Happy September! I hope the pumpkin spice is flowing freely and apple picking is plentiful. Read on for recent updates!
(more…)Archive for the ‘science fiction’ Category
Scifi story “Cynscout” in the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) magazine
Posted: August 5, 2022 in Announcement, science fiction, short stories, technology, writingTags: fiction, literature, magazine, science fiction, short stories, speculative, writing
I’m honored to have my scifi story, “Cynscout,” debut in the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA)’s magazine! Edited by Eugen Bacon and Gene Rowe, Fission issue #2 Volume 1 is now available for purchase.
“Fission #2 Vol 1 deftly plays with the evocative and provocative. There are nuanced beats of light and dark, that entertain and exhilarate in perfect harmony. Highly recommended.”
–Andrew Hook, British Fantasy Award-winning editor and author of Frequencies of Existence
“Cynscout” is about a fused owner-and-pet consciousness trying to survive the apocalypse and carry out their grim mission to usher in the end of the world. You can read an excerpt below.
(more…)Listen for free to short story “U TRAIN,” winner of horror podcast competition
Posted: July 15, 2022 in Announcement, flash fiction, horror, Lovecraft, podcast, science fiction, short storiesTags: fiction, horror, podcast, radio, Science Fiction Horror, short stories, speculative, writing
Sley House Publishing presents its first-ever scripted audio drama, my weird horror short story, “U-Train.” I could not be more pleased with the voice actors and production. Big thanks to Sley House and the team! Read below for links to listen for free and a story description.
Listen for free:
- Apple podcast – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kc-grifants-u-train/id1580649232?i=1000570001918
- iHeart – https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-sley-house-publishing-pres-85758270/episode/kc-grifants-u-train-99450379/
- Podcast App – https://podcast.app/kc-grifants-u-train-e315014645/
- Or find the episode (36 mins) wherever you listen to podcasts! (Search for “Sley House LitBits.”)
“U Train” description:
Four strangers find themselves on a New York subway platform, waiting on a train that shouldn’t exist. But as they try to find out why they’re there and how they might escape, they realize that when the train arrives, a fate worse than death might be waiting for them.
The story was inspired by far too many hellish city commutes and what felt like eternal waiting for transfers!
“U Train” will also be available in Halloween Tales of Sley House 2022 later this fall along with other spooky stories. You can also listen to more of Sley House’s podcast, Sley Bits, on all things horror and fantasy – https://sleyhousepublishing.podbean.com.
If you are interested in discovering more weird horror stories, including receiving FREE short stories, sign up for my monthly newsletter: https://kcgrifant.us19.list-manage.com/subscribe
Alien horror story “Odd Colleagues” available in DARK MATTER Magazine
Posted: July 6, 2022 in Announcement, horror, science fiction, short storiesTags: fiction, horror, magazine, science fiction, Science Fiction Horror, short stories, speculative, writing
Dark Matter Magazine‘s “symbiosis” themed issue 010 is out, with jaw-dropping standard edition and variant covers by Jeff Aphisit, as well as intriguing story artwork.
My scifi horror story, “Odd Colleagues,” about an insecure scientist and her encounter with an alien, debuts. The art accompanying my story gives “Invasion of the Body Snatcher” vibes!
(more…)Free Science Fiction Short Story in MYTHAXIS Magazine
Posted: August 13, 2021 in Announcement, science fiction, short storiesTags: fiction, magazine, science fiction, Science Fiction Horror, short stories, speculative, writing
My science fiction story, “Comfort Zone,” is featured in the spring 2021 issue of British scifi magazine, Mythaxis.
In “Comfort Zone,” a new technology designed to improve empathy has the unintended side effect of putting a mom and daughter at odds.
This story was inspired by my time reporting on emerging technologies while a science journalist. Topics of quantum computing, brain-machine interfaces and neural imaging came together in a tale about the speed of which technology advances, and what happens when it’s hard to accept how fast the world–and children–can change.
You can read the story online for free here or an excerpt below.
It’s aliiiiiive: Frankenstein-inspired anthology now available
Posted: December 28, 2018 in Announcement, anthology, horror, science fiction, short stories
“It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another.”
–Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
It’s aliiiiiive!
Edited by Derek Newman-Stille, We Shall Be Monsters (Renaissance Book Press, 2018) celebrates Frankenstein’s 200th birthday with similarly themed stories by authors from around the world. My dark short story “Wanting” shows how far a high school student will go to fit in in a cybernetic, near-future society.
From the publisher, Canada-based Renaissance Book Press:
Mary Shelley’s genre-changing book Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus, helped to shape the genres of science fiction and horror, and helped to articulate new forms for women’s writing. It also helped us to think about the figure of the outsider, to question medical power, to question ideas of “normal,” and to think about what we mean by the word “monster.” Derek Newman-Stille has teamed up with Renaissance Press to celebrate Frankenstein’s 200th birthday by creating a book that explores Frankenstein stories from new and exciting angles and perspectives.
We Shall Be Monsters: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Two Centuries On features a broad range of fiction stories by authors from around the world, ranging from direct interactions with Shelley’s texts to explorations of the stitched, assembled body and narrative experiments in monstrous creations. We Shall Be Monsters collects explorations of disability, queer and trans identity, and ideas of race and colonialism.
With stories by Day Al-Mohamed, Lena Ng, Ashley Caranto Morford Cait Gordon, JF Garrard, Andrew Wilmot, Evelyn Deshane, D. Simon Turner, Kaitlin Tremblay, Lisa Carreiro Eric Choi & Joseph McGinty, Jennifer Lee Rossman, Randall G. Arnold, Alex Acks, KC Grifant, Halli Lilburn, Kev Harrison, Corey Redekop, Arianna Verbree, Max D. Stanton, Victoria K. Martin, Priya Sridhar, Liam Hogan, Joshua Bartolome
Read more: https://renaissancebookpress.com/product/we-shall-be-monsters/
Or purchase: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1987963415/
Free audio scifi horror story in TALES TO TERRIFY
Posted: December 27, 2018 in Announcement, audio, horror, podcast, science fiction, short storiesTags: horror, Science Fiction Horror, short stories, writing
My short scifi horror story “The Peerlings” appears in the terrific British podcast series Tales to Terrify, episode 354.
“The Peerlings” was first published in Beyond the Infinite – Tales from the Outer Reaches (Things in the Well series), edited by Steve Dillon. In the story, members of an off-world colony begin to vanish once elusive creatures–who can only safely be heard, not seen–descend upon their home. The mayor must figure out how to protect her citizens while warding off mass hysteria and a brewing rebellion.
The story begins at 00:21:21 and is read by Amy Paonessa (Twitter), host of The Bloodlust horror review website. She does an amazing job bringing the characters to life and conveying a sense of desolation and isolation throughout the piece.
Funny enough, a few people have mentioned that Netflix’s recently released Bird Box (based on the 2014 British novel) reminded them of “The Peerlings.” Check it out on Tales to Terrify and decide for yourself!
KC Grifant 