Seanan McGuire

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Seanan McGuire
Image of Seanan McGuire in 2018
McGuire in 2018
Born (1978-01-05) January 5, 1978 (age 46)
Martinez, California, U.S.
Pen name
  • Mira Grant
  • A. Deborah Baker
OccupationWriter
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
Genre
Notable works
Notable awards
Website
www.seananmcguire.com Edit this at Wikidata

Seanan McGuire (pronounced SHAWN-in;[1] born January 5, 1978, in Martinez, California) is an American author and filker. McGuire is known for her urban fantasy novels. She uses the pseudonym Mira Grant to write science fiction/horror[2] and the pseudonym A. Deborah Baker to write the "Up-and-Under" children's portal fantasy series.[3]

In 2010, she was awarded the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer by the World Science Fiction Convention.[4] Her 2016 novella Every Heart a Doorway received a Nebula Award,[5] Hugo Award,[6] Locus Award,[7] and Alex Award.[8]

In 2013, McGuire received a record five Hugo nominations in total, two for works as Grant and three under her own name.[9]

Biography[edit]

McGuire was born in California, to parents who were separated for most of her childhood. She traveled with her father, a carnival worker of Romani origin, during the summer,[10] an experience that she described as "Bradbury-esque running wild and unfettered through farmers' fields, building Ferris wheels and living on funnel cake."[11] This experience had a strong influence on her later work, particularly InCryptid: several of the stories in the series (particularly Magic for Nothing, Married in Green and The Flower of Arizona) are set in or feature carnivals, and the companion Ghost Roads series tells the story of a highway ghost. She has at least two brothers on her father's side of the family.

Her mother, Micki McGuire, had "primary custody, two other children, no money, and an abusive husband who targeted [her]",[12] and her early childhood was difficult.

McGuire, who attended University of California, Berkeley,[13] currently lives in Washington State.[1]

She has described her interests as including "swamps, long walks, long walks in swamps, things that live in swamps, horror movies, strange noises, musical theater, reality TV, comic books, finding pennies on the street, and venomous reptiles."[14]

McGuire frequently posts online about roleplaying games, My Little Pony, and caring for her menagerie of cats. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked at a reptile rescue organization.[15]

She identifies as pansexual,[16] bisexual[17] and demisexual,[18] and writes numerous queer characters into her work.

She has autism, which she was diagnosed with in 2020,[19] attention deficit hyperactivity disorder[20][21] and obsessive–compulsive disorder, diagnosed when she was nine.[22]

Professional career[edit]

McGuire has published filk music, poetry, short fiction, essays, and novels. Most follow speculative fiction themes of fantasy, science fiction, and horror.

Her earliest publication was a contribution to the June 2002 poetry anthology Speculon.[23] She produced the musical album Pretty Little Dead Girl in 2006[24] and published her first short story in The Edge of Propinquity in 2008.[23]

Rosemary and Rue was her first published novel, released in 2009. She published Feed under the pseudonym Mira Grant in 2010, thus establishing herself as an urban fantasy writer and her Grant persona as a horror/science fiction writer.

Her longest-running series is the October Daye books, which began in 2009 with Rosemary and Rue. Sixteen books are currently available and the next installment is planned for September 2023.[25]

In 2018, McGuire began writing for Marvel Comics. She is the author of the Spider-Gwen series and has contributed to several other franchises.

Notable works[edit]

Series[edit]

Tie-ins[edit]

Comics[edit]

  • Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider (series, published 2018-9)
  • Magic:Soul and Stone (July 2023)

Short fiction[edit]

McGuire's short fiction has been published in Apex Magazine, Nightmare Magazine, Lightspeed Magazine, and others. Her works appear in anthologies edited by Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, and John Joseph Adams.

She has self-published hundreds of short stories. From 2008 to 2017, she posted installments of the Velveteen series to LiveJournal with the support of fan sponsorships.[27] Tie-ins to her October Daye and InCryptid series are available for free on her website. In 2016, she launched a Patreon account to post monthly short stories for her subscribers.

Awards and nominations[edit]

Literary awards[edit]

McGuire holds the record for most Hugo Award nominations in a single year, with five nominations in 2013. McGuire was the first author to win the American Library Association's Alex Awards for two consecutive years.[28] She has been nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Series every year since its inception in 2017.

