The author of this summer’s creepiest novel, Baby Teeth, recently granted She Reads an exclusive interview about the books she loves and what inspired her to write a horror novel about a terrifying young girl who wants nothing more than to cut her mother out of the picture. Keep reading to get the inside scoop on what Zoje Stage reads.

Pre-order your copy of Baby Teeth now! 

@prose_and_palate

Are there any specific authors who inspired you to write a horror novel?

Probably all of the authors who wrote about life in a horrifying way. Ultimately, there is nothing scarier than the real world, and I confess to a need to examine dark tendencies – both on an individual and societal level.

Which books would your fans be surprised to know you love?

It’s not all darkness and mayhem here! Sometimes I just like to read about trees! And I probably need to read more about birds. And cephalopods…

What’s currently on your #TBR pile?

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Huang (my first romance!), Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult, Trust Me by Hank Phillippi Ryan, Sunrise Highway by Peter Blauner, Awake From Day by Margarita Montimore, The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian, and a re-read of Children of the New World by Alexander Weinstein (my favorite book of 2017).