Tag: novelette

The Molenstraat Music Festival shortlisted for Aurealis Awards

~ Sean Monaghan ~ 6 Comments

aurealis awardsI’m thrilled that my novelette published last year in Asimov’s – “The Molenstraat Music Festival” has been shortlisted for Australia’s Aurealis Awards. With baited breath, I must wait until March 25th for the ceremony. Of course, I’m on the ballot with Garth Nix so it feels like a long shot.

Since the novelette is also a Readers’ Awards Finalist in the Asimov’s Awards, it’s currently available to read for free on the Asimov’s Science Fiction website, here,. In that one I’m up against the likes of Michael Swanwick and David Gerrold, so no holding my breath 🙂

Congratulations to everyone on the shortlists – especially my friend Steve Cameron for his story “Lodloc and The Bear”.

Good luck to all.

Sir Julius Vogel Awards ballot

~ Sean Monaghan ~ 2 Comments

smFront-v5There is the vague possibility of my getting onto the ballot for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards – New Zealand’s Science Fiction awards for a couple of stories: The Molenstraat Music Festival in Asimov’s, and The Harpsichord Elf in Capricious. The process works by the stories with the most nominations go on the ballot.

So, if any of you happen to have read either or both of the stories (and I’m happy to send you copies if you haven’t :-/ ), and you have a moment, email the details to

sjv_awards@sffanz.org.nz

asking to nominate the story (one story per email).The nominations close on February 28th (which will be the 27th, American friends living across the dateline).

Award website:http://www.sffanz.org.nz/sjv/sjvAwards.shtml

Details to send:
Title: The Molenstraat Music Festival
Author: Sean Monaghan
Category: Novelette or Novella
Published: Septmeber 2015
Published in: Asimov’s science fiction
Full details here: http://www.asimovs.com
Category: Professional awards
Science fiction
Nominated by [your contact details]

Title: The Harpsichord Elf
Author: Sean Monaghan
Category: Short Story
Published: 2015
Published in: Capricious
Full details here: http://www.capricioussf.org/2015/09/issue-1-available-now/
Category: Professional awards
Science Fiction
Nominated by [your contact details]

Thank you so much.

The Molenstraat Music Festival in Asimovs

~ Sean Monaghan ~ 10 Comments

ASF_september 2015My novelette “The Molenstraat Music Festival” has just been published in the September issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. It’s a story of a far future that, among advanced technology, still has time for art.
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“I’m Tamsin Birchall.” She stepped down from the vehicle. She was tall, thin-legged and wasp-waisted. She’d had work done, but then everybody did these days, didn’t they? She was wearing a blue single-piece dress that seemed to wrap around her legs almost like slacks as she walked. Her hips swayed, but her shoulders stayed steady. She could be a dancer.
“I can help you?” Clancy said. He pointed back the way they’d come. “Stay on that road for another six or seven miles you’ll come to a nice, isolated beach. The water’s a long way down now, with the dry, but it’s still pleasant enough. The trees grow down to the sand’s edge, and there are some grassy picnic spots. Another ten miles on, up Freyberg Road, there’s a rooming house.”
“It’s not directions I’m looking for.”

____________________________________

I’m thrilled and honored to be sharing the table of contents with science fiction luminaries once again. Brenda Cooper!, Jason Sanford, Vylar Kaftan, among others.

I’m also honored that Asimov’s editor Sheila Williams saw something in my little story. Thanks.

The Whalefall in The Colored Lens

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

cl 13My novelette “The Whalefall” has just appeared in the Autumn 2014 issue of The Colored Lens. The story of a woman searching for her father lost at sea, on a distant planet where the sea life comes somewhat larger than here on Earth.

Cool to be sharing the contents page with, among others, David Kernot from across the ditch. David’s also one of the editors for issues of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine – in fact edited the issue that came out a couple of months ago with my story “Alecia in the Mechwurm”.

Robert Silverberg and Asimov’s

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

Asimov's March 2014As a teen I devoured books by Robert Silverberg. The Man in the Maze, Those Who Watch, Downward to the Earth… the list goes on. I didn’t read everything – his output was prolific, I couldn’t even find them all – but his accessible, engaging, clever stories were a big part of making me want to be a writer. I’m sure many of my early tales were little more than awkward adolescent copies of his books.

Well, over time I guess I’ve found my own voice, and have published many stories along the way. Now, though, I’m thrilled to have achieved one of my dreams from those teenage years: a story published in Asimov’s Science Fiction. My novelette “Walking Gear” is in the March 2014 issue.

Not only that, but I’m sharing the contents page with Robert Silverberg.

Of course, Mr. Silverberg’s piece is his regular column, so getting a story in Asimov’s meant a fair chance of coinciding, but I still feel very honored. There are other luminaries in the issue too, like Mike Resnick, Ken Liu and Cat Rambo. Wow.

(Asimov’s on Kindle)

“Turtles” – a Barris Space story – out now in Encounters Magazine

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment

Encounters 200x305 My story “Turtles” is out now in the April edition of Encounters magazine. “Turtles” is a story set in my Barris Space universe. Previously published stories include “Barris Debris” (Deep Space Terror), “Eltanin Hoop Anomaly Rescue” (Will it go Faster if I Push This) and the novella The Wreck of the Emerald Sky (The Colored Lens).Derel Larsen – a character in Emerald Sky – appears in this new story too.

I’ll be re-publishing The Wreck of the Emerald Sky as a stand-alone ebook and print book in the near future, and eventually will be gathering together all those Barris Space stories (and a couple of others) into an omnibus edition. In the meantime check out Encounters – there’s a whole bunch of great stories there.

The year that was… a reflection on publications

~ Sean Monaghan ~ Leave a comment


A banner year for me, even though I didn’t quite reach some personal goals, I have redefined and taken some new and very positive directions with writing and finding a readership. This year I published 21 new stories and 4 new poems, as well as having 5 stories reprinted (last year, 2010, I had 59 publications, without counting reprints, including a few poems). Fewer flash fiction pieces – I’ve been writing much longer now. This year I’ve written a 95,000 word novel, four novelettes, and numerous long stories. Many of these have been published (including the novel – more on that next week). I’ve been indie-publishing many of my previously-published stories, as well as some new stories, through Triple V Publishing, and will look to continue that next year (as part of my goals for 2012). A couple of highlights were getting published in a New Zealand literary magazine (Takahe) and in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine.

Many of my publications were with the ever-friendly Static Movement, and I’m also in the process of editing three anthologies for them too.

Next year – onwards, less making music, less TV, less goofing off, more novels, more long stories and more writing. I have 5 acceptances for new stories coming out in 2012, as well as another 4 reprints.

By the way, the picture here is for the Static Movement anthologyAlternate Dimensions, that includes my story “Imaginary Maid Forgets She is Late for a Banquet”.