Marco Etheridge's Blog

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The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Philip Roth's "The Plot Against America" is an alternative history novel that deals with the United States, World War Two, and the fate of Jewish citizens in the United States. Not unlike Sinclair Lewis' "It Can't Happen Here," Roth's 2005 novel is at times eerily prophetic. The novel begins from the premise that FDR did not win his bid for a third term as president of the Untied States. Instead, America First (sound familiar?) proponent Charles Lindbergh, the aviation hero and isolationist, is elected president. Lindbergh proceeds to align himself with Nazi Germany for reasons that will, possibly, become clear as the novel progresses. No spoilers here as all of the above appears in the book's description.

The tale is told through the eyes of a young child in New Jersey, none other than an alternate incarnation of Philip Roth. The author blends fact and fiction into a haunting tale of a child struggling to understand an adult world as it changes into something that no one can understand. The result is a page-turning novel that will hold the reader's attention to the very end.

I found reading "The Plot Against America" to be very much akin to reading "It Can't Happen Here." The short rebuttal for Lewis' title would be: Yes It Can. Substitute Putin for Hitler, Trump for Lindbergh, and suddenly the storyline of "The Plot Against America" becomes all too believable. And, if anyone is offended by that comparison, I make no apologies. If there are objections, feel free to write your own review.



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Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Rock Paper Scissors is a well-written and creepy novel. I have no issue with Ms. Feeney's writing style, which is well-honed and crafty. That said, my overall impression of this novel is that the author's presence became more and more pronounced as the the story progressed. As a reader, I found plot twists piled atop other plot twists until the the characters fled into the background. I was left to imagine what the author would do next, rather than the characters. My reading experience was that of a voyeur spying on a well-crafted novel whose plot ran away with from the author, or vice versa.



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Hotch Potch - A New Literary 'Zine, Coming June 15th

Hotch Potch - A New Literary 'Zine, coming your way June 15th. Hallo, Friends and Neighbors! I'm thrilled to announce my role as contributing editor for an exciting new online literary magazine. The name of the 'Zine, as you've probably guessed, is Hotch Potch. Yessir, a stew, a melange, a mix of yummy literary bits and bobs.

Where is Hotch Potch?

Right here, Friends and Neighbors:

https://www.facebook.com/litmagcollective/

What is a Hotch Potch?



The Hotch Potch Mission

What happens when you gather up a group of writers and artists, throw them in a cauldron of creativity, then give them a good stir and simmer? Stories! Art! More! This is the Hotch Potch Mission:

We are a stew. A quilt. A jam band.

Chaos. Dexterity. Precipice.

Concocting. Hatching. Dazzling.

A bunch of bitchy buds. Wacky whizzes. Sprightly speculators.

We long to belong.

As a collective, we want to discover, delight, differentiate. We want to provoke and unify, collaborate to share stories and images, to experience what it means to create together, to redefine and expand our own creative processes. We make art to share with curious fellow travelers like you.





The Long Road

Hotch Potch began seven months ago with a few tentative emails and the germ of an idea. A whole lot of work went into the concepts, the stories, and the artwork. Next step: ladle all of those fine ingredients into the creative cauldron, simmer and bubble. Stir, stir, stir! Next step: turn all of that fine stew over to the layout grunt (that would be yours truly). Bubble, bubble, bubble! Then, a month of layout work, revisions, then more layout work.

In the end, a shining sunrise, a moment to savor, and we realize that the deadline will be met! Yee Haw, and other various exclamatory whatnot! Bottom line, look for a lovely new literary 'Zine, coming to you on June 15th. Mark your calendars, my Lovely Readers! Mark it in red, and mark it Hotch Potch.

Musing on Travel with Gabriel García Márquez 

























A plague is upon the land and it feels as if you are trapped in one of Gabito’s famous novels, but you are a traveler so you must go. To become a prisoner to fear—or self-preservation—is not an option. So, you travel such that the powers will allow. This border is closed, that border is open, but for how long? You choose from amongst the possible and buy the train tickets. Flights may come later, but you do not dare the plague tube, not yet. 

