Enjoy these answers from a host of authors in multiple genres, from YA to mystery to romance — then enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a $100 Amazon or BN GC and more!
Tasarla Romaney Nothing usual just the boring mouse thing. The woman standing on her counter top screaming in cartoons – that’s me in real life. I refuse to enter a room once a mouse has been spotted and sleep is very difficult. My husband assures me that the little beast will NOT leave the garage and travel 4 flights to our bedroom just so he run across my face while I’m sleeping. I’m not so sure….
Ash Krafton Bridges. HATE THEM.
Linda Palmer I hate heights. I dream of falling over a cliff or a rail in a tall tower.
Debra St. John I absolutely hate clowns and birds. Clowns are just creepy. You never know what’s lurking behind all of that make up. Birds are yucky. They drop their babies out of their nests and it looks like there is uncooked chicken all over the driveway/sidewalk. They also poop all over everything, including people. My hubby’s gotten nailed several times and I got hit at Disney World once (Magic Kingdom) and at the Bears’ game in Tampa. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.
Kaylie Newell SPIDERS!!!!!!!!
Judy Alter height, clautrophobia,
J.A. Garland Snakes. Need I say more?
Linda Rettstatt Spiders and snakes. I shudder just typing the words.
Maeve Greyson Absolutely. After a bout with congestive heart failure that turned my lips blue, I have been EXTREMELY claustrophobic. I can barely manage elevators and plane trips require a LOT of medication. Sucking air into your lungs but still being starved for oxygen branded me for life.
Laura Strickland Well, I’m so afraid that some day I’ll become afraid of something …
Niecey Roy Yes. It’s called working a day time job phobia…eeeekkkk!!!
Tess Morrison Heights! I once went to the top of the Sears Tower in Chicago and couldn’t leave the elevator. My kids thought I was nuts. We went to a Brewer Game in Milwaukee and I couldn’t cross the cat walk to our seats. Now, this is weird, I went up in the Arch in St. Louis – no problem. Go figure!
Anne Van Yes. I’m afraid of heights. Funny enough I never had the fear when I was a kid. I loved to climb trees and go to the top of sky scrappers. Then in college I took up bridge diving. A boyfriend at the time talked me into it. It was quite the adrenaline rush. Then one day I hit the bottom of a river and almost broke my neck. Been afraid of heights ever since.
Jana Richards I hate enclosed spaces, so I guess I’m claustrophobic. Even when I was a kid, and all the other kids were digging tunnels through the deep snow drifts behind our school and crawling around in them, I could only go feet-first into a tunnel, making sure my head was still sticking out. Just the thought of going inside a narrow snow tunnel still gives me the heebie-jeebies today!
Tina Pollick Spiders! Ewwww I hate those little buggers. We recently moved out to a farm and there are all kinds of creepy crawly things, but spiders are the worst.
We had a wolf spider the size of a small bus crawling across my kitchen floor and my son killed it. Did you know they carry their young on their backs? Yeah I didn’t either until they started running across my floor. Ahhhhh!!!!!
Debra Doggett I went through a period of being claustrophobic, to the point of not being able to ride in the back seat of a car. I even made a friend of mine stop the car and let me out for a minute when we were on our way to work. Amazingly, she’s still my friend.
Nia Simone I’m afraid of heights, which is interesting, given that skiing involves riding very high chairlifts and standing on the edge of very high mountains. I have recurring nightmares about these things, but I still do it. I always insist on putting the safety bar down on chairlifts, though. I don’t care if the other riders think I’m a sissy. I am.
I’m also afraid of going hungry. Nobody should ever be hungry. Hunger is a core item on my annual charity donations list. First hunger, then art. Those are my two biggies for donations. Education too. And animals. Okay, it’s hard to choose but I always donate for hunger. And it is an irrational fear I have. Of being hungry.
Zoe Forward Snakes. There’s something about the way they move. I also almost did a necropsy in veterinary school on a super venomous African snake that wasn’t dead…terrifying. It was just hibernating. As a student we’re just ordered to do the necropsy when the animal comes in deceased form the zoo. Good thing we tape their mouths closed first. (And for those of you who love these guys we did not do the necropsy…sent the snake back to the zoo.)
Virginia Crane I am not thrilled to see a snake. Based on where I live in SW Florida the chances of meeting up with one are high. We see quite a few in the yard, mostly black snakes or corn snakes. They give me the heebeejeebees but I wouldn’t kill one as they have their place in nature.
Graeme Brown Flying. If you want me to go in an airplane, give me Ativan.
Nancy Fraser Yes, and it’s a strange one. No matter how hot it is, I can’t sleep with my feet uncovered. My mother used to sleep with one foot outside the covers. She passed away in her sleep, with one foot uncovered and dangling over the bed. I’ve always been afraid that if I fall asleep that way, I won’t wake up.
Robyn Bachar I’m afraid of Canadian geese. They’re mean as all get-out, and not afraid to attack, like feathered honey badgers. You haven’t known fear until you’ve been chased by a flock of angry geese.
