Happy New Year from Margaret's Nearly Monthly News (Dec 2022)
December again, and time for the Nearly Monthly News annual wrap up! But first of all, thank you for subscribing and for your support. I started this newsletter with the modest goal of having twenty-five subscribers. As we close in on 100 at the end of 2022, it really does mean the world to me that so many actual humans voluntarily allow me to take up space in their inboxes every month.
2022 has been largely positive for me, but before the retrospective, I have new things to share!
From my Desk
My short story "Observations of a Small Object in Decaying Orbit" appears in the current issue of Apex Magazine, along with an interview by Marissa Van Uden. (This story is also available in podcast form, narrated by Paxton Clifford.)
We touch on this in the interview, but although this story is all about the feels, it started with a fairly dry thought experiment: Would it be possible for someone to play catch with themselves inside a spinning space station? The difference between having an idea and having a story? That came when my friend Kim said, "Can you imagine some poor kid, playing the loneliest game of catch ever...?"
I'm really proud of how this story turned out, and so glad to be able to share it with you all.
And speaking of sharing...
What have I been up to in 2021?
(And what I would be honored to have you consider if you're nominating for the Hugos, Nebulas, or other short fiction awards.)
On the page:
Including "Decaying Orbit," I've published three short stories:
The first was "Requiem for a Dollface" in Uncanny 45 (March/April), which went on to make My Geek Blasphemy's favorite short stories and novelettes of 2022.
"Listen, I apologize for making the comp that probably everyone makes while talking about this story, but "Requiem for a Dollface" is like Toy Story noir, which means that it's fucking amazing... goes from "darkly hilarious" to "sweetly melancholic" to "oh shit, CREEPY" in the blink of an eye."
This review made my heart sing, and if you're looking for short fiction to read, the whole list is amazing.
Next came "What Sleeps at the Heart of Aurora Station" in The Sunday Morning Transport.
From editor Julian Yap, "In the silences of Margaret Dunlap’s “What Sleeps at the Heart of Aurora Station,” you can almost feel the press of steel and darkness. This interstellar fairy tale sweeps readers into the core of a collapsing station, on a mission of utmost importance."
As I told Fran Wilde during our chat for the Sunday Morning Transport Irregulars, I originally wrote this story for a themed anthology call... where the editor turned it down, twice! (With a nice personal note both times.) As disappointing as it was in the moment, I really believe the story found its true home with Fran and Julian.
Rounding out the year was, of course, "Observations of a Small Object in Decaying Orbit" which I've discussed above.
In 2023, I have a short-short coming in F&SF and another flash piece in a yet-to-be-announced anthology. Exciting!
On the Screen
On the tv front, it was a busy year, but you're going to have to take my word for it for a while yet. I freelanced on three different animated series, worked on two stand-alone specials, and did a couple other odd jobs just in case there was any danger of me getting bored.
Most of that work won't be out until 2024 or 2025, but fingers crossed that some of the scripts I wrote back in 2020 will soon be coming to a small screen near you!
From the Cutting Room Floor of the Duolingo Dystopia
We round out the year with an update from the Duolingo French crime blotter:
Caption: A cartoon of a cat looking out the driver's window of a red sedan beneath the words, "The police quickly guessed that this cat wasn't the owner of the vehicle," in English and French.
It's good to know that top detectives are on the case.
And that's the Nearly Monthly News!
I hope 2022 has treated you well, and wish you all the best for 2023. Comments? Questions? Hot tips on car-owning cats? Drop me a line! Otherwise, I'll see you in January.