Saturday 18 December 2021

Among the Headstones - Interview with Priscilla Bettis

Among the Headstones: Creepy Tales from the Graveyard will be released early next year, and its my pleasure to share this interview with fellow contributor, Priscilla Bettis. Full details about the haunting anthology are provided at the end of the interview.

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Hi Priscilla and thanks for agreeing to answer a few questions about your story and inpiration. How do you feel about cemeteries? Do find them creepy?

There’s a cemetery at the end of our road. It gets full sun and has a beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains (I live in Virginia), so no, not creepy at all. On the other hand, if there was a dilapidated, Gothic-style house with a family graveyard in the back overrun with dead thorn bushes, then yes, that’d be very creepy!

Has a real-life cemetery, grave or headstone ever ended up in your stories?

One time, to feed my creativity, I explored a cemetery blindfolded. All my other senses were on high alert. I was able to pepper different stories and poems with my observations, how freshly turned soil smells, how a granite tombstone is devoid of warmth . . .

Have you ever seen a ghost? Tell us about the experience.

Does hearing a ghost count? I was home alone, snuggled up on the sofa and lost in a book. The door at the end of the hallway creaked open. We have a cat who nudges doors open, so I wasn’t frightened. Sure enough, the tick-tick of tiny claws on the wood floor grew closer. Then the sofa cushion next to me pulled away from my thigh as if the cushion had been depressed. I patted my lap, inviting the cat to sit. Then I remembered: our cat had died three days prior. I finally looked up from my book. No one was there.

What do you personally, as a reader, like about anthologies?

Anthologies are great, especially if they’re full of ghosts.:-) When I read an anthology, I always find a wonderful, new-to-me author.

As a writer, what are your literary influences?

Andy Davidson because of his poetic Southern Gothic prose. When I grow up, I want to be Andy Davidson. And Jo Kaplan for her atmospheric, contemporary Gothic settings. When I grow up, I want to be Jo Kaplan, too!

What are you currently working on?

I am working on the final touches of a Southern Gothic novelette, The Hay Bale. It will be released on the 10th of January, 2022. (I gave myself chills writing that creepy story!) I am also editing my literary horror novella, Dog Meat, which will be published by the fantastic folks at Potter’s Grove Press in 2022.

Thanks for your time, Priscilla. I'm looking forward to reading your tale.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Priscilla Bettis read her first horror story, The Exorcist, when she was a little kid. Priscilla snuck the grownup book from her parents’ den, and The Exorcist scared her silly. From that moment on, she was hooked on horror and all things deliciously off kilter. As an adult, Priscilla turned to engineering physics, a wonderful profession, but what she really wants to do is write . . . or die trying, probably at the hands of a vampiric wraith. Priscilla shares a home in the Blue Ridge foothills of Virginia (USA) with her two-legged and four-legged family members. 


Website: priscillabettisauthor.com

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Priscilla-Bettis/e/B08R97Z63M


ABOUT THE BOOK

Among the Headstones: Creepy Tales from the Graveyard edited by Rayne Hall, presents twenty-seven of the finest - and creepiest - graveyard tales with stories by established writers, classic authors and fresh voices.

Here you'll find Gothic ghost stories by Robert Ellis, Lee Murray, Greg Chapman, Morgan Pryce, Rayne Hall, Guy de Maupassant, Myk Pilgrim, Zachary Ashford, Amelia Edwards, Nina Wibowo, Krystal Garrett, Tylluan Penry, Ambrose Bierce, Cinderella Lo, Nikki Tait, Arthur Conan Doyle, Priscilla Bettis, Kyla Ward, Edgar Allan Poe, Paul D Dail, Cameron Trost, Pamela Turner, William Meikle and Lord Dunsany who thrill with their eerie, macabre and sometimes quirky visions.

You'll visit graveyards in Britain, Indonesia, Russia, China, Italy, Bulgaria, Thailand, USA, Australia, South Africa and Japan, and you can marvel at the burial customs of other cultures.

