The Interview – New Dark Fiction from The First Line
The Interview – New Dark Fiction. My short story The Interview has just been published by the good folks at The First Line Literary Journal. The Interview tells the tale of an imprisoned professor and his interrogator. The genre is literary fiction. Grab your copy of Volume 26, Issue 2 today!
Read The Interview NOW!
Firstly, I want to express my gratitude to the editors of The First Line. The Interview is my second written work to be featured in The First Line and I am proud to be a return contributor. Secondly, The First Line is a great literary magazine with an interesting premise. Each story in the magazine begins with a given opening sentence. Hence, The First Line. All submissions must begin with the same first sentence. Grab a dose of literary fun. Order your copy of The First Line today! Mash the big button to jump to their website:
Naturally, everyone loves a good read. There is no doubt that The First Line is a quirky mix, an entire issue where every story begins with the same sentence. It’s great fun to see what wildly different stories a single sentence may inspire. You can peruse current and back issues at:
Which is both a segue and a clue. To illustrate: First, the segue: Things are nuts here at MEF, as in a silly dream. Secondly, the clue: the latest story in the works is a play within a story, and the play is… you guessed it! The Bard himself.
The virtual mail is piling up on the doorstep: Rejections, acceptances, publishing notices. Not to mention the impending release of the latest issue of Hotch Potch. Too many hats to wear, and too many irons in the fire. But Lo! We love the madness, don’t we? Makes one feel all alive and tingly.
That’s it, Lovely Readers! I hope you enjoy this latest bit of dark fiction. Meanwhile, don’t miss any upcoming stories. You can stay tuned for all the latest by following the MEF blog:
But wait, what’s that plaintive sound? You say you need a good dose of summer reading? Never fear, Readers, MEF has your back. In fact, how about a great novel? That’s right, folks, it’s here! Indeed, hot off the presses, Breaking the Bundles awaits your hungry reader eyes:
Breaking the Bundles
The Past Can Kill.
Vienna, Austria, a city of palaces, music, and cafés. But behind the cold, grey stone lies a dark secret. Against this backdrop of culture and shadows, the fates of three unforgettable people will be drawn into a common peril. As the lives of the characters cross, revenge shifts to passion, betrayal becomes an act of honor, and the past exacts a heavy toll from the present. The secrets of the past threaten the lives of those that hold them; the same secrets threaten the men who work in the shadows. The weight of the past will pursue Perry and Zita across two continents, threatening their love and their lives. The chase becomes a conflict of revenge and desire, of shadow and light, of love and the struggle to survive.
Vienna, Austria, a city of palaces, music, and cafés. But behind the cold, grey stone lies a dark secret. Against this backdrop of culture and shadows, the fates of three unforgettable people will be drawn into a common peril. Perry Farmon is an American photographer on sabbatical in Vienna, searching for his lost creative spark. A strange friendship and a mysterious love alter Perry’s quiet world, drawing him into a shared secret. The powers threatened by that secret force Perry into a deadly flight from danger. He must learn trickery and cunning to survive. His life and love hang in the balance. Zita de Luca is a woman marked by a wine-colored stain on her temple, the shame of her family, and anger. An opportunity for revenge is complicated by an unexpected passion for an American professor. She must choose between the two. Käru “Charlie” Villiger is a habitué of cafés, either an outrageous liar or a dangerous man. He holds the key to the past, but time is running out. Charlie must pass on what he holds before he is silenced by those he has betrayed. He must choose someone else to carry the burden. As the lives of the characters cross, revenge shifts to passion, betrayal becomes an act of honor, and the past exacts a heavy toll from the present. The secrets of the past threaten the lives of those that hold them; the same secrets threaten the men who work in the shadows. The weight of the past will pursue Perry and Zita across two continents, threatening their love and their lives. The chase becomes a conflict of revenge and desire, of shadow and light, of love and the struggle to survive.
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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/