Sara Latta is a scientist-turned-science writer. She grew up on a farm in Kansas, which provided her with plenty of opportunities to develop phobias of tornadoes and creepy-crawly things. She combined her love of science and literature to earn degrees in Microbiology and English at the University of Kansas. She went to earn a graduate degree in immunology from the University of Chicago as well as an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Lesley University. She now lives in Champaign, Illinois, with her physicist husband, and she indulges her love of science, medicine, and technology in writing about everything from astrophysics to microbes as well as phobias.  In her newest book, Scared Stiff (Zest Books, February 2014),  Latta tackles (and wrestles to the ground) a variety of phobias, from the fear of clowns to the fear of fear itself. Much more than a gee-whiz listing of phobias and their crazy names, this book delves into the history and psychology of phobias, and offers specific tips on overcoming them.