In 2010, Feed was recognized as #74 out of the 100 top thriller novels of all time by NPR.[29] It was also recognized as a Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2010.[30]

In 2012, McGuire (as Mira Grant) was inducted in to the Darrell Awards Hall of Fame for the best American Mid-South regional speculative fiction.[31]

Year Award Work Result Ref
2010 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer N/A Won [4]
2011 Hugo Award for Best Novel Feed (as Mira Grant) Nominated [32]
2012 Hugo Award for Best Novel Deadline (as Mira Grant) Nominated [33]
Hugo Award for Best Novella "Countdown" (as Mira Grant) Nominated
Hugo Award for Best Related Work Wicked Girls Nominated
Hugo Award for Best Fancast SF Squeecast Won
2013 Hugo Award for Best Fancast SF Squeecast Won [34]
Hugo Award for Best Novel Blackout (as Mira Grant) Nominated
Hugo Award for Best Novella "San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats" (as Mira Grant) Nominated
Hugo Award for Best Novelette "In Sea-Salt Tears" Nominated
Hugo Award for Best Novelette "Rat-Catcher" Nominated
2014 Hugo Award for Best Novel Parasite (as Mira Grant) Nominated [35]
2016 Nebula Award for Best Novella Every Heart a Doorway Won [36]
2017 World Fantasy Award for Best Novella Every Heart a Doorway Nominated [37]
Alex Awards Every Heart a Doorway Won [38]
Hugo Award for Best Novella Every Heart a Doorway Won [39]
Locus Award for Best Novella Every Heart a Doorway Won [40]
Hugo Award for Best Series October Daye Nominated [39]
2018 Alex Awards Down Among the Sticks and Bones Won [41]
Hugo Award for Best Novella Down Among the Sticks and Bones Nominated [42]
Hugo Award for Best Series InCryptid Nominated [43]
2019 World Fantasy Award for Best Novella Beneath the Sugar Sky Nominated [37]
Hugo Award for Best Novella Beneath the Sugar Sky Nominated [43]
Hugo Award for Best Series October Daye Nominated
2020 Hugo Award for Best Series InCryptid Nominated [44]
Hugo Award for Best Novella In an Absent Dream Nominated
Hugo Award for Best Novel Middlegame Nominated
Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel Middlegame Won [45]
Alex Awards Middlegame Won [46]
2021 Hugo Award for Best Series October Daye Nominated [47]
Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story Ghost-Spider Vol. 1: Dog Days Are Over Nominated
Hugo Award for Best Novella Come Tumbling Down Nominated
2022 Hugo Award for Best Series Wayward Children Won [48]
Hugo Award for Best Short Story "Tangles" (Magic: The Gathering) Nominated
Hugo Award for Best Fanzine Small Gods Won
Hugo Award for Best Novella Across the Green Grass Fields Nominated
2023 Hugo Award for Best Series October Daye Nominated
Hugo Award for Best Novella Where the Drowned Girls Go Won

Filk awards[edit]

Pegasus Award presented by the Ohio Valley Filk Festival.[49]

Year Award Work Result
2005 Best Writer/ Composer N/A Nominated
2006 Best Writer/ Composer N/A Nominated
2006 Best Torch Song "Maybe It's Crazy" Nominated
2007 Best Performer N/A Won
2008 Best Writer/ Composer N/A Won
2008 Best Tragedy Song "The Black Death" Nominated
2010 Best Mad Science Song "What a Woman's For" Won
2011 Best Filk Song "Wicked Girls" Won
2011 Most Badass Song "Evil Laugh" Won
2012 Best Filk Song "My Story Is Not Done" Nominated
2015 Best Filk Song "My Story Is Not Done" Won
2018 Best Horror Song "Dear Gina" Won
2021 Best Mad Science Song "Maybe it's Crazy" Nominated
2021 Best Cheery-Ose Song "Dear Seanan" (with Erin Bellavia and Merav Hoffman) Nominated