The train arrives, you don the mask; search for the proper car, climb aboard. All of this is as it has been. What is different is the leaning away from, the awareness of others, the reluctance to brush against one another in the bustle of boarding. And there are so many fewer travelers. Fear has thinned the herd. 

The compartment is empty, and it remains so for most of the six hours. New passengers have only to look, to weigh the odds. The reservation system falls by the wayside. Assigned seats give way to the desire for a safe space. The conductor aids and abets; passengers redistribute themselves or are redistributed. 

Rumor has auto crossings stacked up with fever checks and reports of long delays. There is no pause on the train. You the Austrian Alps and begin the long drop into Slovenia. The tracks follow the tributaries of the Sava, rolling down.

Seven hours and one train change, and you are in Ljubljana. You cross Masarykova Cesta and see the tour buses quiet as beached whales, the drivers sprawled together in the shade, smoking cigarettes in the manner of men with a great deal of time. You set off for the center, the bridges over the Ljubljanica, and the streets are quiet. The quiet makes you a nervous, like a bad movie cliché. 




















You cross the Ljubljanica and the quiet is still there, worse now because this is the center. The people that should be there are missing, and you think Gabito again, of love and disease, and the quiet street reminds you of Jeremiah de Saint-Amour and how the poor bastards’s suicide is the opening for the novel. 

El amor en los tiempos del cólera, only it isn’t the cholera, it is a new plague, a novel virus. The double meaning cuts home. And who could blame you for a sense of the surreal? You think of that joke you wrote, which was funny at the time; maybe not so much now. 

Lewis Carroll, Roberto Bolãno, Gabriel García Márquez, and Joyce Carol Oates walk into a bar. They get drunk and decide to collaborate on a short story. The title of the story is Twenty-twenty. 





















So why do it—why run the risk? You think about the herd, about the lions picking off only a few. Stay to the inside, improve the odds, but that is simple fatalism. No, you go because if you don’t the world becomes too small. And you go because your Beloved’s need for travel is fierce and burning. Trapped in that small apartment, she paces and begins to growl, becomes dangerous. That is why you are in Ljubljana, sharing travel and love in the time of Corona, a time unlike any other you have known. 

You find the hotel and learn the new protocols. Disinfect your hands at the door, mask on, check in. Learn to express your smile with your eyes; learn to read the smile in the eyes of others. You go up to your room, stow your bags, perform the minimum of tasks required before you can both flee to the street, the promenades along the Ljubljanica. 

























Into every life a little rain must fall...
Back out on the street, you feel braver in the open air. Courage and laughter go together. Smiles are unmasked and people breathe freely away from the dangerous confines. Seated at a café, you return the nods from other tables. There is a shared commonality, as just before a war, or after an earthquake. 

It is both everywhere and unavoidable. There are placards, warnings, pictographs: A pandemic. The prefix pan, derived from the Greek πᾶν, to mean all. Pandemic: a disease for all. Panacea: a cure for all. You see the masks, the warnings, the smiles, and you marvel at human beings; their ability to survive and their converse disability for mutual destruction. 
























 

You walk along the Ljubljanica, hand-in-hand with your beloved. You have seen these same streets thronged with tourists, unmasked and careless. Can so much change in the passage of a single year? Can so much be discarded and yet retain some essence of a journey? You imagine the smiling face of the novelist, that sly wink. 

In the closing of “Love in the Time of Cholera,” Fermina Daza and Florentino Ariza set out on a decrepit riverboat, having left everything behind except their life-long love for each other. Gabriel García Márquez writes as question for Fermina Daza: "Would it be possible to make a trip without stopping, without cargo or passengers, without coming into any port, without anything?" 

You roll it around in your head; the yes, the no, the maybe. And while you are pondering, the two of you do the only thing you know how to do: You continue the journey. 
















