Margaret's Nearly Monthly News - December 2023
I nearly called this edition of the newsletter: "Margaret's Nearly Monthly Annual Wrap Up," but decided to err on the side of grammatical caution.
Looking back on my 2023, the WGA strike obviously loomed large. It turns out that picketing for nearly five months leads to a lot of emotional processing... as well as increased cardiovascular fitness, both of which I kind of resent.
However, the strike was not the only thing that happened chez Nearly Monthly News last year, so...
What have I been up to in 2023?
On the Page
February saw the publication of my first story in translation, "L'hiver est assis sur un banc." Originally published in The Deadlands, this story is now available in Spanish text and audio on Las Escritoras de Urras!
Summer brought another milestone with my flash story, "We Are Happy to Serve You" appearing in the May/June issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Not gonna lie, seeing my work published in a magazine that not only did I read as a teenager, but that my father and uncle read when they were teenagers was definitely a check off the bucket list.
And finally, in November, my flash story, "Remember This When They Find You," came out, marking my second publication with The Deadlands.
(Shameless plug to WSFS and SFWA members: "We Are Happy to Serve You" and "Remember This..." are both Hugo and Nebula eligible. Shameless plug to everyone: if you enjoyed any of my stories or other work this past year, please help spread the word!)
On the Screen
While I was on strike from writing anything new for live action tv this year, three animated shows I wrote for in 2020-2022 all premiered this September: Barbie: A Touch of Magic (Netflix), Music Time (Netflix), and Octonauts: Above and Beyond (BBC iPlayer, still not available in the US as far as I know).
If you have small people in your life, full details on all three shows are in the September/August edition of the Nearly Monthly News.
What I'm Watching This Month
December has been all about the Brit-dramas. I'm really digging Bodies, a time-travel murder mystery on Netflix, and over the holidays I finally started Slow Horses on Apple TV+ with the family.
Three episodes in, my parents fondly summarize Slow Horses as: "The Three Stooges run MI-5." While that doesn't exactly evoke the tone of the show, they're also... not wrong.
From the Cutting Room Floor of the Duolingo Dystopia
Oh look, Lily has a new hobby!
Whatever works for you, Lily. We don't judge here.
And That's the Nearly Monthly News!
We made it through another year, folks. Got questions? Comments? Features you'd like to see in future newsletters? Drop me a line. Otherwise, best wishes for a happy and healthy 2024, and I'll see you in January!