Welcome to my weekly roundup, where I scour the Twitterverse for trending SF/F/Horror writerly highlights of the week. For the Twitter version of this newsletter, please visit here.
Read the rest of this entry »Update: Color-themed horror anthology CHROMOPHOBIA now available
Posted: January 3, 2022 in Announcement, anthology, horror, short stories, writingTags: anthology, horror, Science Fiction Horror, short stories, speculative, writing
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UPDATE – July 2022: CHROMOPHOBIA is now available in trade paperback HERE! Early reviews are already raving.
“Extraordinary tales of terror that are as grim as they are delightful.” — Kirkus Reviews
“… clever, unsettling stories … push the boundaries of conventional horror.” — BookLife Reviews (Editor’s Pick)
My mean girls/creature feature story, “The Color of Friendship,” will appear in the forthcoming CHROMOPHOBIA: A Strangehouse Anthology by Women in Horror from Rooster Republic Press. It’s described by the editor as having “major CREEPSHOW vibes” and I could not be more pleased!
Read the rest of this entry »Horror poem available in HWA Poetry Showcase Volume 8
Posted: November 28, 2021 in Announcement, anthology, horror, Lovecraft, writingTags: horror, hwa, poem, poetry, Science Fiction Horror, speculative, writing
Edited by Stephanie M. Wytovich, the Horror Writers Associations presents their eighth annual Poetry Showcase, featuring original dark poetry. With cover artwork by Robert Cabeen and poetry judges Sara Tantlinger and Angela Yuriko Smith, this year features the first Crystal Lake Poetry Contest winner and poems from members of the Horror Writers Association.
I’m honored that “A Woman’s Weapon,” my poem about an obsessive biologist with a dark secret, debuts in this collection!
This collection is now Available in Print and on Kindle – click here to check it out.
**Update 2022** I am beyond thrilled“A Woman’s Weapon” 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
Read the rest of this entry »“From Sea to Shining Sea” in Field Notes from a Nightmare anthology
Posted: November 5, 2021 in Announcement, anthology, short stories, writingTags: anthology, environment, horror, Science Fiction Horror, short stories, speculative, writing
***Update! You can purchase the anthology or read reviews at these links: Publisher’s Shop | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads.
My short climate fiction story, “From Sea to Shining Sea,” appears in Dread Stone Press’ FIELD NOTES FROM A NIGHTMARE anthology.
Description from the editor: Pollution. Extinction. Warming. Sea Levels rising…Mother Nature heard our crimes and found us guilty. Field Notes from a Nightmare is an anthology of ecological horror, containing 18 stories from some of the strongest voices in indie horror. Edited by Alex Ebenstein with a foreword from New York Times-Bestselling author Tim Lebbon. Cover art and interior illustrations by David Bowman.
Read more about the anthology from Dread Stone Press here.
TikTok for Authors and Writers: A Guide on How to Create Engaging Videos and Top Tips For Getting Started (Updated 2024)
Posted: August 24, 2021 in TipsTags: authors, books, booktok, social media, TikTok, writers
Introduction
Updated Jan 2024
When any new social platform comes along, authors ask themselves: should I join? With a day job in communications/marketing/PR, I’m always intrigued by the latest technologies and trends. So when “elder millennials” like myself started joining TikTok, I gave it a try. Like many, I was skeptical at first but since joining I have found myself enjoying TikTok more than any other social media app. It is a dynamic platform and a great wat to connect with others, especially as BookTok—the community of book lovers on TikTok—continues to grow.
Most marketers would agree with a resounding “yes” that TikTok has become a hot spot for promoting your business. But what about authors and writers? Given that there’s a huge community of like-minded individuals on TikTok, it’s absolutely worth an author’s time to test it out. If you’re ready to take the plunge, I’ve gathered my top 5 tips on how to use TikTok efficiently as an author, writer or reader, and the potential benefits. But first, a bit of background on TikTok and what to expect.
Read the rest of this entry »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.
2020 in Review: Writing and Publishing
Posted: December 31, 2020 in Announcement, writingTags: authors, horror, publishing, science fiction, writing
2020. I don’t think any more needs to be said about the year that will haunt many of us for a lifetime. Here’s hoping we can bring about a healthier, safer and kinder world in 2021.
This was a productive year of writing for me, even though it didn’t feel like it. Writing was an escape from the news and world events; writing was the only way I felt like I was able to survive this year’s chaos and uncertainty without completely losing my mind.
I wrote seven new short stories (down 50% from last year), mostly at the beginning of the year. Though I wasn’t able to attend workshops or conferences this year, and skipped NaNoWriMo, the time at home let me focus on some bigger projects I had on the back burner. Once the pandemic hit and I started working from home full-time and having a toddler home all day (read more about how having a kid helped me with writing in last year’s recap here). I switched to tackling two novels I’ve had in the works and finally finished them (!). I also made progress on a new one and had several acceptances of new stories and reprints.
Six Guns Straight From Hell 3: Horror & Dark Fantasy From the Weird, Weird West
Posted: October 4, 2020 in anthology, horror, Weird West, writingTags: anthology, horror, western, writing
Six Guns Straight From Hell 3: Horror & Dark Fantasy From the Weird Weird West is now available and debuts my zombie story, “Death’s Horse.” The collection is edited by David B. Riley and J.A. Campbell, with a cover illustration by M. Wayne Miller. The Weird West is one of my favorite subgenres for a variety of reasons (you can read why in an article I wrote for Aurealis Magazine, more details here). “Death’s Horse” features the plight of gunslinging, monster-hunting Melinda Putman, first introduced in “Dusty Arrival,” cover story for Andromeda Spaceways Magazine in 2018. Weird West stories in this collection include tales by David Boop, C.W. Blackwell, Kristal Stittle and many others.
