Tara Cleves’ short story “The B&B Owner” will appear in the Gothic Blue Book: The Revenge Edition this month.

1. Vampires or Zombies? Which do you prefer in fiction?
Vampires. Zombies if they make me LOL.

2. Haunted House or Haunted Mental Asylum? If you had to spend the night in one to write about your experience which would you chose, and why?
Haunted house is my choice for a night’s stay. Especially if it’s a bed and breakfast.

3. Have you ever read a book or a fictional story that frightened you so much you had to put it down at least once while you were reading? If so, what was it? What frightened you?
When I was a little girl, I got scared reading Where the Red Fern Grows. I screamed for my dad when the axe cut through Rubin’s tummy. Of late, David G. Barnett’s Tales of the Fallen has a funny, disturbing demon. I took to reading the book in the safe light of day and the comfort of bunny slippers.

4. Why do you enjoy writing Gothic/Literary horror/horror/paranormal fiction? Or just, why do you enjoy writing in general?
I enjoy reading Gothic and literary horror fiction, the dark build-up to a real or imagined understated scare. I found it super fun to try writing along those lines.

5. What other projects do you have in the works?
I’m working on a short story called “The Butterfly Gardener.” With this one, I thought I’d explore the obsession and challenge of a hobby versus the passion and pleasure it’s meant to bring.

TARA CLEVES is a 28-year resident of the Sunshine State. Though she loves the sun, the Florida moon equally enchants her. Librarian by day, Tara spends her evenings editing children’s books and writing fiction, her weekends on the water with her husband, and sunny afternoons and moonlit evenings in her butterfly garden. Her published works include a dreary romantic poem some years ago, a novel The Guardian of Baine Manor, and now, “The B&B Owner,” her first published short story.