The July (and June) Roundup, because this was a crazy two months here at MEF. So many stories, so little time. Six stories went live in June and July, not to mention a new ‘Zine and a brand new collection of dark fiction. Whew! For those of you, my Lovely Readers, who missed a few, let’s roll out the lariats and rope them doggies!
Gone Michael
My dark literary story Gone Michael was published in the June 2023 Issue of the print journal Sequoia Speaks. Gone Michael tells the story of a lonely shepherd who denies his past, buries himself in his solitary daily routine, and still cannot escape the ghosts of his family.
My flash story Look Away, published online by In Parentheses. Look Away tells the tale of Western travelers, India, and a beggar girl. This is not a comfortable travel story. This is a collision.
My irreverent flash story Warts was featured in the Bullshit Lit Anthology.02. W00T! Warts tells the tale of two old codgers living in the Sonoran desert, and the psychotropic toad that threatens their relationship. Fun stuff, Maynard. Plus, who doesn’t love a journal named Bullshit Lit?
Three for the price of Nuttin! And only one link for all!
Here we go! Two stories and a plug for the great ‘Zine Hotch Potch, of which I am a founding and contributing editor. Ready, set…
Geese & Grasshoppers
My short story Geese and Grasshoppers is featured in the Hotch Potch Volume Two Issue One. W00T! Geese and Grasshoppers tells the tale of a young Burmese city boy whose parents send him to the countryside to keep him safe. Little Zaw Win is hidden from the repressive Tatmadaw, but now he battles loneliness and a big, mean goose.
Longing Uncaged
My story Longing Uncaged is also featured in the Hotch Potch Volume Two Issue One. Longing Uncaged tells the tale of a young woman. a dead grandmother, and a confused songbird. This story was based on a prompt by the artwork of Iumi Richard-Crow.
Hotch Potch…
Hotch Potch Volume Two Issue One is available as a FREE PDF download or a FREE online read. BookFunnel ensures safe downloads and easy online reading. Just click the links below.
Last but not least, my short story Word Double Cross is featured in the new literary ‘Zine The Rumen. Word Double Cross tells the tale of a conceptual private investigator who strays into the concrete only to regret it. The genre is literary fiction wherein noir gets strange.
Drum Roll!
That’s it, My Lovelies! Stay tuned for all the latest by following the MEF blog:
Is summer reading your idea of a slice of paradise? Look no further, My Bodacious Readers! How about a great collection of dark stories? Look no further! The Wrong Name waits for you:
The Wrong Name
Stories from the darker edge
The Wrong Name – Stories from the Darker Edge, stories of the darkness that lies within us, and the occasional glimmer of hope that keeps us afloat in the shadows. Doppelgangers and crones, artificial and human intelligence gone wrong, murder, revenge, tragedies embraced, and fates narrowly avoided. Reluctant heroes tire of the chase and ghosts relive the past. Bodies must be disposed of, corpses arise, and dreams damned. Here is magick, for good or ill. Twenty-one tales of darkness, and the occasional glimmer of hope that keeps us afloat in the shadows. Welcome, Reader, to The Wrong Name.
The Wrong Name gathers twenty-one of author Marco Etheridge’s best dark short stories into a single volume. These are speculative tales from the darker edge. Within these pages live characters bearing the wrong name, unrepentant, untethered, and unforgiven. Good choices are made and bad; others that are downright evil. Here are doppelgangers and crones, artificial and human intelligence gone wrong. Murder and revenge, tragedies embraced, and fates narrowly avoided. Reluctant heroes tire of the chase and ghosts relive the past. There are bodies to be disposed of, corpses arisen, and dreams damned. Here is magick, both benevolent and not. Twenty-one tales of the darkness that lies within us, and the occasional glimmer of hope that keeps us afloat in the shadows. Welcome, Reader, to The Wrong Name.
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/