Margaret's January Nearly Monthly News!
It's January! The new year has begun, the rains have come to Southern California, and as of this writing, I am both gainfully employed and doing my best to make AMC Theaters regret offering me their A-List movie subscription program.
But enough chit-chat; on to the news!
From my Desk
Mostly, this month has been taken up by my work on [show that shall not be named lest I violate my NDA]. Obviously, I can't share a lot on that front, but rest assured the show's actual title is less cumbersome and more catchy than my placeholder.
Otherwise, I'm working on regaining normalcy in the wake of the disruptions of 2023's Hot Labor Summer, followed almost immediately by: "And now it's the holidays, so the town is shut down, and I'm traveling."
So these days I'm working with producers to set up pitches, submitting short fiction, and making progress on spec scripts and fiction projects in my ahem copious free time.
That's the theory anyway. Will my efforts manifest in useful professional praxis? Watch this space to find out!
What I'm Reading and Watching
On the book front, I've been reading Patrick Stewart's new memoir: Making it So. It's great so far, and the only reason I haven't devoured it cover to cover is because I've been out seeing so many movies and plays this month.
What can I say, it's awards season and that means everything is in theaters, and if it isn't, I likely have a screener.
Among the crowded field, Godzilla Minus One and American Fiction have been particular standouts. Godzilla pulls off the impressive balancing act of being a genuine monster movie and a thoughtful reflection on Japan's struggles in the aftermath of World War II. (Something admittedly not obvious from the linked trailer.)
American Fiction, meanwhile, is incisive satire on every level, and I'm certain I don't fully appreciate them all. It also makes me curious to read Erasure, the novel it's based on.
From the Cutting Room Floor of the Duolingo Dystopia
This month, Vikram reminds us that sometimes nostalgia isn't all it's cracked up to be:
Hey, they were still superlative. That's not nothing.
And That's the Nearly Monthly News!
Personally, I think January should be a month for optimism. Either the new year is off to a great start, or there's a low bar it will be easy for February to improve on. So really, we're setting ourselves up for a win either way. What do you think? Comments? Questions? Drop me a line. Or don't. I'm not your mother. Regardless, I'll see you next month!