “handrails” with a top surface as wide as my palm (or wider!) is no good–I need a bar no bigger around than an ax handle, so I can latch on and hold tight. When I was a child, I had a recurring nightmare of being trapped in a hospital. In the versions where I got out of the building itself, I’d be faced with a long, steep, stone staircase down to the street, and would be trapped at the top by the force of pure, thought-crushing terror.

Avril Ashton  Animals.

Maxine Mansfield  Humm, I’m not sure if I have any actual phobias. I know that I don’t particularly enjoy snakes or spiders anywhere close to where I am, but the thought of them doesn’t keep me awake at night. Open cabinet doors make me crazy, but they don’t scare me. And, open bedroom windows at night, even when it’s hot and I’d enjoy the breeze, makes me nervous. Still, those aren’t phobias. Perhaps the closest I come to actual fear, is waiting for that first review of whatever new book is out. Reviewers have no idea how much power they wield.

Julia Talbot  God yes. Spiders. Heights. But not clowns.

BA Tortuga  CLOWNS!

Kayelle Allen  I love the view from tall buildings, or from up in the mountains, or even from a plane, but I have a serious fear of heights. Looking over the edge of something from way up — not going to find me doing that. I’ll stay a comfortable distance back. I might hold my camera out and take a picture but I won’t actually lean out and look. I always feel as if I’m going to fall, and that terrifies me. I wish it didn’t. I’m sure I’ve missed some beautiful sights.

Anya Richards  Reptiles and amphibians are my big two, but I’m also afraid of heights. The first two I’ve had since I was a child and they’ve gotten worse as I’ve gotten older. The heights issue is still pretty bad, but I’ve found it’s gotten a bit better, mainly because I had a job that necessitated climbing ladders, often very tall ones. I needed the job, so I got over it!

Dee Brice  I’m afraid of being smothered and/or constricted by snakes.

Diana Hunter  Dogs. Scared to death of them.

Apparently we had a neighbor whose son was the bully on the block when I was little (around 2 years old). He was always trying to sic his dog (a German Shepard police dog) on me. While I don’t remember him or the dog, I’ve had the fear all my life.

Lynne Connolly  Yes, two. One I don’t talk about. The other is dentists. I have had hypnotherapy, CBT and other treatments, but my doctor says there still isn’t enough tranquillizer in the world to keep me in that chair!

Charlotte Boyett-Compo  I am terribly claustrophobic. I don’t like elevators for that reason. I can’t think of anything more horrifying than being trapped under rubble, confined and unable to move.

Shoshanna Evers  Ever since I saw the movie “Open Water,” I’ve been deathly afraid of sharks and the ocean, and of boating. I won’t go on boats, and I certainly won’t go on a dive! If I’m swimming, I need to be able to see the shore on all sides of me. So… small lakes but no ocean for me! O.o

Cameron D. James  I have this weird phobias of balloons. I’m almost over it, but not quite. When I was a kid, my friend’s sister had a balloon pop in her face and a part of it got stuck on her eye… I’m pretty sure that’s where my phobia started…

Christie Butler  I am deathly afraid of heights. I also have a bit of claustrophobia

Sabrina York  Clowns. That’s it. Just clowns.

Rory Ni Coileain  Water. Spiders. Don’t even talk to me about water spiders. Roller coasters aren’t quite a phobia, but they’re close. However, I’m acrophilic. I LOVE heights, I just really really need for gravity to keep performing according to manufacturer’s specifications.

Lucy Felthouse  Yeah, a few. I hate spiders. I know it’s irrational, but there it is. I’m not fond of insects in any shape or form, really. Flies are just irritating, but I’m scared of wasps, as they can sting you!

Eden Bradley  Yes! I’m totally shark-phobic-can’t even watch them on TV. Shark Week is pure torture for me. I can’t swim in the ocean-haven’t been able to most of my life. I panic.

Also clowns-but who isn’t afraid of clowns? Scary! That whole frightening circus thing-who does that to small children???

Cassandra Carr  Phobias. Hmmmm, a good question. I’m not one who tends to analyze myself a lot. I think it makes me paranoid. 😉 But I’m definitely not a big fan of some things, like large spiders. Small ones are okay, but once they get bigger than about a penny I don’t want anything to do with them.

