Contemporary Southern Gothic meets weird horror in this new novelette from Priscilla Bettis.
Professor Claire Davenport yearns to be a mother. After suffering four miscarriages, the university microbiologist tries and fails to qualify as an adoptive mother. Then Claire’s husband leaves.
Alone and emotionally wounded, Claire takes a summer sabbatical from her microbiology classes and escapes to rural Virginia to heal. There, she meets local farmers with strange agricultural practices.
Claire moves into the historic manor house she rented for the summer, and an abandoned child greets her. Is the child real, an answer to her prayers? Or is he a figment of her tormented emotions? Perhaps the tight-knit locals are playing a trick on the science lady from the city.
Whatever the boy’s origin, Claire is determined to find the truth, but the truth may be bloody.
I’ve been anxiously anticipating this novelette after reading the description on the author’s blog. Southern Gothic, weird horror, and a historic manor house? Everything about that calls out to the horror fan in me.
What’s so scary about a hay bale you ask? Plenty. To microbiologist Claire, it can be a breeding ground for fungus and disease. It may also hide something else. Reeling after suffering four miscarriages, failing to qualify as an adoptive mother, and separating from her husband, Claire takes a step back from her life and rents a house in a small town for the summer where she can begin to heal. That small town is filled with odd people, and she soon learns disturbing information about her new home. And that’s on top of the fact that it also seems to be inhabited by the ghost of a young boy.
Atmospheric, unsettling, and full of creepy imagery (I felt some Midsommar vibes), this horror novelette can be easily read in an hour and will stick with you long after finishing. I’m anxious to see what this author does next.
Books and Such 
I loved this story. Nice to see it spotlighted here.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I listened to it while cleaning house – sure kept my mind off the dreaded chores! So compelling.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi Teri, wait a sec, you listened to it? There’s an audio? I would love to listen to this. I didn’t see any audio version on Amazon. I read it and found it so compelling. Very suspenseful writing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Squeeeeee! Thanks for reading and reviewing The Hay Bale, Teri!
LikeLiked by 2 people
The pleasure is mine, Priscilla. So excited to see what you do next.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yahoo! I have this one coming up soon for me to read and your review makes me want to skip it to the head of the line. Great review, Teri! I look forward to reading it!
LikeLiked by 2 people
You absolutely should, Jan. Get ready for creeping chills up your spine!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve also been hearing about this story for a while, and your review increased my interest even more. Thanks, Teri!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hope you can get to it soon, Olga. It may be short, but it sure packs a punch.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love the book cover with the bale. it is a shame that I don’t read horror.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Isn’t that a perfect cover? I wish you did too, Rosie!
LikeLiked by 2 people
We haven’t heard of this before, but it sounds interesting.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It was just released this month and I jumped on it that day. If you’re a fan of eerie tales that may leave you feeling unnerved, I highly recommend it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved Prescilla’s The Hay Bale, and I so look forward to reading more of her work. Thank you for sharing your review, Teri. Excellent.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Same here, Gwen. I’m excited to see what she does next.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This sounds atmospheric and creepy, great for horror readers. Amazing review!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Yesha! The imagery was so vivid – and some of it uber creepy. This horror fan was very happy.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi Teri, I finished this book yesterday and will also be writing a review soon. This book is definitely horror.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s smack in the middle of the horror genre, for sure. I’ll look for your review.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Great review! The Hay Bale is already on my TBR list for 2022 and I am even more excited to read it now!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m betting it will be a winner for you, Shari. Lots to love in this short read.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Super review, Teri. Thanks for saring.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, John!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well I got the creep just reading that mini review Teri! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
I know horror isn’t your genre, Sophie, so I had to do what I could with the review, lol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review, Teri! I love the cover. It sounds like an interesting read! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Miriam! The cover is very unassuming, but you’ll learn not to underestimate a hay bale once you’ve read the story.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ambiguity of the covers appeal to some readers, Teri! I like to unravel the veil.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was so creepy, wasn’t it? The characters definitely were strange. And I didn’t see the end coming at all. Loved your review and couldn’t agree more, Teri. Congrats to Priscilla.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes! Close to the end I said, “Wait – what??!!” (Alexa was reading it to me), and I had to rewind. It was perfect.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It does a lot in such a small package, doesn’t it? It sounds very creepy 😱
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sure does. Priscilla did a fantastic job with characterization and plot with just a few pages. That’s quite an accomplishment.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Congratulations to Priscilla on a great story.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks for stopping by, Deby!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I read The Hay Bale this weekend. I don’t read a lot of horror stories, but Priscilla nailed this one. I’ll be thinking of it for a while.
LikeLiked by 2 people
And maybe avoiding hay bales also, Joan?
LikeLiked by 2 people
This one is getting a lot of good press around the blogosphere. Thanks for giving us your take.
LikeLiked by 2 people
This is a must read for you, Craig. Hope you can fit it in your reading pile.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think so, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person