Happy Halloween

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

Halloween sneaks up on us here in New Zealand, since it’s spring, so an ‘end of the harvest’ festival feels kind of weird. That said, many folks are happily embracing the spirit of it, with decorations and trick-or-treaters out and about.

So likewise in the spirit of all that, I have a new slightly spooky story out today – Bright Coven – which also serves as a lead in to the forthcoming Castle Bound Kickstarter, due early February. More on that further on.

Bright Coven

Another extraordinary and engrossing tale from remarkable writer Sean Monaghan.

The tall abandoned house on ordinary Nelson Street attracts vagrants and vermin and bored kids looking for scares. But when cunning detectives Gray Knox and Nicki Ballard investigate deeper, stranger happenings, they find themselves plunging into a missing person mystery.

Discovering a ritual pentacle on the floor suggests something far more sinister.

And more deadly.

Sean Monaghan lets loose with a fast-moving, complex and shifting mystery that tears the shrouds off family life and modern suburbia.

$2.99 for the ebook, and $12.99 in print. Available from the usual stores, including the main website – use the code BChalloween to get half off – a buck fifty, that.

Detectives Gray Knox and Nicki Ballard will appear in the novel Castle Bound, coming out in the Kickstarter in February, and then on general release in June 2027.

You can check out the prelaunch page and follow along here – I’ll let you know when the Kickstarter launches.

Castle Bound – New Kickstarter coming in February 2027

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

After running a couple of successful kickstarters for the collection “Wildest Skies” and the SF novel Spin Trap in 2026, I’m heading into 2027 with a new Kickstarter for the cross-genre thriller Castle Bound. Follow along at the prelaunch page. I’m expecting to launch in early February.

Incisive Detective Gray Knox thrives on mysteries and the thrill of complex investigations. When Knox and his partner Nicki Ballard discover a woman on the cool, damp banks of the Chaskee River, they must find answers.

Because what they discover about the woman, Jessaline, might just turn over everything they know about their own procedural strategies.

A genre-bending thriller from the author of Mangled Gravity and Lying Cameras.

The general release happens in June 2027 – preorders will be available soon – so the Kickstarter is a great way to grab it a little sooner. As with the other Kickstarters, I’m including a bunch of pretty cool rewards and stretch goals and add-ons – novellas and novels and for the first time moving into print copies for those who, like me, love to hold a book in their hands.

No obligations by following along on the prelaunch, but you’ll see the updates, and be first out of the gate to see the reward tiers I’m including. Follow along.

 

 

Great review of “Strange Orbit” – the Spin Trap story given away to followers of the Kickstarter

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

One of the things I’ve done with the latest Kickstarter is to give away a free ebook story to all followers of the campaign. “Strange Orbit” is a prequel story to Spin Trap the novel that is the focus of the Kickstarter.

The esteemable Keith West has written concise review of “Strange Orbit” on his blog here. Full disclosure, Keith is another writer, and is known to me, though we’ve never met in person. But go read the review. And follow along with the Kickstarter (which is finishing in a few days) and you’ll get a free copy.

Strange Orbit – Blurb

Sean Monaghan’s intense science fiction tales deliver disaster and  danger, all with a powerful human touch.

Accomplished tug jockey Deacon Winchler flies the lunar cargo routes. Long hours, Cramped quarters, lousy pay. But he loves the work. He even likes his crewmates. Kind of.

When an unexpected message breaks the routine, Deacon needs to make fast decisions. Clear decisions.

Live or die decisions.

A gripping story of moments gone wrong and improvisation with just the right pinch of humor

From the world of the novel Spin trap, by award-winning writer Sean Monaghan, author of the “Wildest Skies” series.

The Kickstarter finishes in a few days, so grab the story quick. It won’t be out on general release until December.

Spin Trap Kickstarter – Live and funded and going strong

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

So the Kickstarter has kicked off so well that I’m humbled and grateful to all my supporters who’ve backed the campaign so far. 125% funded already.

I have a new story out this weekend – “Mars Borer 13B” and it kind of fits with the hard sci-fi action-adventure tone of Spin Trap, so I’m offering it at a 60% discount on the main website for the duration of the Kickstarter campaign. As a little temptation, the story includes an excerpt – Chapter One – from Spin Trap.

Mars Borer 13B – Blurb

Cunning and devious, Sean Monaghan’s stories deliver thrills and shocks and the occasional laugh.

Weary astronaut, Dan Foldern traipses the Martian surface in his busted old spacesuit. It stinks. It pinches. It threatens to burst open.

But bigger threats loom. Routine inspections reveal hidden menaces in an unforgiving environment.

Life or death menaces.

Both spellbinding and confronting, Sean Monaghan’s impactful Mars stories confront the future right on our doorstep.

Click here or on the image to go straight to the discount. If it doesn’t show up – enter the discount code SpinonMars to get $2 off the $2.99 cover price. The QR code below will take you right on over there too.

 

 

Oh, and go check out the Spin Trap Kickstarter too. There’s a bunch of rewards, meaning a whole bunch of great reading.

Thanks for reading.

Sean

Spin Trap – gripping new sci-fi novel launching with a Kickstarter on September 1st

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

Well, all the rewards and add-ons and details are in place now for the next Kickstarter release. Spin Trap is a high-octane deep space adventure.

Mastermind storyteller, Sean Monaghan delivers another astonishing tale of deep space with a deft human touch.

