Archive for the ‘horror’ Category

Cover reveal and ARCs for debut short story collection

Posted: April 29, 2024 in Announcement, books, horror, Lovecraft, short stories, writing
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I am thrilled to share the stunning cover for my debut collection of short stories, SHROUDED HORROR: TALES OF THE UNCANNY (Dragon’s Roost Press).

Carrion House, a UK-based artist, did an amazing job capturing the monsters that haunt these pages!

SHROUDED HORROR: TALES OF THE UNCANNY, is a mix of my previously published short stories as well as new ones. These cosmic and weird stories are about horrors that lie below the surface, ready to bubble up and disturb the veil of our everyday lives.

Vibes = CREEPSHOW, TWILIGHT ZONE, BLACK MIRROR 

Preorder begins June 1!

In the meantime, you can add to your Goodreads page here. Reviewers can also get ARC review copies on Netgalley here.

There is nothing quite like holding a physical copy of a book baby! I shared my unboxing video on social media below:

Stay tuned for preorder information coming soon!

New free story in Tales to Terrify horror podcast

Posted: March 24, 2024 in Announcement, horror, podcast, short stories
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My heartbreak cemetery story, “Unrest,” recently appeared in the excellent audio horror show Tales to Terrify. This slow burn tale originally published in Dancing in the Shadows: A Tribute to Anne Rice, edited by Rebecca Rowland. The story is a result of drawing inspiration from Rice’s unique goth style as well as wanting to impart a twist on the typical final-girl-in-a-graveyard scenario.

Voice actor Amanda Stribling did an amazing job bringing this tale to life and adding a new dimension of creepiness.

If you’re in the mood for a 20-minute creepy tale, tune in at the 23:10 time mark here: https://talestoterrify.com/episodes/633-emily-j-weisenberger-kc-grifant/. 

633 | Emily J Weisenberger & KC Grifant

Debut Short Story Collection Publishing in July

Posted: March 8, 2024 in Announcement, books, horror, short stories
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I’m delighted to share that my debut collection of short stories will be forthcoming from Dragon’s Roost Press this summer!

The collection, called SHROUDED HORROR: TALES OF THE UNCANNY is a mix of my previously published short stories as well as new ones. These cosmic and weird stories are about horrors that lie below the surface, ready to bubble up and disturb the veil of our everyday lives. From the bowels of NYC to the mind-warping outer reaches of space, SHROUDED HORROR shows what happens when ordinary people bump against the hidden terrors that sit at the boundaries of reality.

You can sign up for my newsletter to get exclusive early updates, as well as a chance to win a free copy: https://mailchi.mp/a9f0d76bba28/welcome

New Book Deal Announcement: Second Weird West Horror Adventure!

Posted: February 2, 2024 in Announcement, books, horror, Weird West
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On the one-year anniversary of my debut book, I am thrilled to announce that my second novel, MELINDA WEST AND THE GREMLIN QUEEN, will be coming out in May 2025 from Brigids Gate Press!

This action-adventure supernatural western is part of the Melinda West series, in which a stoic monster hunter and her partner encounter a brutal gremlin species set on spreading a psychic disease and taking over the Old West. 

MELINDA WEST AND THE GREMLIN QUEEN is an adult “Weird Western” featuring gunslingers, diverse characters and monsters galore, with Bonnie & Clyde + Buffy + The Witcher + Supernatural vibes.

Melinda and Lance are two characters I featured in several published short stories before the first book. They were very well received in MELINDA WEST: MONSTER GUNSLINGER (see reader reviews here). Aside from creating an escapist adventure, my overarching goal for this speculative world is to reframe some of the typical depictions of the Old West.

Interested readers can sign up here to request receiving an Advanced Reader Copy: https://forms.gle/BMZhBLRtJMfZzVDh7. You can also sign up for my newsletter to get exclusive early updates, as well as a chance to win a free copy next year: https://mailchi.mp/a9f0d76bba28/welcome

My Personal Gift List for Writers and Readers

Posted: December 3, 2023 in books, horror, recommendations, science fiction, Tips, writing
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If you’re like me, your eyes may glaze over at another book lover/authors’ gift list. Countless of these bookish articles pop up every year, inevitably containing the same items: novelty bookmarks, reading lights, novel-themed candles, furniture, swag and more.