JB McDonald  Ants, and ticks. Oh my god. Even just thinking about them makes me shudder. ICK ICK ICK. Give me an eight-legged spider any day, but someone else has to get rid of the ants and pull the ticks of my dogs!

Amanda Young  I have a touch of arachnophobia. There’s something about spiders that just give me the willies. I’d rather face a huge snake than a tiny little arachnid.

Eliza Lloyd  Hate SNAKES! That is all. Oh, and heights. And clowns and scary movies and mimes and geishas and watching torture scenes in movies. There is this one scene in The Tudor’s that absolutely makes me cringe every time I watch it. So I should stop watching it, I know.

Tracey H. Kitts  I don’t walk around in fear of anything. However, there is one thing that always disturbs me, whether it’s in movies or books, or even a photo. I’m terrified of sea monsters. I’m sure there is a name for this, but I’m not aware of it.

R.G. Alexander  You asked for it. I have several. Just remember I’m not crazy…I’m eccentric.

Clowns, Sharks, The dark, Empty movie theater bathrooms (Thank you Scream), Gas station bathrooms (more an ew than a phobia), Anything with a stinger, and public speaking-particularly when it requires reading a naughty scene from one of my books out loud. (Oddly I’m totally cool with public singing, and public making a fool out of myself in strange costumes-but talking makes me nervous)

Lainey Reese  Ok, I will tell you and I wont even try to tell you not to laugh. Everyone laughs, so yuk it up. Orcas. I’m terrified in a completely over the top nonsense way of orcas. I blame my mother. She let me watch Orca when I was like six or seven years old. I used to be afraid one was going to swim up the pipes and eat me in the bathtub! And I even went through a phase where I wouldn’t flush the toilet because I was convinced that opened the channel to the ocean and they’d get in through there.

Now I can take a bath and flush, but to this day watching a documentary on them is like watching a terrifying horror flick for me.

Donna Gallagher  Spiders are my weakness. We have these large, hairy spiders called ‘Huntsmen’ in Australia, makes me shiver just typing the name. Imagine how horrific it was for me the morning I walked out to discover it wasn’t what I thought to be mould on my ceiling but hundreds of tiny baby spiders squirming and scurrying around. My husband took my plight so seriously he left a very important meeting to come and save me.

Leah Braemel  I am terrified of heights and I’m not keen on elevators especially if I have to go over a half dozen floors. I think a lot of it is due to my vision, but reading Arthur Hailey’s Hotel when I was ten (where an elevator crashes a dozen floors — and he based it on a hotel in Toronto!) So you can imagine me when faced with a glass elevator! Talk about freak out.

Victoria Blisse  Yes, heights and used tea bags. Really!

Jennifer Leeland  I don’t think so. To me, there’s a difference between being annoyed by something (like bees or flying) and having a phobia. I don’t think there’s anything I won’t do because I’m too scared. But don’t test that theory. LOL!

Kate Deveaux  Terrified of very tall bridges.

Ayla Ruse Heights. I know, sounds like most anybody’s, but it’s true. What makes this phobia strange to me is that I didn’t develop this fear until later in life. In my younger days, I’d go up, up, up anything and be happy. Now, climbing a stepladder makes my palms sweat.

Sarah Castille  Not a one.

Anna Alexander  Dinosaurs. I hate dinosaurs. Always have since my parents took me to a dino sculpture park when I was seven. I watched Jurassic Park with my hands over my eyes the entire time.

Cathryn Cade  Who, me? No, no, I’m quite courageous.

Just don’t ever expect me to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, or off of anything higher than, say, 3 feet.
Or touch anything hairy with more than 4 legs.

Eliza Gayle  Snakes. Snakes. Snakes. No I’m not being clear enough. SNAKES. LOL. The phobia is so strong I can’t even look at pictures of them. Last year I ran into a baby snake on my favorite outdoor trail and I’m still waiting to get over it so I can hit the trails again. 🙂

Luna Zega  Heights and large penises. It’s true. Can’t even stand on a chair without getting vertigo. If a giant penis is heading in my direction, things close down. Yikers. I can usually get over my fear of giant penises if the owner of said attribute knows how to use it properly, but it takes some coaxing. Heights. Never going to get over that.

