Maura McHugh (writer)

Maura McHugh
Born	United States
Occupation	Writer
Nationality	Irish
Genre	Horror fiction
Website
http://splinister.com/

Maura McHugh is an Irish author of horror and fantasy in prose, comic books, plays, and screenplays.^[1]

Early life

Born in the US, McHugh moved to Ireland as a child. She was educated in the National University of Ireland in Galway where she graduated with a B.A. in English and History, and then an M.A. in English. After living overseas for a while McHugh returned to Ireland and to education where she gained a Diploma in Film studies at NUIG, a Foundation Course in Filmmaking at the Galway Film Centre, and finally a second M.A. in Screenwriting at the Huston School of Film and Digital Media.^[2][3]

Career

Based in Galway McHugh is the author of Roisin Dubh and Jennifer Wilde. McHugh is editor of the Writers Guild of Ireland fortnightly newsletter as well as the guild's website and blog.^[4][5]

McHugh has been a regular judge for the Galway Junior Film Fleadh, the British Comics Awards, the Golden Blasters as well as having been a judge for The Shirley Jackson Awards. She also curated "The Image" during the Hay festival in Kells.^[6]

McHugh was Guest of Honour at the 2015 Irish National Science Fiction Convention, Octocon.

Awards

Won

• Recipient of the Gordon R. Dickson Scholarship for the 2006 Clarion West Writers Workshop, 2006.^[7]
• Best Irish Writer (comic books) in The Arcade Awards, 2014.^[8]
• ICN Award 2015 for ‘Best Irish Writer Published Outside of Ireland’, 2015.^[9]

Nominations

• The Arcade Award in the ‘Best Irish Writer’ category, 2015
• The Geekies 2015 – the Geek Ireland Awards – in the Best Irish Writer category, 2015
• Geek Feminist Award in the Women Write About Comics Awesome Awards, 2014
• British Fantasy Award for Best Comic/Graphic Novel for Jennifer Wilde(Atomic Diner Comics), along with Stephen Downey & Karen Mahoney, 2014
• Two ICN Awards, 2014
• Geek Ireland’s Best Irish Author of 2014 (comic books), 2014
• Eagle Award for ‘Favourite European Comic Book’ for Jennifer Wilde, 2012
• ICN Award for ‘Best Irish Writer Published Outside of Ireland’ , 2013
• The Arcade Award in the ‘Best Irish Writer’ category, 2013

Bibliography

Collections

• Twisted Fairy Tales, Barron’s Educational Series: 1 February 2013. Illustrations by Jane Laurie.^[10]
• Twisted Myths , Barron’s Educational Series: 1 October 2013. Illustrations by Jane Laurie.

Comic Books

• Lola Vita – Origins, Drawn by Ron Salas, 2016.
• Witchfinder: The Mysteries of Unland, story & script by Kim Newman & Maura McHugh; art by Tyler Crook for Dark Horse Comics, 2014-2015.
• Jennifer Wilde: Tulpa, story & script by Maura McHugh; art by Leeann Hamilton for Atomic Diner Comics. Short Story, 2014.
• Róisín Dubh, story & script by Maura McHugh; art by Stephen Byrne and Stephen Daly, for Atomic Diner Comics, 2011 – 2014.
• Jennifer Wilde: Unlikely Revolutionaries, story & script by Maura McHugh; art by Stephen Downey for Atomic Diner Comics, 2011 – 2013 .
• The Nail, Womanthology comic book anthology, with art by Star St. Germain, edited by Suzannah Rowntree, and published by IDW Publishing,2012

