My conceptual sci-fi/horror story “Time of Death” has just been published in the April/May issue of Alien Skin Magazine. This has some pretty bleak humour to it, so is both fun and sad. Alien Skin does not archive – so this story is only available during April and May this year. After that the link above will go to another story (in the June/July issue, the August/September and so on), so get in now and read it quick.
Category: fiction
New Shoes, Old Eyes – poem gets 3rd place in local contest
My poem submitted for the Urban Care – Poetry on Palmy contest has come third equal and, yay, there’s a prize-giving this afternoon. It’s great to get a place, but also neat to have something in the real world – so much of my writing now is here on your screen: I’ll be mixing with real people today. The competition was to write a poem about our hometown Palmerston North (New Zealand). The poem will probably be published at some point, but here are the first few lines:
New Shoes, Old Eyes
Returning to your frigid grid
Of fragile kerbs
And surly kids
Where turbined hills
spill spun white glass
…
If you’re in Palmy and happen to read this beforehand, the prize-giving is at 4pm at Square Edge.
I Puncture Him All Over – new story on Macabre Cadaver
Continuing on with a busy week of stories coming out. My fairly bleak short story I Puncture Him All Over has just been published on the ever-varied Macabre Cadaver. It’s a more brutal and graphic story than I normally write, but stylistically I’m very happy with it. My thanks, also, to editor Emmanuel Paige for his suggestions which have helped to strengthen the story from the original version I submitted.
My short “reading for writing” review was to be on The Engine of Recall by Karl Schroeder, but I’ll do that next week, assuming normal service resumes.
Social Media for the Undead – new story on MicroHorror
Heck with it – this is a busy week for stories of mine, so I’m abandoning my regular features, such as they are, to broadcast announcements. A new story – Social Media for the Undead – has been published on the MicroHorror site. This is a quick, fun piece of flash fiction. Well, ironically fun I suppose, perhaps loaded and pointed, but anyway I hope you enjoy.
Normal service will resume as soon as possible.
Butterfly Kisses in House of Horror issue 10
My longer horror story (ie, not flash) “Butterfly Kisses” has been published in issue 10 of the extraordinary House of Horror. S.E. is a masterful and enthusiastic editor and the site is full and busy and entertaining. Thanks to Shane, who selected the story for the issue.
I know Tuesday is usually music to write to – I was going to review The Geometry of Night by S.E.T.I. – but I’ll do that later. I figure announcements and self-promotion can over-ride. Unless something unusual happens I’ll review Geometry on Friday.
Stone Goddess – podcast
My story “The Stone Goddess” originally published in Horror Through The Ages, the first anthology from Lame Goat Press, has been read by Barry J Northern in the new Lame Goat Podcast. Barry does an excellent job – his pacing and tone is wonderful and really does the story justice.
Barry is creating a fantastic archive of podcasts from Lame Goat publications – “Lacerta” by Jodi MacArthur, “Beserker” by Deborah Walker and “Their Dark Master” by Mark Anthony Crittendon, with more to come.
Unplugged – anthology of science fiction and fantasy
Unplugged is a cool idea: a print collection of science fiction and fantasy stories that originally appeared online. As with any anthology, there are stories that appeal and stories which don’t, but overall the standard is pretty high. My personal favourite is “Snatch Me Another” by Mercurio D. Rivera – great pacey writing, a cool idea (a neat twist on the idea of alternate universes. There are some known writers here – Cory Doctorow, Nancy Kress, etc. – and also some less established names. There’s a handy list at the back of the volume with the original websites – some no longer functioning, but an intriguing resource. A cool description on the back cover too “unplugged surfs the web so you don’t have to” – that’s good, ‘cos I’m thinking lots of us (ie me) could do with a little less web time and a little more A.R.
Music from Alien Cities by Venus Vulture used on book trailer
James Kay Publishing has used some music from the Venus Vulture ep Alien Cities in a cool book trailer. The trailer promotes Derek Bullard’s book Mayan Moon which I hope to read soon.
The Alien Cities glitchy space-music feel seems to suit the trailer, especially since it’s tied in with some music by Thomas Andersson which is more uptempo and melodic (you can tell easily which music is mine and which is Thomas’s).
It’s cool to be part of this kind of thing – Venus Vulture music being linked back to science fiction writing. Alien Cities remains a reasonably popular download, especially considering it’s early work and I haven’t really put much promotion behind it. Bizarrely the ep cover is by far the most popular image on my flickr site – it has been viewed 10x as often as my next most popular image.
Pecha Kucha, tutoring, reviewing and swimming: another frantic weekend
This is really just a diary entry, nothing too extraordinary here.
My Pecha Kucha presentation slowly evolves. I hope to have it down tonight. I’ll post the talk after Thursday sometime. I’m finally up to date with the creative writing study guide and ready, as I will ever be, to begin marking. Just as well because, even though the deadline isn’t until this coming Friday, the first portfolios have begun to arrive. I’m well into China Mieville’s new paperback The City and The City for review. It has been out in hardback for a while. I am enjoying it – this writer seems capable of everything. Yay, I did manage to get into a pool amongst all the busy-ness and become immersed – so refreshing.
Bored Out Of My Skull link
My latest story published on line is here – Bored Out Of My Skull, on the ever-wonderful The New Flesh Magazine. This is quirky weird strange horror, perhaps humour bizarro. I don’t know, but it was a fun story to write.
Yes, it’s Thursday when I usually post about what I’m reading, but truly nothing much has changed since last Thursday – still deep in the heart of reading the tutoring manual and readings. Whew.
Sean Monaghan - Writer 