Now let's open the gate - can you hear it creak on its hinges? - and enter the realm of the dead. Listen to the wind rustling the yew, the grating of footsteps on gravel, the hoo-hoo-hoo of the collared dove. Run your fingers across the tombstones to feel their lichen-rough sandstone or smooth cool marble. Inhale the scents of decaying lilies and freshly dug earth.

But be careful. Someone may be watching your every movement... They may be right behind you.


Purchase Link: mybook.to/Headstones 

The ebook is available for pre-order from Amazon at the special offer price of 99 cents until 31 January 2022. (After that date, the price will go up.) A paperback will follow.


30 comments:

Rayne Hall said...

I've never noticed that a granite tombstone is devoid of warmth. I've probably not touched enough. :-) I wonder if this applies to all stones, or only granite. Now I'm curious. Next time I visit a cemetary, I'll touch all the headstones and compare the temperatures of the different materials.

Priscilla Bettis said...

Hey, that's me! Thanks for interviewing me, Cameron. I am looking forward to "meeting" fellow anthology authors through these interviews.

Anonymous said...

What a treat this anthology will be…Favourite classic and contemporary gothic writers together, plus the opportunity to get familiar with the work of yet more authors. .I am so much looking forward to the paperback version...The interviews are a great idea too, as I’ve always been interested in what makes authors write what they write. All in all, a great job as usual, Rayne Hall!

Cage Dunn said...

It's always so interesting to hear the background influences of writers of scary stories. Loved this interview, and look forward to reading the book.

Debbie Johansson said...

Great interview, Cameron. I love the story about the cat! I'm looking forward to reading this anthology, and now I have two of Priscilla's books to add to my list. ;-)

Tudor said...

Very enjoyable interview, thank you for sharing! The story with the cat is just amazing. I think from now on I’ll just blame ghosts for any strange noises around the house )

I wanted to ask Priscilla, is there any specific place that helps bring out inspiration for your stories? You mention living close to the Blue Ridge Mountains, an iconic landscape with rich history, is that maybe a source for creativity?

Priscilla Bettis said...

Hi "Unknown"! Each place I've ever lived, from Alaska to Alabama, has its own beautiful landscape. So I wouldn't say it's the Blue Ridge in particular but nature itself. After being outdoors I feel energized and more focused.

Olga said...

I have been following Priscilla's blog for a while and love to hear more about her writing and her personal stories with ghosts. I'm looking forward to the anthology as well. Thanks, Cameron!

Tylluan Penry said...

What a lovely interview. I particularly liked the idea of wandering blindfold in the graveyard. We rarely have granite tombs here. Mostly it's marble or limestone. Thank you for sharing!

Sencer said...

Thanks to all of you we are all well aware of what a vengeful soul is capable, so I think the cat's farewell is really touching (sorry for your loss). Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the anthology since its a mixture of both the pioneers and the modern day authors. I think I will reschedule my halloween program for the next year hahaha:)).

Priscilla Bettis said...

Thanks, Sencer. She was a good cat.<3

Marvellous said...

I won’t purposely venture into a cemetery no matter how well tended or manicured it may be. I take solace in the craft of daring authors like pricillia through whose stories I can live vicariously.

Priscilla Bettis said...

Writer, I like your sense of humor. I personally enjoy space travel...vicariously through brave astronauts' stories!

Unknown said...

Thank you for this outstanding interview! I love how you showed that even though a graveyard is a place of death, there is still a sense of beauty and tranquilty at the same time. When ever I visit a graveyard, I always find it amazing how even though you know it is a place of sorrow, you still feel safe and peaceful at the same time.

jayvelthereader said...

Great interview!! I personally find solace in graveyards too, they can really feel peaceful and serene to some extent. I like the technique you just mentioned about being blindfolded in a cemetery; it's really effective when you want to take observing to another level. It makes descriptive writing more effortless when you feel them all by yourself. The story about the cat gave me chills, but it immediately went to sadness since I also have a cat that also died recently. I would just like to think that that experience of yours is your cat's way of telling that she's/'he's still there with you. I'm also a big fan of the horror genre and anthologies in general, so I will indeed check out your books!

Priscilla Bettis said...

