Guest Author Priscilla Bettis – Vampire of the Midnight Sun

Published on by Joan Hall

Hey, everyone! Happy Wednesday. Today, I’m delighted to have as my guest author Priscilla Bettis. She has a brand new release, Vampire of the Midnight Sun that she’s going to talk about. Priscilla is the author of several horror stories. I’ll have to say after reading her novella The Hay Bale, I’ll never look at a bale of hay without thinking of the story! By the way, if you’ve never read any of her one-line book reviews, you should. She does an amazing job at summing up a story with so few words.

Now, I’ll step aside and let Priscilla tell you about her latest release.

Hello, Joan! Thanks for hosting me on your blog today. I’m excited to announce my latest work, Vampire of the Midnight Sun, a short story duology.

The titular short story is set in Alaska where I grew up. I took real-life experiences and turned them into a story about two men stranded in the Alaskan wilderness. Haha, I don’t mean I’ve encountered a vampire in the Alaskan wilderness, but I have encountered grizzlies, miles of endless tundra, and water so cold it’s like an electrical shock when you touch it. Plus, the description of the main character’s hypothermia is much like what I experienced. Ironically, I didn’t experience hypothermia in Alaska. I experienced it after a springtime swim in a lake in Virginia. (Fortunately, a couple of EMTs spotted me, and I got treatment right away.) Despite the bleak circumstances, “Vampire of the Midnight Sun” has humorous elements, so it was fun to write.

The second short story is “The Fire Witch and The Cowboy.” It’s set in the Northern Plains of Texas where I now live. Again, I took a real-life experience and turned it into a story. Sadly, a wildfire marched through our small town in the spring of 2022. To hear a fire growl through someone’s home or to see a venerable oak succumb to towering, red flames was heartbreaking. But the scariest to me was when a line of low flames inched across the grazing fields. It was silent and broad as the eye could see, like the leading edge of an inevitably rising tide with sand before it, and water behind it. Living grass before it, black earth behind it. Our little town was featured in social media posts asking for prayers, and there were faith-based placards planted in the charred dirt along the roads. So I worked Biblical allusions into the story for an extra layer of meaning. It was a satisfying story to write.

Vampire of the Midnight Sun is available now. I hope readers give it a try.

Purchase Link  

Blurb:

A vampire in Alaska.

In ‘Vampire of the Midnight Sun,’ Frasier and his best friend, Billy, are stranded in the Alaskan wilderness after a rafting accident: grizzlies, arctic water, frozen nights, soggy tundra, no food, no matches, no civilization. And no one is coming to rescue them.

Plus Billy is convinced he’s a vampire. It’s a five-day hike to civilization. Billy claims he can only go three days without human blood.

Will the men survive the harsh Alaskan elements? If so, can Frasier survive Billy’s vampiric delusions, or will Frasier have to take his best friend’s life in order to save his own?

A showdown between an Old West cowboy and a fire witch.

In ‘The Fire Witch and the Cowboy,’ Henderson is the yellow-bellied coward of Dusty Bend, Texas. His wife is ashamed of him. Kids tease him. And he’s terrified of fire.

But when a wildfire threatens Dusty Bend, it is Henderson who brokers a deal between the townsfolk and the wealthy but formidable Widow Vandermeer, to use her resources in order to fight the fire.

“There will be sacrifices,” she says. If the widow learns Henderson’s decades-old secret, he might be the sacrifice.

Will Henderson grab his wife and run, leaving town while he can? Or will he stay and risk falling into Widow Vandermeer’s clutches?

Meanwhile, the wildfire grows closer…

About Priscilla:

Priscilla Bettis read her first horror story, The Exorcist, when she was a little kid. She snuck the book from her parents’ den. The Exorcist scared Priscilla silly, and she was hooked on the power of the horror genre from that moment on.

Priscilla is an excellent swimmer, which is good because vampires are terrible swimmers.

Priscilla shares a home in the Northern Plains of Texas with her two-legged and four-legged family members.

Connect with Priscilla:

Priscilla’s Amazon page

Priscilla on Twitter

Priscilla’s blog

Wow! Sounds like Priscilla has another winner on her hands. I look forward to delving into the pages of this one.

73 thoughts on “Guest Author Priscilla Bettis – Vampire of the Midnight Sun”

  1. Thanks, Joan. I love Priscilla’s one-line reviews, and I am very intrigued by her new stories. I have always wanted to visit Alaska (and I hope I will, one day), so I am off to check it out.
    Good luck to Priscilla and thanks for introducing us to her new work.

