What is the date you began writing this piece of fiction and the date when you completely finished the piece of fiction? I had toyed with the idea of a Weird West novel for a while, as I had written short stories about a stoic gunslinger and her boyfriend in an Old West ridden with supernatural monsters. In particular, I wanted to imagine an alternate Old West that featured more women and diverse characters than is seen in a typical Western, as well as lots of monsters.
I got serious about writing a debut novel set in this world, MELINDA WEST: MONSTER GUNSLINGER, in the beginning of the pandemic. The sudden increase of time at home during the shutdown, as well as the anxieties around the future, motivated me to escape into a world where the protagonists had distinct monsters to defeat. I finished it around the middle of 2021.
Where did you do most of your writing for this fiction work? And please describe in detail. And can you please include a photo? Since I wrote most of the book during the pandemic lockdown, my writing took place throughout my house in Southern California. In particular, I spent a lot of time writing in my hammock or air chair in the backyard (BELOW). There is something about watching the swaying palm trees against the deep blue and hearing bird calls that brings a stillness helpful for writing.
In the house, I wrote in a corner of a bedroom that became my makeshift office. This area includes a folding table surrounded by hard-to-kill plants, Back to the Future paraphernalia and lots of snacks.
What were your writing habits while writing this work- did you drink something as you wrote, listen to music, write in pen and paper, directly on laptop; specific time of day? I write on my laptop so I can move around the house. Since I work full-time, I write stories before work, during lunch break, in the evenings and on weekends as time allows.
Coffee is key as is music. I’ll listen to Celtic, 90s alternative, hip hop, pop, show tunes, etc.—anything with lyrics—depending on what mood I’m trying to evoke.
Please include just one excerpt and include page numbers as reference. This one excerpt can be as short or as long as you prefer.
CHAPTER 1
Melinda never missed, not in her 28 years of gunslinging. But then again, she never dealt with giant, flying scorpions before.
She aimed at the two shapes above a cactus several hundred feet away, fired, and watched as one of the bodies dropped.
Aside from being bigger than any insect on this earth ought to be, the scorpions’ six back legs were webbed, giving them the oh-so-handy ability to become airborne. A calf-sized one flew through the air with its green-tipped tail poised directly toward her head.
She slid behind a toppled boulder, dust whipping up and stinging her eyes, as the scorpion soared past, pincers outstretched. Its back legs brushed the tip of her wide-brimmed hat, caught a draft, and swept back toward her like a giant leaf in the wind.
Four sets of white eyes alongside its orange head fixed on Melinda as it came back around. She sucked in a breath and fired her pistol again, praying the wind wouldn’t shift.
The bullet tore through the insect’s shell, ripping open its soft insides. Its chitin shattered like it was made of fine china. Bright green goo splattered on the cacti and rocks around her.
“These bugs ain’t joking,” Lance huffed as he crouched next to Melinda, his brown hat askew. The grooves along his mouth deepened as he rooted in his knapsack for a weapon, the blondish stubble on his chin dark with dust. “Never seen this many air scorpions before in one place except in pictures. Looks like their guts’ll sting something awful.”
“Poisonous, no doubt. Aunt Beatrice would sure love a sample. Bullets?”
“Almost out.” He hoisted his rifle.
“Bombs?” she asked.
“Just the one,” Lance said as they both peered over the edge of the hill at the sharp drop leading to the mine. Hundreds of the orange and beige insects scuttled out of the mine entrance, agitated, it seemed, by Melinda and Lance’s presence. The gash in the side of the hill was flanked by a steep rise in the earth around it, creating a bowl into which the scorpions poured.
One of the creatures lifted its webbed legs to catch a gust of wind blowing toward them. Before it could take flight, Lance’s shot rang out, exploding the bug into green goo. The rest of the scorpions in the pile chittered and clanked their pincers. Though they’d seen plenty of odd creatures in their line of work, this sound was one Melinda was sure would haunt her dreams.
Please click on the below link to pre-order MELINDA WEST: MONSTER GUNSLINGER from Amazon
Click on the below link to visit writer KC Grifant’s website
Click on the below link to visit Illustrator Luke Spooner’s Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/luke.spooner.750
Click on the below link to visit Editor MJ Pankey’s Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/mjpankeyauthor/
Why is this excerpt so emotional for you as a writer to write? And can you describe your own emotional experience of writing this specific excerpt? I was going for fun escapism with this excerpt, where seasoned monster-hunting gunslingers know how to battle and defeat unique supernatural creatures. This scene was cathartic for me, since the real world was coping with the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic and little was known about transmission and effects, and how to overcome this virus.
Click on the below link to pre-order MELINDA WEST: MONSTER GUNSLINGER from Brigids Gate Press
https://brigidsgatepress.com/upcoming-releases
Most of the INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION links can be found at the very end of the below feature:
http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2021/03/stephenson-holts-arranged-marriage-is.html