Happy December! I hope you had a fulfilling Thanksgiving and are gearing up for a fun and restful holiday season. If you’re stumped on gift ideas, I’ve included some tips on horror and book gift suggestions below.
In personal news, I am beyond thrilled that my poem “A Woman’s Weapon” (published in HWA’s Poetry Showcase Volume VIII) made the recommendations list for the upcoming volume of Ellen Datlow’s esteemed Best Horror of the Year! You can peruse the full list here.
Book news
Early reviews from advanced readers on MELINDA WEST: MONSTER GUNSLINGER are starting to post on Goodreads and I’m delighted to see people enjoying this Weird West epic adventure.
If you haven’t already, you can add MELINDA WEST: MONSTER GUNSLINGER to your Goodreads list. Preorders will be available later this month.
Digital versions of Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) are available for reviewers and early readers! If you’re interested, please message me.
Book and horror shopping guide tips
If you need some shopping inspiration, check out the excellent Horror for the Holidays shopping guide from author Sara Tantlinger.
Also I highly recommend Bookshop for great gift ideas for supporting independent bookstores. Better yet, browse your nearby indie bookstore!
Lastly, check out the social media pages of your favorite indie authors. Chances are that they (or their publishers) are having sales this month.
Upcoming short stories
I am thrilled to have another story appear in an upcoming Tales to Terrify episode. “Unrest,” a gothic horror tale about a cemetery taking revenge on a monster, first debuted in the anthology DANCING IN THE SHADOWS: A TRIBUTE TO ANNE RICE.
You can listen to my first Tales to Terrify cosmic scifi horror story, “The Peerlings,” here for free.
I also have a new Weird West short story debuting in ALONG HARROWED TRAILS from Timber Ghost Press forthcoming in 2023.
Recent stories out now
- FREE to read: “All Aboard” in Orchard 34 (HORROR)
- “The Fall of Denfanas Manor” in WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE (WEIRD WEST)
KC Grifant 
Congratulations on the positive early reviews of Melinda West Monster Gunslinger! I thought your “All Aboard” story was chilling! I’m definitely including it in my 4th quarter one-sentence reviews (somewhere between Dec 31st and Jan 2nd).
Thank you so much! I found that whole issue of Orchard 34 disturbing (in a good way) and very thought-provoking.