Jeanette Baker I’m terrified of jumping insects and flying bees that sting. I’ve never been stung but it looks terribly painful and I’m very afraid of pain.
Kim Hornsby I hate cockroaches. Living in Hawaii you have to get used to them but they repulse me. Once I got out of the shower and grabbed my towel and there were cockroaches all over the one side. I mistakenly rubbed them on my naked torso. (This makes my skin crawl thinking of it). One night I left the top off my contact lens case and in the morning one of the lenses was a foot away with tiny nibbles in it. Yuck.
Juliet Waldron I am terrified of heights, though I’ve been working through this one. Years ago I wanted to see the ancient Anasazi Indian site at Mesa Verde, so I listened carefully to the park guide when he told us what to do in order to conquer this fear and get up the wooden ladders. It mostly involved not looking down and steadily concentrating on nothing but the next rung of the ladder. We have a family picture of us all at the top. I’m smiling, however, after some 20 minutes of looking around, my face is still white.
Mary Jo Burke I’m not a fan of spiders, but having children has meant I have no choice. I’m called upon to confront and dispose of them on a regular basis. Ditto about the dark. I’m now the slayer of monsters and creepy things in the closet.
Willa Blair Falling, which doesn’t bother me if there’s any kind of railing or barrier, so it’s not a fear of heights.
Lynda J Cox Spiders. I hate them. They scare the daylights out of me. I mean, look at them–eight legs, eight eyes, and just plain creepy. YUCK!
Lynda Coker No, unless it’s a fear of catching a phobia. It is a communicable disease, right?
Brenda Gayle I have a terrible fear of heights. Earlier this year I was going to a conference in Colorado and suggested my husband come and we make a vacation of it. The scenery was beautiful–at least what I saw of it huddled in my seat with my hands covering my eyes while we zigzagged up and down the mountains to get ANYWHERE. One word, Colorado–guardrails.
Mary Hughes No phobias, but I sometimes experience low-level anxiety. Meditation (ten slow breaths) usually takes care of it.
Shannyn Schroeder I am claustrophobic. It’s not so severe that I can’t ride in elevators, but really confined spaces make me pant. For my entire life, I’ve never been able to go head-first into a sleeping bag. You’re probably asking why anyone would want to, but kids do stupid things. My brothers always did this, but I never could (at least not without freaking out). I remember one time we were at some carnival or something and there was a huge tunnel. I went in and got stuck about halfway through. I probably would’ve been fine, but a bunch of kids all decided to take seats along the sides of the tunnel, narrowing the space. My mother must’ve gotten tired of waiting for me because she stuck her face at the exit to call me. Once I saw her face, I closed my eyes and plowed through to get to the end. I’m okay with some tunnels now—it’s not like I have a choice, I had kids who wanted to play at McDonalds playland.
Denise Golinowski I’m scared of heights. I can’t stand on a high platform without a good strong barrier between me and death. I can’t climb a ladder very far and I was absolutely mortified at a company team-building event when I couldn’t complete a “rock climb”. That said, I LOVE roller coasters and the “Drop Zone” at Kings Dominion here in Virginia, all of which involve great heights. Go figure.
Lynn Crandall I don’t know if they would be considered actual phobias, but things I don’t do well with are enclosed spaces or even the suggestion of them (such as a scene on TV). I also go a little nuts driving over bridges and have a fear of heights, mainly because I experience vertigo in those situations. It’s hard to be me!
Sheila Claydon Feet. The thought of cutting the toenails of anyone over the age of about 12 freaks me out. And don’t get me started on hard skin, calluses, nail ridges…the older the foot, the more disgusting…eugh!
Carol Henry Of course I have a phobia. Heights. Never used to bother me, but the older I get the worse it gets. I have a fear of falling off a cliff, a mountain top, or our car careening over the edge of anything. Drives my husband crazy when do road trips—which we do a lot. Even riding with him along our country road when we go to my daughter’s—there is a ledge on one side with a creek far below. Gives me the willies.
Robin Renee Ray Are you kidding…I cannot even go to Wal-Mart because I fear crowds and really do not want to be bumped, touched or spiken to by strangers. Then please, I hate bugs…spiders being the worse. I do all my flower pot watering around midnight cause most humans are in bed….yep, I am a truly warped ole Hippie.
Joya Fields No way. I’m not afraid of anything. Oh? You were serious? Okay, I guess I’d have to say snakes. I know some of them are harmless, but they’re so quiet. And scary looking.
Annette Bower I am afraid of mice. I believe it is a carry over from my mother who grew up on a farm where they were plentiful. There were always caution stories about being careful that they didn’t crawl up our pant legs while we wandered in the fields as children. Or that they didn’t ever get into the house because they could do so much damage. One year when my mother-in-law was away for the winter they got into her house at the lake. We had to empty drawers where they had left behind their droppings on everything. My husband and sons always received a caution from me when they brought things in from the garage. Whenever I see a small black speck I check it just to make sure that it is sock fluff, even in my 13th floor condo. I never take the possible invasion of mice as something that will not happen.