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear your cat died, JayvelTheReader. But I also think your cat is still with you in spirit. Thank you so much for checking out the anthology. It comes out the end of January. I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's stories!

Lana said...

I love your description of cemeteries. When I was younger, I used to be wary of them - the atmosphere always felt a little too solemn. But after a few years of living near one and seeing tombstones every day, I got used to it. It's beautiful, in a way. Peaceful.
Now I can't stop thinking that I should've tried going there in a blindfold! It sounds like a fascinating experience. I bet it influenced your style and gave so much new knowledge to describe places to your readers. I’m so curious to read the story and feel it for myself.

Priscilla Bettis said...

Hi Unknown. Yes, "peaceful" is apt for a cemetery. Heehee, unless you find yourself in one of these stories.:-) Thanks for adding to the discussion!

Pia Manning said...

Cemeteries are also excellent places to discover local history-if they're not too creepy!

Priscilla Bettis said...

Pia, you are so right. Since I live in Virginia, I've been able to tour Civil War cemeteries and learned about the various (sad!) battles and personalities involved, and I learned what a pest house was and early treatments for war injuries and small pox.

Talha Efe AY said...


I was wondering if I was the only one attracted to cemeteries, good to know I'm not alone(I thought about a fun wordplay here about not being the only one alive in a cemetery but I couldn't come up with a clever one:/). Especially when I visit a grave that belongs to an author that I love, it's just a different feeling. One time, we went to visit my favorite Poet(Turgut Uyar), we didn't realize how time passed by so fast, and got locked inside the cemetery in the evening(security was reckless), It was a close call for us to end up in that book I guess lol. Anyways, I have a question, what was the strangest feeling you got in a cemetery? When I visited Turgut Uyar's grave for the first time, it took me some time to locate him, and the moment I saw the stone was something different than anything I lived before, it was like seeing an old friend after many years.

PamelaTurner said...

Great interview. I'm also sorry about your cat. I've lost two black cats, Black Jack and Shadow. Sometimes I've felt an impression on the bed, and thought it was one of them. But nothing was there. Can't help but feel they're still with me.

Priscilla Bettis said...

Hi Lana, I still find newer gravesites too solemn. It's the older ones that make me feel at ease. I guess I don't like the idea of disturbing a mourner.

Priscilla Bettis said...

Hi Talha Efe AY, what a stressful experience to get locked inside the cemetery! The strangest feeling I got in a cemetery was when three faint lights started glowing at ground level near one of the graves. My breath caught. It wasn't scary, but it was fascinating. I walked in a wide circle around the grave (about 25 yards away) to investigate. Haha, turns out they were solar powered lights coming on as the sun went down!

Priscilla Bettis said...

Hi Pamela Turner, your late cats, Black Jack and Shadow, have very cool, kitty-like names. I totally believe they're still with you!

meryem7turkmen said...

Exploring a cemetery, blindfolded… What a strange idea, though it is very suitable for a horror writer. Whenever I think of a graveyard, I somehow view it as a tool for inspiration. Numerous skeletons lying underneath the ground with their stories… I can’t help believing that their souls are residing there and accompanying us during our visit. Creepy.

Priscilla Bettis said...

Hi Unknown! Yes, exploring a cemetery blindfold IS a strange idea. I'd also like to explore an historic mansion blindfolded. What does a centuries-old oak floor smell like? How thick are the moldings, and so forth? As far as creepy goes, I think beautifully landscaped cemeteries aren't creepy, but neglected, overgrown cemeteries, now that's a different matter!

Krystal Garrett said...

Hi, Priscilla. Awesome interview. That is frightening to think about a ghost being so close. I am very sorry to hear about your cat!

Priscilla Bettis said...

Thanks, Unknown. Yeah, she was a great cat. We've had 11 cats over the years including our four current cats, and she was my favorite (but shh, don't tell the others!).

Lana said...

Thanks for the reply, Priscilla. I've never thought about graveyards from this point of view, probably because I usually see the old ones, and they, indeed, feel more... settled? As if people resting there have long found their peace. Newer ones, in turn, still hold a lot of grief.