Short Stories

• Who Hears Our Cries in Forgotten Tongues?, Flash Me Magazine, 2004
• In the Woods, Cabinet des Fées, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2006
• Bone Mother, Fantasy anthology, eds. Sean Wallace & Paul Tremblay, 2007
• Tattoo Destiny, a poem, Jabberwocky 3, ed. Sean Wallace, 2007
• Home, Shroud Magazine, Issues 2, 2008
• Homunculus, Aoife’s Kiss, September 2008
• Grave Taster, a poem, in Doorways Magazine #8. It placed second in the magazine’s annual poetry competition, 2009
• One pico story on Outshine, 2009*‘Exchange’, a poem, Goblin Fruit, Spring 2009.
• Vic, Black Static, issue 10. 2009 and the Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror 2010, edited by Paula Guran (Prime Books), 2010
• Beautiful Calamity”, Paradox Magazine, issue #13, 2009
• The Diet, Arkham Tales, 2009
• The Garden of Death’, a top ten finalist in Fantasy Magazine’s Micro-Fiction Contest, 2009
• The Tamga, Shroud Magazine, issue 6, 2009
• Empty Mind Came Back With the Pearl, M-Brane SF, issue 9, 2009
• The Secret Names of Buildings, M-Brane SF, issue 12, 2009*‘The Solace of Dark Places, a poem, Goblin Fruit, Spring 2010.
• ‘Involuntary Muscle, Theaker’s Quarterly Fiction, issue 35, 2011
• Water, Black Static, issue 21, 2011
• Mustn’t Grumble, Voices from the Past, 2011*The Hanging Tree, Black Static issue #38, 2014
• Valerie in the anthology La Femme, edited by Ian Whates from NewCon Press and in Obsidian, 2014
• Family in the anthology Cassilda’s Song, edited by Joe S. Pulver from Chaosium Inc, 2015
• A Decade of Horror Stories by Women, edited by Ian Whates from NewCon Press, 2016
• Zel and Grets in the anthology The Grimm Future, edited by Erin Underwood from NESFA Press.
• Moments on the Cliff’ Crannóg.
• Listen Women in Horror Month Anthology, Acid Cane Comics.
• The Light at the Centre, Uncertainties Volume 1, edited by Brian J. Showers for Swan River Press
• The Fruit of the Tree, Ten Tall Tales, edited by Ian Whates for NewCon Press.
• Spooky Girl, Respectable Horror, edited by Kate Laity for Fox Spirit Books.
• A Rebellious House, The Madness of Dr. Caligari, edited by Joe S. Pulver for Fedogan and Bremer.

Plays, Films and Podcasts

• 29 October – 3 November 2012 ‘The Night-Born Sisters’, performed in the Leicester Square Theatre, London.
• 6 May 2016 The Love of Small Appliances, directed by Justine Nakase.^[11]
• Bone Mother, Pseudopod, 2009
• The Tamga, Pseudopod, 2010
• Vic Dark fiction Magazine, 2011
• 2009Hotel Training, directed by Conor McMahon, premiered as part of the Hotel Darklight anthology film.
• ‘Bone Mother’ is being adapted as a short stop-motion animated film by Sylvie Trouvé and Dale Hayward. Produced for the National Film Board of Canada by Jelena Popovic, 2016^[12]

References

1. By Don O'Mahony (2014-06-24). "A new golden age of comics as Irish talent attracts global recognition". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
2. Exclusive ..., CBR.com, Retrieved 5 September 2016
3. "Hay festival". Meathchronicle.ie. 2016-05-10. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
4. "Maura McHugh, Writer | Because I am a Girl blog". Becauseiamagirl.wordpress.com. 2011-01-31. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
5. Sinead Gleeson (2016-06-09). "The brave new world of comic-book heroines". Irishtimes.com. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
6. "Meath Chronicle - Hay Festival returns to Kells next month". Meathchronicle.ie. 2016-05-10. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
7. "Scholarships |". Clarionwest.org. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
8. Doody, Declan (2015-01-01). "The Arcade Awards 2014 Winners | The Arcade". The-arcade.ie. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
9. "ICN Awards Winners 2015". Irish Comic News. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
10. Billson, Anne (2013-05-13). "Why we can't get enough of Snow White". Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
11. "GALWAY THEATRE FESTIVAL PREVIEW: New Play Series – Town Hall Theatre Studio, Galway". Thereviewshub.com. 2016-04-29. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
12. Kira (2015-12-11). "Bone Mother 3D printed film explores dark side of stop motion | 3D Printer News & 3D Printing News". 3ders.org. Retrieved 2016-09-06.