“Sometimes it’s easier to persuade them away or distract them with something. Especially if they ain’t the dying type.” “Most are the dying type.” Melinda unholstered her revolver…
”Legend of the Spiderwalker,” an original Melinda West story, will appear in ZEHLREG A. GRINDSTONE’S SPECTACULAR WESTERN ODDITY EMPORIUM. This anthology of Weird West short stories, flash fiction, & poems blend Wild West tropes with themes from across the Fantasy spectrum. The Kickstarter is ongoing until Sunday – support it here on Kickstarter (and check out those awesome rewards!)
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:
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.
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.
If you’re like me, you try to outdo yourself each year with unique and fun gifts for the loved ones in your life. For the readers and writers in particular, it can be fun to look for novelty bookish items beyond a book (though a book is *always* a great gift).
Themed bookmarks, candles, tea, reading lights, and specialty furniture are often a go-to for annual bookish gift lists.
I’ve picked a few of my personal favorite book- and writing-themed gifts in this list that have caught my eye. Many of these I have gifted or been gifted in the past so can vouch for them. These items range from clever advent calendars, epic pen holders, eye-catching book ends, and more.
Disclaimer: These are obviously highly subjective and based around my own horror/sci-fi/fantasy interests.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Happy April! I’m excited to share new book promos, interviews, events and more.
Limited time: popular Weird West books available in special promo for readers at StoryBundle
For a limited time, my supernatural western MELINDA WEST: MONSTER GUNSLINGER (Brigids Gate Press) will be available in a “storybundle” together with some of the biggest fantasy and horror western titles available right now.
StoryBundle offers a jaw-dropping deal for readers: for only $5, you’ll receive the four featured digital books:
There is also an upgraded bundle where you can get all 11 weird west stories shown for a deeper discount. This is a fabulous option if you’re looking for new books and want to explore more of the “weird west” (these are westerns with speculative elements, usually combined with fantasy and horror).
I was also delighted to be a guest on D.C. Gomez’s The Book Corner Amazon show to talk about MELINDA WEST: MONSTER GUNSLINGER. You can watch a recording of the live show here.
Upcoming events and appearances
Events:
Book Signing: LAT Festival of Books – Sat, April 22, 1-3pm
Panels: Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Nebula Conference – May 13 & 14
Book Signing and Discussion: Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore – Sat, May 20, 3pm
This last month I’ve visited several local bookstores to sign copies of Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger and On social media the book as popped up in bookstore locations ranging Ontario to Kentucky to South Dakota. The book also made its first con appearance (Wondercon), with hopefully many more to come!
KC Grifant 