Today we’d like to introduce you to KC Grifant.
KC, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started writing creative fiction around fourth grade. Throughout middle and high school, I wrote novels, short stories, and poems with supernatural or uncanny twists. All that writing paid off, as today I have numerous short horror, science fiction, western and fantasy stories published internationally in magazines, anthologies, games, and podcasts.
My horror fantasy western novel, Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger (Brigids Gate Press) released in February 2023 as the #1 in Amazon New Releases for Western Horrors. The book is described as a blend of Bonnie & Clyde meet The Witcher and Supernatural. It features a re-imagined Old West with monsters, diverse characters, and adventure.
Aside from writing, I also co-founded the San Diego chapter of the Horror Writers Association in 2016 and regularly give panel presentation and workshops focused on short stories and the horror genre.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There’s been lots of twists and turns on the path to becoming a published author. I wanted to be a writer since I was a kid. I wrote stories consistently throughout elementary school but hit a writer’s block for years once I was in college and grad school when life was more unpredictable. I thought I’d never get over that writing hump.
Once I had a stable career in my late twenties, I felt more grounded and was able to return to writing. Oddly enough, once I had a family and my time to write became more limited, my productivity increased. Something about having less personal time kicked me into gear and was a great motivator.
Today, my struggle is mainly around time. I have two small children and a fulfilling full-time job, so finding space to write is a perpetual challenge.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I write a lot of horror and sci-fi horror stories in the vein of Tales from the Crypt or the Twilight Zone. I especially love combining genres and adding new twists on typical tropes and archetypes.
One subgenre I write in is the “Weird West” – this is essentially a story that combines Old West elements with other genres ranging from horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Examples include The Wild Wild West, Preacher, Jonah Hex, the Dark Tower series or Cowboys & Aliens. These stories of otherworldly elements are set among the endless mountains, unforgiving deserts, and other vast landscapes of the American West.
One of my favorite things about writing weird westerns is the freedom to include off-the-wall ideas while finding new ways to tell the stories of this pivotal period. The juxtaposition of romanticized notions of gunslinging heroism and the real-world tragedies of the Old West further adds to the intrigue. There are also many untold real-world historic tales to draw on for inspiration, especially of groups of people that are not often portrayed in popular media (e.g., women and under-represented races and backgrounds).
All my weird west stories, including my recent supernatural novel Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger, take place in a location in the late 1800s that resembles the U.S., where a rupture in the earth released an array of monster species. This event leads humans to band together to fend against ongoing attacks. The novel centers around two characters: Melinda, a stoic sharpshooter bent on exterminating monsters, and her partner Lance, an easy-going charmer who gets them out of tricky situations when brute force won’t work. They fight creatures ranging from psychic gremlins, giant flying scorpions, ice krakens, brain leeches, and many more.
In addition to creating outrageous monsters, I enjoy using the flexibility of the weird west genre to experiment with some of the archetypes in Old West mythology (the lone gunslinger, the helpful mystic, etc.).
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I’d say a flexible kind of perseverance is essential for most creative professionals. What I mean by this is staying very persistent in writing/submitting/networking/etc., even in the face of constant self-doubt and rejections. At the same time, it’s crucial to constantly learn, evolve, improve, and adjust your work and approach so you’re not hitting your head against the wall.
Creative writers receive a lot of rejections when submitting stories, so it’s easy to get discouraged. But it’s essential to evaluate if there’s anything you can learn from the rejections without dwelling on negativity and then to keep writing and submitting.
As one example, while submitting Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger to agents, I received a lot of feedback, essentially saying the story was enjoyable but not marketable because the novel combines genres in a way that is outside mainstream book trends. Rather than giving up, I continued to look for a publisher and was fortunate to connect with a wonderful one who loved the book. It only takes one “yes,” as they say.
Pricing:
- $14.99 – Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger
Contact Info:
- Website: www.KCGrifant.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/kcgrifant/
- Facebook: facebook.com/kcgrifant
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kcgrifant
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kcgrifant