Astronaut Deacon Winchler loves his easy life shunting Pallets around Luna Orbit, dining on greasy pizza and even indulging in the occasional beer.

When an offer comes in to go investigate a whirling interstellar visitor plunging into the solar system, Deacon barely hesitates.

After all, what could go wrong?

A compelling Novel of disaster and destruction with a touch of humor and maybe even a hint of romance from award-winning writer Sean Monaghan, author of the “Wildest Skies” series.

The rewards start out with an electronic copy of the novel, which all backers will receive, and include other standalone novels and novellas with a bunch of different combinations.

Tower Gambit – see the sidebar on the right – is one of the bonus rewards.

The novel won’t be out on general release until late December, so this is a great way to get it early, and to grab a bunch of other reading at the same time.

Check it out now.

Cheers

Sean

 

 

 

 

Tower Gambit – New SF Novel out on August 20th

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

In the lead-up to the expected September Kickstarter for Spin Trap, a new standalone science fiction novel, I have another standalone SF novel coming out on August 20th.

Tower Gambit is a high-concept, energetic thrill-ride, with heart. Out from all your favorite retailers, including direct from seanmonaghan.com on August 20th.

Enthralling novelist Sean Monaghan throws readers yet another curveball.

Crispin Calderton listens to soft piano music in his cool office at tip of CeeVoll 617’s spire. A brief respite from governing the million or more people living hardscrabble lives on the floors beneath.

Meanwhile, hundreds of floors down, Ernst Marbee finds himself swept up in Abie’s explorations. After all, there must be treasures worth discovering in the city tower’s labyrinthine structure.

What they find, though, might threaten their very understanding of their lives.

Another brutal, compelling, high-concept action-adventure from the author of Spin Trap and the Wildest Skies series.

In the meantime, check out the Kickstarter at this link and follow along to be notified when it goes life. It’s going to be a blast.

Spin Trap – New novel coming with a Kickstarter in September

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

 

I have been writing furiously, as always, and trying to keep up with the publishing. Following my successful Wildest Skies Kickstarter campaign, I’m ramping up now for another campaign, for my new standalone kick-butt action sci-fi novel Spin Trap.

Stay tuned. Details coming.

Sign up to receive updates. Prelaunch page coming sooooooon.

Spin Trap

 

 

Mastermind storyteller, Sean Monaghan delivers another astonishing tale of deep space with a deft human touch.

Astronaut Deacon Winchler loves his easy life shunting Pallets around Lunar Orbit, dining on greasy pizza and even indulging in the occasional beer.

When an offer comes in to go investigate a whirling interstellar visitor plunging into the solar system, Deacon barely hesitates.

After all, what could go wrong?

A compelling novel of disaster and destruction with a touch of humor and maybe even a hint of romance from award-winning writer Sean Monaghan, author of the “Wildest Skies” series.

Cover image copyright Philcold | Dreamstime

 

Into The Last Stretch

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

My Wildest Skies Kickstarter now has less than 24 hours to run, and it’s already been successful beyond my wildest schemes – 365% percent funded as I write this. I’m very grateful to all the folks out there who’ve support the kickstarter, whether by backing it or sharing it or both

 

 

 

 

 

The backing has been so amazing that all of the stretch goals have been unlocked – a bonus short story, two novellas and a novel.. Had I known, I may have prepared more out there.

There’s still time to grab some high octane adventure sci-fi – back the Kickstarter before it closes at 5pm Friday NZ time/ 9pm Thursday Pacific Time / 5am Friday UK Time (I know!)

Thanks again for all the support

Wildest Skies Kickstarter – funded

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

 

 

A quick update here on the Kickstarter – we funded in the first eight hours which surprises me since this was my first time out. The campaign has even blown on past the first stretch goal, so in addition to the rewards, all backers will now get an ebook of “Problem Landing”.

I appreciate all those who have backed so far. I’m humbled, really. Thank you.

The campaign runs through until April 3rd, so there’s still time to grab some rewards. A whole bunch of great reading there.

While I’m rambling away here, I’ll mention my thanks to those folks who read “Water Robot” here on the blog for Free Fiction Fifteenth. I hope you enjoyed the story. There are more coming – the next story will be up on April 15th.

That Old Familiar Feeling

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

Once again I’ve started in on what I figured would be a short story – a contribution for an anthology no less – and discovered that the story kind of really wants to be a novel.

Many of my novels have started out as short stories.

In a way, no surprise this time, since it’s a science fiction anthology and the theme is Megastructures – objects that are just vast. So, yeah, I guess my subconscious wanted to explore that large concept on a larger scale.

The anthology’s call is for a length somewhere between 3000 and 7000 words, and the new piece is already closing on 20,000.

And as if my subconscious is letting me know that it’ll get way bigger, the heroes haven’t even gotten to the megastructure yet. They’re just on their way. (More details might be considered spoilers, so they’ll show up when the book is available).

Mostly my novels come in at around 60,000 words, so I might be a third of the way there… then again, some have gone longer.

And the trick is I still have to circle back at some point and get a story in for that anthology. Under 7000 words.

In the meantime, there’s a lot of work ahead. I’ve whipped up a draft cover for the book, but it will be some time before it shows up. Maybe with a different title, maybe with a different image, but certainly all about intrepid explorers finding out all they can about a megastructure.

Guaranteed to be fun.