The October Roundup (and August-September), because it’s been a crazy autumn here at MEF. So many stories, and one poem. Five stories went live, and one lonely poem. YeeHaw! For those of you, my Lovely Readers, who missed a few, let’s roll out the lariats. Time to rope, tie, and brand them doggies!
And here we go with The October Roundup…
New City
My short story New City is featured in the Volume 34 of The Opiate magazine. New City tells the tale of a foolish man in love with a woman from the wrong side of the fence. In the dystopia of New City, workers are banished to camps beyond the buffer zone. Only the rich live in the techno-city. And never the twain shall meet.
My short story Dmitri’s Way Back, a brand new tale just published by the fine folks at East of the Web. Dmitri’s Way Back tells the story of a recovered addict, a turning point that leads downhill, and the long road back.
Brand new dystopian slipstream: my short story The Last Playlist, just published by the lovely editors at Creation Magazine. The Last Playlist tells the tale of a father and son trapped in a lonely cabin at the fiery end of days, and the soundtrack they create for the end of everything
Kiddie Pool – New Poetry from Press 53 and Prime Number Magazine. Hot off the presses, my latest poem has just been published by the fine editors at Press 53. Kiddie Pool deals with the weight of banned books, a weight we all carry.
Brand new literary fiction, my short story Three Seconds, just published by the bodacious editors at Muleskinner Journal. Three Seconds tells the story of the happiest moment in one man’s life, the hardships that led him to that moment, and what happened three seconds later.
Brand new dystopian fiction, my short story Beyond the Briar, just published by Rural Fiction Magazine. Beyond the Briar is a retelling of the fairy tale Briar Rose. In this version, while the enchanted kingdom has slept away a century of dreams, the world has descended into dystopian chaos. A lone bowman, a mercenary, finds his way past the thorny barrier of the briar hedge and into the legend.
Summer reading may be gone for this year, so it’s time for curling up around the fire and… Reading! You’ll need a good book. Look no further, My Bodacious Readers! How about a great collection of dark stories? The Wrong Name awaits:
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.
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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/