Hot off the virtual presses, my short story Sophie, Anarchy, and Me has just been published by the good folks at pioneertown. Sophie, Anarchy, and Me tells the tale of a meeting at a protest, a rubber bullet, and a rescue. Boy meets girl, loses girl, gets girl back, then messes up. Bad. The genre is literary fiction.
Read the Story NOW!
Mash the big orange button, and you’ll be whisked away to an excellent ‘Zine: pioneertown. If you love edgy literary fiction and more, this is your ‘Zine. And no paywalls! That’s right, Friends and Neighbors, pioneertown is a FREE read.
Sophie, Anarchy, and Me is my first appearance in pioneertown, and I am mos def hoping for a sequel. But getting back to the pitch: besides reading my story Sophie, Anarchy, and Me (yes please!) you can peruse the whole pioneertown lineup here:
I’m just back from a sojourn across the pond to the US of A. I observed plenty of darkness on display in the form of MAGA nastiness, but all is not midnight. In Philadelphia, I stood in line to view the Liberty Bell. I was but one of many folks of all races and nationalities. Right, I know, a clichéd symbol of the tarnished American Dream. Yet I found myself teary-eyed when I took my turn standing beside that cracked and hallowed symbol. I wasn’t the only one. So, a ray of hope.
On a happier note, Sophie, Anarchy, and Me is my twelfth published piece for 2025. W00T! More stories are coming your way. Hold onto your hats, folks! So, how will you know when a new story breaks? Glad you asked, Friends. Read On! Drum roll and… Meanwhile, don’t miss any upcoming stories. You can stay tuned for all the latest by following the MEF blog:
And finally, with your indulgence, allow me a blatant book plug. Gotta keep the lights on and gruel on the table, dontcha know. Thow me a bone and buy a book, willya? Thanks!
U6 Stories – Vienna Underground Tales
Every train carries a story.
The U6 is one line of the Vienna underground transit system. The silver and red trains carry stories, many stories. A woman mourns her musical lover, and a man discovers his courage. A Syrian family flees to a fragile new beginning, and a young man helps circus performers during a pandemic. Lovers rediscover each other after decades apart, and a man finds a father he never knew. A contract is broken, and neighbors defend their own. Eighteen tales of love lost and found, of the darkness within us, and the glimmering light that keeps us afloat. Unforgettable characters struggle against the pressures of an impersonal world, and against the burdens they carry within. Welcome, Reader, to the stories of the U6.
Marco Etheridge is a writer of fiction, an occasional playwright, and a part-time poet. He lives and writes in Vienna, Austria. His stories have been published in more than seventy reviews, journals, and magazines in Canada, Australia, the UK, and the USA. U6 Stories gathers eighteen of his best short stories into one collection. The U6 is one line of the Vienna underground transit system. The trains transport more than people. Each silver and red carriage carries stories, many stories. A woman mourns the death of her musical lover, and a man discovers his courage. A Syrian family flees to a fragile new beginning, and a young man helps circus performers during a pandemic. Lovers rediscover each other after decades apart, and a man finds a father he never knew. A contract is broken, and neighbors defend their own. These eighteen stories tell tales of love lost and love found, of the darkness that lies within us, and the glimmering light that keeps us afloat. Unforgettable characters struggle against the tides and pressures of an impersonal world, and against the burdens they carry within. Welcome, Reader, to the stories of the U6.
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the page above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Marco Etheridge
Marco Etheridge is a writer of prose, an occasional playwright, and a part-time poet. He lives and writes in Vienna, Austria. His work has been featured in over one hundred reviews and journals across Canada, Australia, the UK, and the USA. His story “Power Tools” has been nominated for Best of the Web for 2023. “Power Tools” is Marco’s latest collection of short fiction. When he isn’t crafting stories, Marco is a contributing editor for a new ‘Zine called Hotch Potch. In his other life, Marco travels the world with his lovely wife Sabine. Website: https://www.marcoetheridgefiction.com/