Dark fiction author KC Grifant chats with me today about her new horror fantasy, Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger.
Bio:
KC Grifant is an award-winning writer based in Southern California who creates internationally published horror, fantasy, science fiction and weird west stories.
She is a published short story writer, with dozens of stories appearing in podcasts, anthologies and magazines, including: Spaceways Magazine, Unnerving Magazine, Cosmic Horror Monthly, Dark Matter Magazine, the British SF Association’s Fission Magazine, Tales to Terrify, the Lovecraft eZine; Musings of the Muse; Dancing in the Shadows—A Tribute to Anne Rice; Field Notes from a Nightmare; The One That Got Away; Six Guns Straight From Hell; Shadowy Natures; Beyond the Infinite-Tales from the Outer Reaches; the Stoker-nominated Chromophobia; the Stoker-nominated Fright Mare: Women Write Horror, and many others. She also teaches a short story workshop and co-founded the San Diego chapter of the Horror Writers Association (HWA) in 2016.
Her debut weird western novel, Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger (Brigids Gate Press, Feb 2023), described as a blend of Bonnie & Clyde meet The Witcher and Supernatural, has received positive reviews internationally. Readers and reviewers call the book “a fun, fast-paced, monster-filled joy ride,” “genre-blending,” “a story that is fascinating and irresistible,” and a “massive crowd-pleaser.”
Welcome, KC. Please tell us about your current release.
My supernatural western novel, Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger (Brigids Gate Press) features a re-imagined Old West full of monsters, diverse characters and gunslinging adventure.
The story centers around stoic sharpshooter Melinda West, who, with her easy-going boyfriend, Lance, exterminate monsters for desperate towns. During one of their jobs, they accidentally release a demon that steals their friend’s soul, setting them on a quest across treacherous lands to pursue a dangerous outlaw and battle a menagerie of otherworldly creatures—all before an army of soul-devouring demons descend on Earth.
Reviewers called the book “a fun, fast-paced, monster-filled joy ride,” “fascinating and irresistible,” and a “massive crowd-pleaser.” (More details here: https://scifiwri.com/publications/melinda-west-monster-gunslinger/)
What inspired you to write this book?
I’ve always loved speculative fiction, where something happens outside of regular reality, as in sci-fi, fantasy and horror. Recently, the genre of “Weird Westerns” captured my interest. These are stories set in the Old West but cross over into other genres, like sci-fi, fantasy or horror. Examples include Cowboys vs. Aliens, The Wild Wild West and Stephen King’s Dark Tower series.
I’ve found this subgenre to be a fascinating approach to explore an iconic and pivotal time period in history, but also a way to have fun. The characters of the stoic gunslinger (Melinda) and her charming boyfriend (Lance) came to me fairly well formed. At first, I wrote several short stories featuring their monster-exterminating adventures in the Old West. Wanting to further explore their world—and create lots of interesting monsters!—motivated me to write this book.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I have several short stories coming out soon in anthologies and podcasts, mostly horror and weird westerns. I am also drafting the next book featuring Melinda West. It has raised stakes, more outlandish monsters and some hopefully unexpected twists and turns.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I started writing around fourth grade. My first stories focused on fantastical happenings (like a girl who shrunk down in size to pilot a paper airplane) and they all ended with “it was all a dream.” I wrote my first novels later in grade school in dozens of composition notebooks. Initially, I was focused on adventure and fantasy stories, and became more interested in scifi and horror in high school. I had a long writer’s block for several years after college. It wasn’t until my day-job career was on track and I had less drama in my life that I was able to turn my focus to creative writing again in my 30s. That’s probably when I began to consider myself as a professional fiction writer.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I have a demanding full-time job that I enjoy in science communications, as well as two young children to care for, so writing time is precious and sparse. But when something is your passion, as writing is for me, you find time. On weekends, lunch breaks, evenings—whenever possible!
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I sometimes go many weeks without writing due to life circumstances, but stories are always running through my head in a constant loop. It feels like living parallel lives sometimes.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Many things—an astronaut, doctor, artist. I distinctly remember wanting to not be a professional author once I learned it could take a whole year for a book to be published. As a kid, that long of a timeframe seemed unacceptable. As an adult, a year turnaround from draft to publication would be not bad!
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I recommend everyone give the “Weird West” genre a shot. Even if you don’t typically enjoy westerns, it is a fun and diverse subgenre that has something for everyone.
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