Category: music

Wilkes Landing – a new novel in a new genre (for me)

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

That’s it there. Wilkes Landing. Get it right now, if you dare, from the website – use the code FirstInWins25 at checkout to get the ebook for half-off. seanmonaghan.com  or use direct link here. That’s a $5.99 ebook for under three bucks. Move quick, this expires in January. As they say, we really can’t hold the price that low of any longer.

It will be out on general release in the usual places from November 15th.

On The Edge Of Heartache

When a high-stakes airliner emergency drops Alicia into the arms of hunky firefighter Brent, she finds herself torn and distracted.

The hidden charms of small-town Alaska create the perfect setting for entangled hearts and rising emotions.

On a path to heartbreak, or bliss.

With nothing in between.

If you’re  a regular here on the blog (and I know you are, even if I’m not so regular myself), you’ll know that mostly I’m off writing in other genres. You know, Science Fiction and Thrillers and even those Fantasies you’ve seen popping up this year. Why confuse things with something that’s clearly romance? I mean, you can tell from the cover, right? Right? If not, then I’m doing something wrong.

My answer? I’m interested in telling stories. Making stuff up. Stuff with an upbeat ending, and this genre guarantees that. While my SF and other stuff does have positive endings, the genre doesn’t necessarily demand it. Horror, on the other hand, well.

So with this I just tried to tell the best story I could. It’s a sweet romance, with no spice, in case you’re wondering. Always conscious that my mum might read something I’ve written. Yeah.

It’s occurred to me that I’m always listening to music as I write and publish, so I thought I might mention what I’m currently listening to, you know, in case it’s something you might enjoy.

Right now, I’m immersed in listening to Wisp’s album If Not Winter. Part of, I guess, the shoegaze revival happening now. If Not Winter is a wonderful blend of drenching guitars run through pedals, with delicate softly-sung melodies. Sometimes that distortion is a little much for my taste, but there’s enough of the acoustic side to keep it engaging and fun.

Thanks for reading.

Blurred Horizon – new Venus Vulture Album out now.

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

I have a new ambient album out now on the Zenapolae netlabel.

In between writing and more writing, I do find a little time to tinker with my modular rack and little bits and pieces of software and work up some electronic music.

Blurred Horizon garners some of its inspiration from time spent on Naoshima Island in Japan – the cover photograph was taken from the shore there. Coincidentally (or not), just along the road from where I took the photo, lies the Benesse House Museum, a wonderful gallery, which, at the time we were there, had a series of seascapes photographs by Hiroshi Sugimoto, which may bear some similarity to this photography. Sugimoto’s “Boden Sea” photograph appeared on the cover Richard Chartier and Taylor Deupree’s album Specification.Fifteen and later on the cover of U2’s No Line On The Horizon. Sugimoto’s photograph was taken elsewhere… Lake Constance, I believe.

Blurred Horizon is composed of fragments and loops. Plenty of slowly evolving drones. As I usually mention when I have new music out, this is music to write to. When I was starting out as a writer, I loved having soft ambient music in the background, but it was difficult in those days to find new music, so I found myself experimenting and making my own. Times have changed, and there’s more ambient around than I could really get a chance to listen to… and still I find myself taking a break from writing and making some more.

The album is a free download from Zenapolae. Enjoy.

Music For Writing

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

I have a new ambient album out on the Zenapolae netlabel. Distant Skies by Venus Vulture. Available for free download here.

Four drifty, droney background tracks, an hour of music to slide away on. Like the old definition I’m always striving for: interesting enough to be engaging, discreet enough to be ignored. Brian Eno, I think, said that.

I took the cover photograph of three vultures during my last trip through Okalhoma. Vultures seem appropriate, given my band name, right? I’ll be over in OK again later this year, visiting friends and family, finding more inspiration, and likely taking more photos.

I’ve mentioned before, but it’s always worth stating; many years ago, as a writer, I loved having some soft ambient music playing while I wrote. But in those days, it was tricky to find, especially here in New Zealand. So I fooled around with making my own. Nowadays, given the pesky internet with its netlabels (like Zenapolae), and streaming services, there’s plenty of ambient music around. I own and stream way too much. But I still have fun making it for myself, and it’s cool to put it out there this way.

Thanks for listening.

Also, since I talked about writing, here’s a link to a free downloadable short story on my website. Brickworks. Use the code “DistantSkies” (no gap) at checkout to get the discount of 100% off. Valid at least through to the end of 2025. Thanks for reading.

Two new Venus Vulture releases

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

When taking breaks from tickling away at a Qwerty keyboard, I sometimes noodle around with music. It’s always fun to activate different parts of my brain and still be creative.

First up is “Coiled Within Mountains“, released on Zenapolae.

Four ambient tracks filled with drifty loops and occasional snatches of melody.

Free download.

The second release, direct through bandcamp, is Salt.

Six ambient tracks filled with drifty loops and occasional snatches of melody.

Free to listen to on bandcamp, $US4- to buy the download.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ecosystem 8 – new Venus Vulture album out on Zenapolae

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New release – Zen240 – Venus Vulture – Ecosystem 8

Mostly here I’m talking about my writing – after all that’s my main focus. In the background, though, I’m an amateur electronic musician (good to have hobbies, right?). I record and release under the ‘band’ name Venus Vulture. Ambient electronica. I’ve written elsewhere about coming to make ambient music – enjoying listening to it while writing, but having trouble finding it… that’s changed with the advent of the internet, but in the meantime, I found I enjoyed it, so kept making music.

Some of my albums appear on my bandcamp page. Some have come out on netlabels (Resting Bell, Testtube, Zenapolae), and I collaborate with Kendall of December Nightskies as an actual band – Shadows on the Snow, and we have a bunch of releases both independently and on netlabels.

