Margaret's Nearly Monthly News - May 2022
Happy May, and welcome to the 6th edition of the Nearly Monthly news. I've been doing this for half a year? Inconceivable!
This month marked my first visit to the Los Angeles County Fair, which was a delight! I pet sheep, ate a funnel cake, admired domestic arts and crafts (Did you know that competitive table-scaping is a thing?) and allowed strange men to clean my glasses and ring. I am now the owner of jewelry cleaner, which has resulted in one clean necklace, and a reminder why I don't usually bother cleaning my jewelry.
From My Desk
Incredibly, I have another new short story out this month. "What Sleeps at the Heart of Aurora Station" came out May 22 on The Sunday Morning Transport. Editors Julian Yap and Fran Wilde say: "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."
Their editorial guidance was invaluable in shaping the final draft. I knew Julian from writing Bookburners back in the day, but this was my first time getting to work with Fran, and I would do so again in a hot minute. "Aurora Station" is available here to subscribers ($7 a month, includes access to the archives, 7-day free trial available).
In the rest of my writing world, my freelance animation work continues. Nothing I've worked on in the last two years has been released yet, which led me to wonder recently if, at the time I wrote the episodes, their target audience had yet to be conceived. For some of the toddler shows... it could be a near thing.
(And now you have a glimpse into the kind of thoughts that pass through a mind that creates both horror fiction and children' television.)
What I'm Reading and Watching.
There's a new season of The Great Pottery Throw Down available in the U.S. on HBO Max (trailer here), so this month I've gotten to spend ten delightful hours watching home potters expand their skills while judge Keith weeps his way through their accomplishments.
On the book front, I recently started reading susan, linda, nina & cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR by Lisa Napoli, because I am nothing if not a public radio nerd.
From the Cutting Room Floor of the Duolingo Dystopia
This month we get a bit of reassurance from Duolingo French
Caption: Vikram from Duolingo says: "The end of the world will not take place this year." in French and English.
I'm not sure I'm comforted by his confidence. And on that note:
That's the Nearly Monthly News!
Short and sweet this month; I'll see you in June! Questions? Comments? Drop me a line!