And I’m back! Well, I haven’t really been gone, if you’ve been checking in on my Instagram, I’m fairly active over there. I think I’ve enjoyed just focusing on visuals and mini-posts for the past few months. Moving forward, I’ll be trying to post a check-in once a week and maybe occasional other things now and then. If you need to see more of what I’m up to, head on over to my Instagram account! I tend to post at least once a week, sometimes two or three! (WHA-?! I know!)
These past couple weeks have been somewhat challenging, I’m not going to lie. At the beginning of the month, I hit a major motivational speed bump, and I’m still clawing my way back to a normal routine. Some of that is due to changing kiddo schedules and just getting a bit busier out and about (moderately, anyway). Doing that kind of thing makes me feel like a great mom, but tends to make me a cruddy writer. XD
Right now, I’ve dropped my expectations to just a measly five minutes of editing per day, which at least gets me touching my work in progress regularly. I’ve got two short novels in the works, but I’m focusing right now on getting my short story, “Catching College,” polished up and submitted. There’s not too much left to go, other than to finish the retype and then get it through a word-cull pass, so I’ll be trying to get that well underway this week.
In terms of general news, the Apex Magazine anthology for 2021 (which includes my story “Candyland”) has officially funded, which means it’s going to happen! I’m so excited. I love the idea of a physical copy to keep on my bookshelf. It even has the cover of my issue as the illustration for the book, which I also love, because HOLY CRAP that cover is gorgeous! While it’s hit its initial funding goal, I’d LOVE for it to hit the 9k stretch goal (for purely selfish reasons—9k guarantees authors of the stories an additional $0.01/word payment for the reprint). If you’re so inclined, do check out the kickstarter!
Also, my ridiculous menstruating superhero story (“Any Day But Today…”) has been chosen for the Best Of Andromeda Spaceways Vol 5 anthology! Which means another paperback I can put on my shelf! (Giggles with tactile glee.) So I’m thrilled about that. More info/cover shots as I get it, but the proofs are in!
I’m also contemplating releasing a short story for tips on this site (“Tower’s End”), since it’s now available for reprint, and I may see if a friend of mine will do some spot illustrations for it. What do you think? Would you be interested?
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I have been absolutely OBSESSED with the survival game, The Long Dark, lately. Every free moment I get (not many, but still) I jump on the Switch to chop wood, fight off wolves, avoid hypothermia, and try not to starve to death (not easy). It’s SO FUN. So far, my record is I think thirteen days, which is NOT GREAT, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. “Wintermute,” the story-mode, is also deliciously fun, and I’m plowing through that.
I’m currently reading a multitude of things (as usual), but primarily Do Nothing by Celeste Headlee about our overwork culture, which is fascinating and informing one of the novels I’m working on. I’m also getting back into Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, which is such a fun rollick through zombie-infested post-Civil War times. I adore Jane SO MUCH. But all the characters are really enjoyable.
In terms of TV/movies, we’ve finally cracked and started Ted Lasso, which is charming and cute in a Schitt’s Creek kind of way. We’ve also just finished Only Murders in the Building. I really enjoyed seeing Steve Martin in something new! (I’m a huge fan of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and OMitB pays some nice homage to Martin’s style in that flick.) Took a bit to get into (as not a huge true crime fan myself), but it was fun.
To cap off the entertainment for the week, we rewatched our epic fav Hot Fuzz on Saturday, and can I just say, that movie is a MASTERWORK of visual and auditory foreshadowing, as well as just an artwork in and of itself in terms of arrangement/strategic cuts/sound effects.
I tackled mending my work jeans, and I love how it turned out! (Ignore the fleck of dirt—it was gardening-weekend!)
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This week, I’m focusing on pushing “Catching College” into its word-cull draft so I can plow through that and hopefully get it submitted in early May. My speed has been so lackluster lately, it’s been pretty disappointing, but I’m shifting my fiction focus a bit and still getting my feet under me. Plus, it’s school vacation week, so it’s a bit of a zoo here. I’m trying to be kind to myself and not expect too much.
I’m also going to try to get back into the habit of generating one new story idea per day, because I think that’s a great practice and pushes me to think outside the box.
Hope you’re doing well and that this week has lots of good things in store for you!
Maggie Slater 