Today’s Bloganuary prompt is: What is a treasure that’s been lost? DOGMEAT, a novella by Priscilla Bettis, immediately sprung to mind. Set in a totalitarian society during the 1980’s, DOGMEAT is the story of Ward, a young man whose job it is to torture and kill dogs for a local restaurant (because the more they… Continue reading You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Til It’s Gone
This short story appeared in the spring edition of 34 Orchard magazine. Click here to download a free copy of the issue. Katrina is having a hard time watching her teenage daughter grow up. Luckily she has her garden and her beloved slugs to help her pull through. The thorny blossom of my womb. Katrina,… Continue reading Mollusk Madness by Priscilla Bettis
This story was published in Among the Headstones, an anthology of graveyard themed stories edited by Rayne Hall. Lucretia is a lonely young woman who hears the industrial hum, and seeks to escape it each night by sleeping in a graveyard where the bodies are left on the surface to rot and be predated. There’s… Continue reading Lucretia’s Hum by Priscilla Bettis
This short story was published in The Vampire Connoisseur, an anthology of vampire fiction edited by Todd Sullivan. Told in first person by an unnamed narrator, this story focuses on a man alone after the loss of his wife and son. Once more Bettis excels in her power of description and ability to create atmosphere.… Continue reading The Sun Sets Nonetheless by Priscilla Bettis
After a series of miscarriages and the end of her marriage, Claire rents a rural property to reconnect with herself. This is a fun story. Claire was a great character and it was easy to sympathize with her. Traumatized by multiple miscarriages and the dissolution of her marriage, I hoped that things would improve for… Continue reading The Hay Bale by Priscilla Bettis
Iseult Murphy 