Thanks for your interest in my travel blog. I do hope you enjoy it. If you liked what you read here,  please tell another reader or traveler. Word of mouth is the most precious gift an Indie Author can receive. 

How about a free short story? My short story "Mac, Dickran, and The Kid" has recently been featured at Literary Yard. You can check it out here:

"Mac, Dickran, and The Kid" at Literary Yard

Or perhaps one of my novels? All of the information is at my website:
Marco Etheridge Fiction

You can check out books, blog posts, book reviews, or even get a free book. Just look for the big button that says "FREE BOOK." It's kind of hard to miss. Happy reading!! 

"Roy's Funerals" at Fleas on the Dog
 












Live Now at Fleas on the Dog

New Fiction! My dark post-apocalyptic short story "Roy's Funerals" was just published by the great Canadian online journal Fleas on the Dog. "Roy's Funerals" is the story of a man who runs the only drive-thru funeral home in what was once the state of Maine. Roy isn’t so much a bad man as an open-minded entrepreneur. The genre is speculative fiction, short story. You can support this cool journal and Indie Authors (like yours truly) while getting a free read into the bargain.

What the Editors say:


 













Read Now!

"Roy's Funerals" is a free read at Fleas on the Dog. This cool online journal uses an old-fashioned broadsheet format and the stories are available for download. There is no direct link to the individual stories so you will have to scroll down page. You will find "Roy's Funerals"in the Fiction section. Give it a read! Just tap the link below to go to Fleas on the Dog so you can read this great new story:

Read "Roy's Funerals"

More Stories, Essays, and Book Reviews:

There will be more essays and stories coming your way over the next few months, with more accepted stories that have yet to go live or into print. You can keep track of what's going on by subscribing to the MEF news letter or following the MEF blog:

 https://www.marcoetheridgefiction.com/blog/ 
 
 

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars








There are certain words that are thrown about in book reviews, words that are overused and become meaningless: Haunting, Powerful, Memorable. I am not going out on a limb when I employ each of these words to describe Colson Whitehead's novel "The Nickel Boys."

The novel traces the paths of two Black teenaged boys through the dark times of the Jim Crow era in the United States. Based on the true and horrific stories of the Dozier School for Boys, Whitehead crafts a dark and ugly hellhole: The Nickel Academy. The face the 'Academy' presents to the outside world is a reform school dedicated to turning young delinquents into upright citizens. The true face of The Nickel Academy is one of abuse, beatings, tortures, and of young men ending up in unmarked graves.

The characters in this story are finely crafted, well developed, and memorable. Two boys struggle to survive, struggle with conflicting beliefs, struggle to maintain the hope that someday things will change. There is danger in hoping, danger in believing. Their struggle in powerful and, yes, it is memorable. As a reader, I cared very much about the fate of the protagonists. The author's words drew me in immediately and held me in thrall.

Mr. Whitehead is a fine writer and a fine crafter of story. The tale cuts from present to past and back again, yet the shifts are not jarring. Each piece of the story builds on a preceding episode, adding layers of insight and plot twists. The final twist is beautiful, ironic, and deeply moving.

Colson Whitehead has won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. My little review does not do justice to his work. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Read it!

View all my reviews
























Thanks for your interest in my book review. I do hope you enjoy it. If you liked what you read here,  please tell another reader. Word of mouth is the most precious gift an Indie Author can receive. 

How about a free short story? My short story "Mac, Dickran, and The Kid" has recently been featured at Literary Yard. You can check it out here:

"Mac, Dickran, and The Kid" at Literary Yard

Or perhaps one of my novels? All of the information is at my website:
Marco Etheridge Fiction

You can check out books, blog posts, book reviews, or even get a free book. Just look for the big button that says "FREE BOOK." It's kind of hard to miss. Happy reading!! 
 

New Short Story Just Released!

