Last Sunday, I was using the leaf-blower in my backyard (I had to–I could no longer see the patio for the leaves!), and I “uncovered” a snake. The dang thing scared me to death. Sure, it was only ten inches long and ran away nearly as fast as I did…but for a moment there, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. You see, I’m an ophidiphobic–I’m scared to death of snakes.

So I got to thinking…most folks are afraid of something, and having a fear or two…well, that just makes good character development for novels. I’ve read lots of books about people who were claustrophobic or who suffered from nyctophobia (fear of the dark or of night).

But I feel the urge to discover some more…unusual fears, and maybe I’ll use those fears in future books. Perhaps I’ll use :

• Melissophobia- Fear of bees.
• Pupaphobia – Fear of puppets.
• Selenophobia- Fear of the moon.
• Tygiophobia or Stigiophobia- Fear of hell.
• Thalassophobia- Fear of the sea. (Hey! I actually just finished writing about a heroine who was afraid fo the sea!)
• Wiccaphobia: Fear of witches and witchcraft.
• Selachophobia- Fear of sharks.
• Placophobia- Fear of tombstones.

There are hundreds and hundreds of phobias out there–I know, on account of while doing a quick Internet search, I found this great phobia listing.

So, tell me. What scares you?

My Joan Wilder post is up at Romancing the Blog. Please, check it out!

Tor editor Anna Louise Genoese has a great post up on her blog about how publishers determine how much money they want to pay authors in their advances. Anna Louise also offers an in-depth explanation as to why certain books make money and others don’t.

The beginning of a book obviously has to be good in order for me to get hooked by the story. But, I think the end of the book is just as important as that initial hook.

Occassionally, I get drawn into a story by a promising beginning. I grow attached to the characters, I sit on the edge of my seat as I read about the plot twists. Then the end comes, and well, I’m left feeling…disappointed. I HATE disappointing endings.

And for me (and I know lots of folks out there will disagree on this!), one of the worst endings for a story occurred in Gone With the Wind. I’m sorry, but when it comes to romance, I’m a purist. I want my happy ending, darn it! And when Rhett told Scarlett he didn’t give a damn, I thought–no, that’s so wrong! You’re supposed to give a damn. She’s the love of your life. Yeah, you’ve got confict–mad conflict–but you can overcome it! Come on, Rhett! Don’t just walk away. But he did. Of course, tomorrow was supposed to be another day in their relationship, and good old Scarlett promised that she’d win him back…somehow. But it just wasn’t enough for me.

I didn’t want the ambiguous promise of “somehow”–I wanted a concrete, I-love-you-and-always will ending.

And that’s just the kind of ending I want in my romances. Usually I get that ending. But sometimes, well, sometimes, I’m left floundering.

Want to find a listing of all the haunted places in your state? Well, check out this cool website on Real Haunted Houses. Of course, I searched in Alabama–and ta-da! They had a reference to Cry Baby Bridge. But, well, I have my own take on that place.

I think this directory would come in very handy for writers trying to find the perfect setting for a scary tale.