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Seanan McGuire: General FAQ". seananmcguire.com. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  2. ^ Mayer, Petra (July 22, 2018). "Readers See Themselves In The Many Worlds Of Seanan McGuire". NPR. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  3. ^ "A. Deborah Baker | Authors". Macmillan. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  4. ^ a b "John W. Campbell Award History". www.thehugoawards.org. 9 August 2007.
  5. ^ "Nebula Award Recipients Announced". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. 2017-05-20. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
  6. ^ "2017 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 31 December 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-08-12. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
  7. ^ "2017 Locus Awards Winners". www.locusmag.com. Locus Online News. 2017-06-24. Retrieved 2017-06-25.
  8. ^ "Alex Awards 2017". www.ala.org. 2018-02-13. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  9. ^ Flood, Alison (31 March 2013). "Seanan McGuire gets record five nominations for Hugo awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  10. ^ "https://twitter.com/seananmcguire/status/1668676000228741120". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-06-15. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  11. ^ "https://twitter.com/seananmcguire/status/1668676221792821249". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-06-15. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  12. ^ "https://twitter.com/seananmcguire/status/1668675853809770496". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-06-15. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  13. ^ "seanan_mcguire - Profile". seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  14. ^ "Seanan McGuire: Biography". seananmcguire.com. Retrieved 2018-03-28.
  15. ^ "This story of a lizard getting trapped inside a man's leg is pure nightmare fuel". www.dailyedge.ie. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  16. ^ "Women in Queer SFF: Interview with Seanan McGuire". Sep 7, 2017. Retrieved Sep 26, 2019.
  17. ^ McGuire, Seanan (Apr 22, 2015). "I am not a lesbian when I am with a woman. I am not straight when I am with a man. I am not asexual when I am with neither. I'm bi". Retrieved Sep 26, 2019.
  18. ^ McGuire, Seanan (Feb 13, 2017). "My name is pronounced SHAWN-in, and while there are many aspects to the book that are not mine, I identify as demisexual". Retrieved Nov 24, 2019.
  19. ^ McGuire, Seanan [@seananmcguire] (March 23, 2023). "I was diagnosed autistic in 2020, which surprised absolutely no one, and is not a useful thing to use when trying to mock me. You can do better" (Tweet). Retrieved May 6, 2023 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ McGuire, Seanan [@seananmcguire] (August 7, 2022). "It absolutely is. And my ADHD is running the schedule right now" (Tweet). Retrieved May 6, 2023 – via Twitter.
  21. ^ McGuire, Seanan [@seananmcguire] (October 23, 2022). "Me: "I wonder if my new ADHD meds are working." Also me: "Oh, I got up at 6am and got right to work, I'm already 1,500 words into my day, why are you looking at me like that?"" (Tweet). Retrieved May 6, 2023 – via Twitter.
  22. ^ McGuire, Seanan [@seananmcguire] (January 30, 2020). "And the answer is that people with OCD exist. I have OCD, and I exist. I'm not looking for a cure; I have the childhood onset form of the condition, meaning I was diagnosed at the age of nine" (Tweet). Retrieved May 6, 2023 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ a b "Seanan McGuire: Bibliography". seananmcguire.com. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  24. ^ "Seanan McGuire: Albums". seananmcguire.com. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  25. ^ "Seanan McGuire: The October Daye Books". seananmcguire.com. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
  26. ^ "New Treasures: Deadlands: Boneyard by Seanan McGuire – Black Gate". 2 November 2017.
  27. ^ "Velveteen vs. The Aftermath". seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  28. ^ "Alex Awards Tor Press Release". www.tor.com. 2018-02-12. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  29. ^ "Audience Picks: Top 100 "Killer Thrillers"". NPR. 2010.
  30. ^ "Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2010". Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  31. ^ "The Darrell Awards". Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  32. ^ "2011 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. 2011-04-25. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  33. ^ "2012 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. Archived from the original on April 9, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  34. ^ Flood, Alison (31 March 2013). "Seanan McGuire gets record five nominations for Hugo awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  35. ^ "2014 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. 18 April 2014. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  36. ^ "Nebula Award Recipients Announced". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. 2017-05-20. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
  37. ^ a b "World Fantasy Awards 2019 | World Fantasy Convention". Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  38. ^ "Alex Awards 2017". www.ala.org. 2018-02-13. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  39. ^ a b "2017 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. 2016-12-31. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
  40. ^ "2017 Locus Awards Winners". Locus Online. 2017-06-24. Retrieved 2017-06-25.
  41. ^ "Alex Awards 2018". www.ala.org. 2018-02-12. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  42. ^ "2018 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  43. ^ a b "2019 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. 28 July 2019. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  44. ^ "2020 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. 2020-04-07. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  45. ^ "2020 Locus Awards Winners". Locus Online. 2020-06-27. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  46. ^ "2020 Youth Media Award Winners". American Libraries Magazine. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  47. ^ "2021 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. 2021-01-01. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  48. ^ "2022 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  49. ^ "Seanan McGuire". Ohio Valley Filk Fest. Retrieved 2022-04-16.

External links[edit]