My short story "Words May Set You Free" just went live at the online journal The Writing Disorder. This dark and absurdist morality play sees a group of writers banding together for revenge. This short story is quirky and not a little snarky. I wrote in early 2019 following a string of rejections from literary agents. I like to think of it as a cleansing story. I very much hope you enjoy it.


Huge Shout-Out to The Writing Disorder!

I want to thank the editors of The Writing Disorder for having faith in this story. Given the subject matter of the piece, it is not surprising that it got rejected like a one-eyed, three-legged kitten in a wet cardboard box The editors at The Writing Disorder did not hesitate, so kudos to them. The story is available online and is a free read. How can you beat that? You have the chance to support the literary arts and get a free short story into the bargain: Everyone wins! Here is the link to the front page of the latest issue of The Writing Disorder latest issue.

"Words May Set You Free" at The Writing Disorder 

Thanks for reading and for being readers! Readers Rock!!!















More Short Stories and Book Reviews at the Blog:

There is lots more at Marco Etheridge Fiction. Check out the blog for book reviews, links to more short stories, and other fun stuff: 

https://www.marcoetheridgefiction.com/blog/

Thanks for visiting my little corner of the literary world, and thanks for being readers. Readers Rock!

 
















New Short Story Just Released!

My short story "Carnations" just went live at the online journal Cleaning Up Glitter. The story tells the tale of a Syrian family fleeing their war-torn country. Their journey is filled with danger and uncertainty, with sorrow and only a glimmer of hope.

Huge Shout-Out to Cleaning Up Glitter!

I want to thank the editors of Cleaning Up Glitter for having faith in my work. It is a privilege to be a part of their journal. Cleaning Up Glitter is a non-profit e-Journal, so my story is a free read. How can you beat that? You have the chance to support the literary arts and get a free short story into the bargain: Everyone wins! Here is the link to the front page of CUG's latest issue. My story is featured as the lead story. How cool is that? 

ps://cleaningupglitter.com/

More Short Stories and Book Reviews at the Blog:

There is lots more at Marco Etheridge Fiction. Check out the blog for book reviews, links to more short stories, and other fun stuff: 

https://www.marcoetheridgefiction.com/blog/

Thanks for visiting my little corner of the literary world, and thanks for being readers. Readers Rock!

2020 has dawned new and bright as a shiny copper penny, at least in my small corner of the publishing world. November and December, 2019, brought a drum-beat of rejections, but the beat has changed from rejection to a tattoo of accepted stories. The writing gods have chosen to smile upon me. They are as fickle as the Greek Gods of myth, my little writing gods, but I will take the good fortune when it comes. Tomorrow's rejections are tomorrow's business. Let us instead speak of stories and success.

Four short stories have been published since the New Year turned. Here is a brief roll call for your reading pleasure.



"Mac, Dickran, and The Kid" was the first story of the New Year, appearing at Literary Yard. This is the second story in the New Orleans Trilogy. You can read the story here:


Mac, Dickran, and The Kid at Literary Yard




"Ollie-Ollie" was published in February at the great site Literally Stories. You can read this story, along with four other stories, by banging the big button:


Ollie-Ollie at Literally Stories






"Inside News" was the second story for February. This tale of a young widow and a devil's bargain appeared in Dime Show Review. Check it out here:



Inside News at Dime Show Review






















Capping out February was "The Rosary," a flash-fiction piece about a young woman alone in the Sonoran desert. This story appeared in Mobius: The Journal for Social Change, and I am very proud to be a part of their mission:


The Rosary at Mobius


I hope you enjoy these short stories. I am very pleased to say that there are more on the way, with five stories having been accepted in the last two months. Look for new publications in the coming months, including a monster long-format story, "Words May Set Your Free."

If you are interested in previously published stories, you can find them here:



The Short Story Tally at MEF



Thank you for reading and for being readers. I hope to have more good news in the coming weeks. Until then, "Ciao for Now!"