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  2. Joan, lovely to learn a bit about Priscilla and her latest book! Her humour shines out in her description of how the two stories came into existence and it is great when one can draw on personal experience while writing fiction. I had to laugh that she hasn’t personally encountered vampires, but had come across grizzly bears etc! Yikes! Not an everyday occurrence!

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      1. The first time my husband (then my boyfriend) came to Sweden I had ‘warned’ him about the bears & wolves in Sweden – not realising that the poor guy imagined them everywhere while I was gently teasing as they are only generally deep in the forest or high on the fells! His fear was contagious and even I got worried!😀

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  3. How on Earth did I miss that Priscilla had a couple of stories out?? I’ve loved everything she’s written and also won’t ever look at a hay bale the same way as I used to, Joan. And Dogmeat was one of those books you’ll never ever forget. It was great learning about the inspiration for the stories. And I have my copy. Congrats, Priscilla.

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  9. Congratulations on your latest release, Priscilla! I love the sound of these two stories. Alaska sounds like a fascinating place. Sorry to hear about the fires and the hypothermia, both sound frightening. My home was close to bush fires a couple of times, we had our things packed ready to go. It’s pretty scary. I’ll be heading over to Amazon to get my copy now. Can’t wait to read them! Many thanks for hosting, Joan. 🙂

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  10. Oh, this book sounds like a must-read for me! I will definitely be adding this one to my TBR pile! And, Priscilla, I did not know you live in Texas. When you say the Texas Plains, I think of the area around Lubbock. Am I close to guessing? Anyway, thank you, Joan, for hosting Priscilla today. I’m intrigued!

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  12. I’m not big on vampires, but the second story of the duology sounds especially compelling. I love the tension of a character who’s afraid of fire staying to help stop it. I may give the book a try. I remember reading an intriguing review of The Hay Bale too.
    Thanks for letting us know about the new release!

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  17. Virtually all of my own fiction falls into the occult horror and magical realism genres, Priscilla, but, like you, real-life experiences — typically harrowing ones — have influenced countless plot points. Congrats on Vampire of the Midnight Sun! Cannot wait to check it out!

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  18. Congrats on your latest release, Priscilla 🙂 I grabbed my copy and it will be my next read. Sorry about the wildfires and hypothermia though!

    Thanks for hosting, Joan.

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  22. Okay, you sold me! I’m heading straight to Amazon when I finish this comment! Love the premise of both stories, Priscilla, and smiled to learn you were raised in Alaska. I spent six months there when I was 12 (had my 13th birthday there) while my father was stationed at what was then an army base at the foot of a huge glacier, at the port of Whittier. (None of that exists any more). Even six months in Alaska was amazing enough to imprint indelible images in my mind. For instance, our living room window overlooked the harbor, and we could watch whales swimming by! Daily! 😀

    I can’t wait to meet an Alaskan vampire! (That’s one creature we never saw! Moose, yes. Vamps, nope. 😁)

    Wishing you huge success with this one, Priscilla, and thanks for hosting today, Joan. Off to Amazon now! 😊❤️😊

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      1. My pleasure, Priscilla. I’ve already downloaded my copy and can’t WAIT to read it. I love vampire stories and an Alaskan setting is going to be very … dare I say it? … COOL! 😂😂😂

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  26. Pingback: I’m Traveling! – Priscilla Bettis

  27. Wonderful author feature, Joan. I “met” Priscilla through The Hay Bale and then Dog Meat. Both are excellent. I’ve just picked up my copy of Vampire. I’m not drawn to horror, but Priscilla’s writing style opened that door. Like her, I fictionalize life experiences, maybe we all do. It’s fascinating to consider. Bravo to both of you for this intriguing post. 🎉🎉🎉

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  28. Wow, these both sound great!

    Priscilla, I’m so sorry your town in Texas went through a wildfire scare. I know that had to be devastating.

    Alaska has always fascinated me, and I love stories set there. I think it’s very cool you lived there, though the thought of encountering a grizzly is definitely not high on my things-to-do-list!

    Congratulations on your release. I grabbed my copy from Amazon.
    Thanks for hosting today, Joan.

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    1. I remember hearing about those wildfires on the news and they were scary. Hoping the state isn’t as dry this year. I loved visiting Alaska, but I wouldn’t have wanted to encounter a grizzly! Thanks for stopping by to wish Priscilla well.

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