My thanks to arnd from Zenapolae for his patience and back and forth with me while I put together this release. I like his description – “a delicate ambience made with modular synthesis”. That’s what I’m aiming for – delicate ambience.

I’ll write again about the ‘modular synthesis’ side of it – a shift over the last couple of years from computer-based composition to building a modular synth rig. arnd’s put an image of my rig there on the release page.

Ecosystem 8 is free to download.

Strata, and a performance

~ Sean Monaghan ~ 2 Comments

strata 1Taking a leap into the unknown, going, as they say ‘out of my comfort zone’, tonight marks the first Venus Vulture live performance. This is at Swampfest, the Palmerston North annual event showcasing local musicians (and, this year, hosting me).

In about five hours. Hmm! I’ve written here before about the fun I have making music and seeing what I can come up with. Ambient soundscapes and drones and quiet minimal stuff.

But this is a different thing. Live. Performance.

Erp.

Now, I do make music using a modular synthesizer, so there’s an element of just turning it on and sound comes out. Quite distinct from having to hold the chords on a guitar as the player strums, or, well, actually playing any kind of non-electronic instrument.

I’m using my Unpredictability Machine – which you can see here on Modulargrid. Performing a piece called “Strata”

So, yeah, I do need to turn the knobs at the right time, and cue up the samples in the right order. All while standing in front of people. Actual people. You know, real musicians, who tend to be the people who come to Swampfest.

Fifteen minutes is all. Not long, right. Should be fine. Heh. Do I seem intimidate? Nah.

Anyway, in the lead up and preparing for the night, I’ve recorded some of my sessions and released them on Bandcamp. Pay what you like, or just have a listen online.

With focus, the show might even sound pretty close to this.

And thanks to so many people for their encouragement in taking this leap.

Two New Ambient Albums from Shadows on the Snow

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

 

It has been a while since I’ve posted about new music here. Some of you may know that while I’m primarily a writer, I also tinker with ambient music. I release solo works as Venus Vulture,  but I am also one half of the band Shadows on the Snow, with Kendall Keeler of December Nightskies. We trade files back and forth, building up tracks that way (Kendall’s based in the U.S, I live in New Zealand. Our plans to meet up earlier this year were put on hold thanks to the pandemic).

We have two new releases, available now from Bandcamp.

SHADOWS ON THE SNOW SHADOWS IN THE ARCHITECTUREThe first is Shadows in the Architecture. One long, evolving track, complemented by three shorter tracks. 

I really like this one. Unusual. Experimental. Quirky, even.

I’m especially happy with the cover. That’s taken from a building near where I live. Photographed around sunset, with the strange light and shadows highlighted. It feels appropriate for the release.

 

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Vapor Release possible cover imageThe second is Vapor Release. Again, a long evolving track that goes through several phases.

Kendall and I are fans of dark, moody tracks and I feel that this one really exemplifies where we’re at with our approach to music.

Kendall also collaborates with Charlie Naked, release music as Something Like Squids – check out those releases, all available through the December Nightskies Bandcamp page.

Gearing up for a busy writing (and music) year.

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

After a year of being almost in stasis, of stumbling and letting things slide, focus feels like it is returning.

I knew I would be more focused this year, but then Dean Wesley Smith offered a publishing challenge. I signed up. Nothing will motivate me more than having to report in monthly. I had already planned to release a piece of writing each month, but this ups the ante with each monthly item having to be a novella (20,000 words plus), a novel, a collection of stories (minimum five) or an omnibus of novels.

That’s a level up from where I was heading – I was aiming for four novels, and eight stories. Maybe putting out a story collection later in the year.

Now, I did  put out four novels last year.

But it was a bit haphazard. There were a couple of standalone stories in the mix too. This year I’ll be scheduling everything. Doing preorders (hoping I can figure out how to get the paperback to run as a preorder on Amazon, rather than just dropping the moment I complete the uploads).

I’m formally beginning the challenge from May (I have some travel and other commitments through to April), but I’m still sticking with the release per month schedule from January on to April anyway. Targeting the last day of the month. The first is available for preorder now – the short sci-fi thriller “Life Span” (short as in sixty odd pages). I’ll do a proper promo post on that soon.

Life Span

Life Span will be out on January 31, and the preorder will be pretty wide shortly. Here’s the blurb

Cody Albine watches as her elegant and well-organized presentation collapses. Right in front of her last chance at getting corporate funding for the project of a lifetime. Her absolute passion.

But hope lies with her friends. It might take compromise, but a little compromise between friends never goes astray.

A short biological sci fi thriller with a heart. From the author of Overrun and L-Own.

 

I’m also putting some focus back on getting music out.  Some few of you may know that I make electronic music as Venus Vulture.

Chelden River Suite 2

For the last few years I’ve still been making music, but letting it linger on the hard drive. Some I’ve been sharing with Kendall, my collaborator from December Nightskies. We release music as Shadows on the Snow.

Even that has slowed down a bit.

So, my challenge this year is to get some music fragments to Kendall each month to see if we can do some Shadows on the Snow releases.

I’m also taking on getting a new Venus Vulture album out every three months. It’s not like there’s a shortage of music (either in the world or on my hard drive), but the act of getting the music out there takes some focus for me.

Chelden River Suite, a four part album, is already up and available at Bandcamp, again as a preorder for full release on (you guessed it) January 31.

I’m also figuring out reactivating venusvulture.com. After all, I’m paying for that URL.

 

Add to that keeping this site active, posting weekly at prowriterswriting.com, staying fit and healthy, a little travel, a WorldCon to attend and everything else that keeps us going, I think it will be a pretty fine year.