This may not be for you, but I’ve picked a few of my personal favorite book- and writing-themed gifts to offer a simple, curated list to help navigate the seemingly endless possibilities and scrolling. Many of these I have gifted or been gifted in the past so can vouch for them. These are obviously highly subjective and based around my own horror/sci-fi/fantasy interests.

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Free horror books for Halloween – today only!

Posted: October 31, 2023 in Announcement, books, horror, Melinda West, recommendations, Weird West
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Happy Halloween! Here’s a treat for you: for today only, the ebook of my debut supernatural western MELINDA WEST: MONSTER GUNSLINGER (Brigids Gate Press) is available for FREE through B&N, Kobo and Apple Books as part of the Terrify Your Tablet book event.

Terrify Your Tablet

The first annual Terrify Your Tablet (previously “Spook Your Kindle Day”) is hosted by Horrorsmith Publishing. Horror and thriller fans can download books from hundreds of participating authors at the link below on Halloween.

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New weird west story in ALONG HARROWED TRAILS

Posted: August 31, 2023 in Announcement, anthology, flash fiction, horror, Melinda West, short stories, Weird West
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ALONG HARROWED TRAILS (Timber Ghost Press) is a horror western anthology containing my story “Candelaria and the Red-Eyed Bunch Gang.” This is a prequel, origins story for one of the side characters in MELINDA WEST: MONSTER GUNSLINGER. In it, Candelaria must contend with a gang set on double-crossing her as something monstrous approaches.

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An epic tweet

Posted: July 15, 2023 in Announcement, horror, writing
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This is outside of my usual posts, but too cool not to share.

After a horror author event I moderated at the lovely indie bookstore Verbatim Books in downtown San Diego last month, I tweeted a picture of the panelists next to a cut-out cardboard of Stephen King.

Imagine my surprise when he retweeted it!!

For those who aren’t on Twitter, King is pretty active and often comments/likes/retweets his audience. As the “patron saint of horror” who paved the way in the genre and is an inspiration to so many authors, it’s a big deal indeed.

Free short ghost story, LONELY ARCADE, in Stupefying Magazine

Posted: July 11, 2023 in Announcement, flash fiction, horror, science fiction, short stories
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My bite-sized ghost story, “Lonely Arcade,” has published in Stupefying Stories (4-minute read). It’s a ghost story, but also a homage to the many summers I spent in boardwalk arcades.

You can read it for free, along with other short tales, here: https://stupefyingstories.blogspot.com/2023/06/lonely-arcade-by-kc-grifant.html

If you enjoyed that one, make sure to check out “The Sighting,” my short tale about Big Foot hunters, also in Stupefying Stories.

About Stupefying Stories

Stupefying Stories is an online magazine founded by Bruce and Karen Bethke. Bruce Bethke is the award-winning science fiction writer known for his 1980 short story, “Cyberpunk,” and his 1995 Philip K. Dick Award-winning novel, Headcrash. 

Book anniversary, events and more May news

Posted: May 2, 2023 in Announcement, author interview, books, horror, Melinda West, writing
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Happy May!

I can’t believe it’s been 3 months since MELINDA WEST: MONSTER GUNSLINGER debuted from Brigids Gate Press. My supernatural western adventure was more well-received than I’d hoped. Putting a book out there is incredibly vulnerable. Some people will love it, others will hate it. In the end, it doesn’t truly matter. Most of us write as a way to survive/thrive/rebel/reflect/exist in this chaotic, complex world. Nevertheless, I am deeply grateful for everyone–friends, booksellers, reviewers, editors, publishers–who helped make this lifelong dream come true.

One big highlight for me this past month was attending the Los Angeles Times Book Festival for the first time. It was a traffic-filled drive up from San Diego to LA on little sleep, but completely worth it to attend the largest book festival in the country. Tents and vendors stretched as far as the eye could see under a baking sun on the University of Southern California campus. I joined the Horror Writers table to sell copies of MELINDA WEST: MONSTER GUNSLINGER and was utterly delighted when writing legend Joe Lansdale and his daughter Kasey Lansdale stopped by to say hi and purchase a book. Check out photos over on my Facebook page or Instagram. Thank you to everyone who stopped by!

May is stacked with lots more bookish events in Southern California, including the Nebula Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers (SFWA) conference in Anaheim. I will be there signing books, moderating panels and diving into all things SFF. I hope you can join one of the events below.

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