Description from the publisher:
Saddle up for a wild ride through the weird, weird west. As you ride our trails you’ll want to keep one eye on the path ahead and one over your shoulder cause there’s a bushwhacking monster creeping up behind you. If your horse gets eaten by a monster, you might be able to get a ride on the midnight train, as long as you don’t mind sitting with ghosts. If you don’t catch the train, maybe the devil can give you a lift back to town. Just be careful which place you head for, because the folks in one town are about to die. Staying on ranches ain’t much safer, especially at one girl’s birthday party. Then again, even going to outhouses can be deadly. If you happen to visit the local brothel, be sure and treat the ladies right or you’ll pay dearly. And Tombstone is no place to get your picture taken if you want to keep your skin.
Excerpt from “Death’s Horse”
Death rode in on a horse made of wood and bones, its joints screeching with every pound of its hooves against the sand. Death, otherwise known as Elliot Red-Eye Carson, raised his rifle, the sun a smudged glow behind him like someone had burned the sky with the end of a rolled cigarette.
“Found you.” Carson leveled the rifle at Melinda’s forehead. He wore a hat the color of day-old puke, with rags to match. He and the horse smelled of sewage, rot and all manners of decay.
“You look a little different, El.” Melinda eased her finger off the trigger of her six shooter and set it gently down. Beneath the wide-brimmed hat and duster she wore year round, her skin dripped from the heat. Even at sundown, the desert was hotter than the hubs of hell this time of year.
“Quit stalling.” Carson yanked his monster closer and Melinda wondered, as she had plenty of times before, if this would be the day she died. “Give me what’s mine.”
Read more in Six Guns Straight From Hell 3. The book is available from Mysterious Galaxy bookstore or other independent booksellers, as well as on Amazon.
SHADOWY NATURES: Stories of Psychological Horror is Now Available
Posted: September 10, 2020 in UncategorizedTags: anthology, books, horror, psychology, short stories, writing
The boundary line between instinct and reason is of a very shadowy nature.
-Edgar Allan Poe (1840)
I’m thrilled to share that Shadowy Natures: Tales of Psychological Horror is out today. This disturbing collection edited by Rebecca Rowland features the debut of my story “Maternal Bond,” where postpartum paranoia and isolation chip at a new mom’s sanity as an outside threat pushes her over the edge.
I chat with Rebecca about the story’s background, as well as horror writing and inspirations, in my author interview here.
Update: Genre Junkies discussed Shadowy Natures with Rowland on their podcast, concluding: “cover to cover, excellent writing…a truly great collection: one of the strongest I’ve come across.” You can listen to the full podcast here: 87 – “Shadowy Natures” Anthology and Interview With the Editor, Rebecca Rowland!
About Shadowy Natures
With its twenty-one stories of serial killers and sociopaths, fixations and fetishes, breakdowns and bad decisions crafted by authors as diverse as their writing styles, Shadowy Natures leads fans of psychological horror down dark and treacherous roads to destinations they will be too unsettled to leave.
From unique twists on traditional terror tropes to fresh frights found in the most innocuous of places, these tales will surprise and unnerve even the most veteran horror fans. Featuring brand new fiction from Jeremy Billingsley, C.W. Blackwell, Barrie Darke, Matthew R. Davis, Christina Delia, KC Grifant, Liam Hogan, K.N. Johnson, Thomas Kearnes, Rudy Kremberg, Scotty Milder, Bryan Miller, Hollee Nelson, Elin Olausson, James Edward O’Brien, Andrew Punzo, Lee Rozelle, Joseph Rubas, Paul Stansfield, Louis Stephenson, and Thomas Vaughn.
Shadowy Natures: Stories of Psychological Horror is now available to order through your local bookseller or at Amazon in print, audiobook and e-book.
Early acclaim for Shadowy Natures and “Maternal Bond”
“The perfect anthology with 21 dark tales that will get in your head, squirming and pulsing until you have to look away. There is something in here for every fan of horror and/or dark fiction.”
–Holly Rae Garcia, author of Come Join the Murder
“‘Maternal Bond’ by KC Grifant gets into the uncomfortable skin of post-pregnancy, and that’s only the beginning of the discomfort that this story brings. Grifant brilliantly channels the sleeplessness and disorientation of new motherhood, then moves in and shocks us awake.”
–Goodreads reviewer
“Unnerving.”
-S.K. Gregory, Best-selling author of the Daemon Persuasion and Aurelia Graves series
“Dark prose and wildly unique stories…I suggest giving this book a looksie!”
-Mortality in Horror
“A terrific and terrifying selection of stories that will make you squirm in your seat and force you to get up to check the doors and windows before you go to sleep.”
-Bob Hastings, Goodreads
“These 21 dreadfully dark tales held me captive from first to last story…”Maternal Bond” by KC Grifant in which a new mom battles lack of sleep and postpartum depression really got under my skin as I recalled my own earliest days of coping with a baby who cried nonstop.”
-Well Worth a Read
This story is submitted for 2020 Bram Stoker Award® consideration. Interested members of HWA you access a copy of the story until January 15, 2021 by going to this password protected page. The password is Bram Stoker’s famed character.
KC Grifant 