Kate Hill  This question should be what phobias don’t I have. I have tons of phobias and I also have OCD. On the other hand there are days when nothing bothers me. I guess I’m moody too. LOL. Phobias can make you feel self-conscious though. Years back I had some issues with phobias that I was embarrassed about. Alice from my novella Gascon Victors and the Hunky Handyman has phobias that control a good portion of her life, but she doesn’t want to open up to anyone about them. I really wanted to write a story about someone who has phobias and how she dealt with them by finally confiding in people who care about her.

Heather Long  Yes. And let’s not discuss them as they make me freak out. LOL

Jean Hart Stewart  Hate, hate, hate spiders. I think that’s a common phobia although I’m talking screaming here.

Desirée Lee   Water and skateboards. Sounds weird, right? Water freaks me out because I drowned in a swimming pool when I was younger and had the classic Near Death Experience. The worst part was before I crossed over and could see the top of the water, but couldn’t reach it. Once I was on the other side however, it was very comfortable. I was at peace. Once I reached the “light” however, I was brought back here and found myself staring up at a lifeguard.

Nina Pierce  Knives. I don’t know why. Past life? Who knows. But I don’t like the idea of people having big knives around me.

Charity Parkerson Spiders. I cannot stand them. If I kill a spider in my house, I will leave it there for a few hours so that all his little friends can see what happens to spiders in my house.

Bobbi Brattz Not anymore. Every phobia I ever had is gone. How did I do it? I pet a tarantula to get over my fear of spiders. Thunderstorms had no further power over my fears once I went back in time mentally and figured out where my fear started. Mice? I studied the way they moved and realized that it was their speed that startled me into a fear. Once I was eye to eye with one as I lay on the sofa watching TV in the dark. We both flew across the room in opposite directions. Facing my fears takes the power from them.

Kay Dee Royal  Crowds – not sure where this came from, but it’s been part of my life my whole life. I can gear myself up for going into a crowd, self-talk, meditation, center/balance, and sometimes it works out just fine…other times I get the feeling of being smothered…the crowd pressing in on me and all I want to do is run screaming away *LOL* Sad, but true. I’m so much better on a virtual platform *smiles*

Tonya Renee Callihan  Spiders and snakes!!

Gale Stanley  Yep, I hate interviews. Answering questions always gives me sweaty palms and a dry mouth.

Naomi Bellina  Not what you’d call phobias. I’m rather obsessive compulsive sometimes when I get stressed. I have to run through the house several times to make sure everything is turned off and doors locked. Oh, and I don’t like closed-in spaces. But who does? My cat seems to.

Kemberlee Shortland  Fear of heights, hands down! Also discovered I don’t do dark, enclosed spaces very well. On holidays one year, we took a tour of the Big Pit Coal Mine in southern Wales. Freaked the whole time. Won’t do that again! I kept it together while down in the mine shafts, but when we got to the surface, I was covered in sweat and shaking. The hubs said I was white as a sheet. Really? I wonder why. How weird is that? I’m afraid of being up really high and down really low. LOL

Hurri Cosmo  Spiders and bad storms

Lyncee Shillard  Ski Lifts. I can’t stand up to get off. I just know that it’s going to hit me in the back of the head. Our best friend who is 6 foot 2 has ridden with me to prove it won’t (I’m only 5 foot 3). It still didn’t matter. I get off and instantly drop to my butt and slide down the small hill…

Sherrie Henry  I’m afraid of dentists. After being tortured for two hours by a quack who couldn’t find the nerves to numb me, I can’t stand to go to a dentist. Just stepping into a dentist’s office makes me hyperventilate and my heart rates goes through the roof.

Angelina Rain  Where do I begin? Heights, bugs, spiders, vomit, anything gross.

Tracey Steinbach  I am terrified of snakes. I can’t even watch them on television without getting nightmares. On the same coin, when I have really bad nightmares, there are snakes always featured.

Trina Lane  It’s silly, but big flying bugs completely freak me out. June bugs in particular (shudder).
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