Patty Campbell I have a terrible fear of drowning. It comes from a near drowning incident in the Pacific Ocean when I was three. If I’m in a swimming pool or lake all it takes for me to sink like a rock is somebody touching me. Yikes!
Genie Gabriel No–and the stuff under my bed really does come to life at night!
Pamela S Thibodeaux snakes!
Elysa Hendricks Actual phobias? No, I don’t think so. I do dislike spiders and stinging insects. When I was younger I’d run screaming into the house if a bee or wasp flew by, but now I’m less afraid. I just ignore them. I don’t however ignore any bug that gets into my house. I figure if they’re in the house they have a death wish I’m happy to grant.
Allie Boniface I’m claustrophobic and I really, really, don’t like flying. However, I love to travel, which means getting from place to place is sometimes a really traumatic experience for me! (I feel so bad for my poor husband, who has to try and calm me every time we go…)
Kate Robbins I have a love/hate thing for water. I’ve always lived by the sea and have been in boats of every size all my life. I LOVE smelling the sea air and watching the waves crash against the rocks here in Newfoundland, Canada. But try to put me in a boat and I’m like a cat when you try to put them in the bath. Arms, legs, all go rigid. Hate boats. It’s just not natural. Not right that a boat should float on the water like that.
Ryshia Kennie I get kind of creeped by spiders. Our first house after we were married had a basement suite. I remember going down there one day and seeing spiders coming up through the bathtub drain. I was so freaked I grabbed the nearest defense, a can of hairspray and sprayed them as they emerged, screaming with each attack. Crazy I know and I haven’t done that since – of course there have been no bathtub incidences either.
Troy Lambert I’m conquering it right now, by doing Long and Short Reviews interviews.
Jane Toombs No.
Jaleta Clegg I can’t stand heights or small places or being underwater.
Beth Trissel How long is this answer allowed to be? Let’s just say YES.
Helena Fairfax I am terrified of heights. It’s a terrible phobia. I have felt dizzy on the smallest of hillsides, and even watching television can make me feel queasy if there is a view from a tall building.
Kelly Whitley Heights.
Bridges bother me–even overpasses if they’re the triple-stacked kind and I have to drive on the top one. Needless to say, I’ve never been bungee-jumping, parachuting, hang gliding…
Paty Jager Bats! And they use my dad’s attic to sleep. One night while staying there we had one flying about the bedroom. Not sure how it got in, but I screeched and pulled the covers over my head. My husband couldn’t’ find anything in the room to catch it but every time he tried to open the door it would try to fly out. It was like those comedies where he’d open the door, try to step out, and have to shut the door quickly to keep the bat in. Only because I was screeching, “Don’t let it out the kids are out there.” Then it would fly over the bed, I’d screech and dive under the covers. He finally caught it with his baseball cap and a book and carried it outside. I don’t like mice either so a bat to me is a mouse with wings!
Linda McMaken I am a walking phobia. I could be my own chapter in the American Psychology Journal, maybe even two chapters.
If I had to pick I’d say water. I’m a lousy swimmer. I sometimes think there is lead in my bum, because I sink like a rock. When I was in my twenties I actually took swimming lessons because I didn’t want to be afraid of the water anymore. I had to jump off the side of the pool into about 4-feet of water. I stayed so close to the edge, that I scraped my side on the pool ledge, which doubled me over in pain and of course, I sank to the bottom. I had to be rescued by the swimming instructor. Enough said.
Penny Estelle Is being afraid of the dark a phobia?
Isabo Kelly Despite the fact that I’m on the subway all the time, I find train platforms terrifying. I have a constant worry of falling/being pushed onto the track as a train is coming. This fear has only gotten worse over the years and is exponentially worse now that I have kids to worry about. We still take trains all the time. I actually love train travel. Just not mad about standing on the platforms.
Melissa McClone Ants. I’d rather face a room full of spiders and snakes then a few ants. My fear stems from dropping a ring in a garbage can when I was a little girl. I reached in, dug around, found the ring and pulled my arm out. My forearm was covered in ants. Not sure if I screamed or dropped the ring back into the garbage can, but I never saw the ring again and the sight of ants still paralyzes me. Hate them!
Aaron Speca I am still very afraid of heights, although I usually conquer it for minor things like ladders and tall buildings.
Pamela Turner Any that involve the eight-legged kind. Seeing one usually results in some minor collateral damage. Okay, so I damaged the wall. So what? Plaster can be replaced. Now, about that broken window…
Shirley Martin Spiders! Deathly afraid of them. Can’t even look at a picture of them. Some time ago, the Wall Street Journal had an artilce about spiders. I just skipped over it.
Amy Corwin: Nope. I’m afraid of a lot of things, but if I’m afraid of something, I try to confront it to get over it. I am afraid of heights, but I go to the edge of cliffs and hang over railings just to prove I can do it. I’m a bit hard on myself that way.
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