Bøker av Tammie Painter

A seaside eating contest.A cheating, song-stealing, all-around-no-good ex.And a chain-smoking unicorn doling out dating advice.What could possibly go wrong? It's time for the Seaside Family Fun Fair's annual eating contests, and Zin's Circus of Unusual Creatures has been invited to perform as the feature act. Right from the start, trouble is brewing. Trouble that, to everyone's surprise, has (almost) nothing to do withFergus now referring to himself as The Love Guru. Besides foul moods over the weather, the decrepit state of the fun fair, and the sand wedging itself, well, everywhere, tempers truly flare when Molly's ex-husband, Albert, shows up for the competition. Albert has a bad track record. He's cheated in a previous eating contest, he's stolen Molly the Mini-taur's songs, and he's got an ogre-sized secret that could destroy the fun fair. So, the moment the competition turns deadly, Duncan - dragon and amateur sleuth - has a long list of people who wouldn't mind sending Albert six feet under. Problem is, two of Duncan's friends are the most likely suspects. Matters only get worse when Duncan discovers Zin has agreed to a partnership that's smellier than a sack of rotting fish heads. And with Pepper so busy prepping food for the contest, she's failed to keep up with Duncan's omelet needs. Seriously, no dragon should have to sleuth in these conditions. Can Duncan find the killer before they strike again? Will Zin lose his circus to this partnership? What relationship disasters will Fergus cause? And what is up with those ogres? Find out in Beast or Famine, the latest installment of The Circus of Unusual Creatures Mystery series. ~ ~ ~ Although it's the fourth book in the series, Beast or Famine is a great way to jump into Circus of Unusual Creatures Mysteries. Set in a 1930s that's just a tad different than what you're used to, The Circus of Unusual Creatures is a delightfully humorous cozy mystery series that features a detecting dragon, an aura-spotting centaur, a chain-smoking unicorn, and plenty of other quirky characters getting into all kinds of trouble as they stumble their way through clues, crimes, and perfectly cooked omelets. If you like comic fantasy whodunnits that mix in laughs with murderous mayhem and mythical beasts, you'll love, not only this silly story, but also the first three books in the series: Hoard It All Before, Tipping the Scales, and Fangs a Million. Story Note: While this cozy fantasy mystery is mostly clean, it does have a lusty, chain-smoking unicorn who makes more than a few naughty innuendos, a dragon who drinks, a tiny bit of mild swearing, and (obviously) there's a murder or two along the way.

Peculiar pet shops.Troublesome dream homes.And robot vacuums that just want to be free. Looking for a captivating (and quick) escape from reality? These fifteen tales of myth, magic, and whimsy provide just that. Amongst the award-winning words are stories of vacations gone enchantingly wrong, questionable business practices, worrying parental habits, misbehaving reptiles, and Norse gods in a bit of a bind. This second short story collection by Tammie Painter (author of the humor-filled Cassie Black Trilogy and The Circus of Unusual Creatures Mysteries) begins with a brief introduction telling how these stories led to the creation of those fan favorite series. The author then launches each tale with a few words to share the twists and turns of inspiration. The fifteen stories range from beguiling magical realism to laugh-out-loud silliness to dark (but not too dark) fantasy. Some stories have a little violence (nothing gruesome) and mild cursing, but no "on-screen" hanky panky (a giant does have some off-screen fun, but I'll leave you to discover that one). The stories inside….The Great Escape Grave Bargains Buttercup: Queen of Death The Drive-Thru Window Testing the Waters The Back Room The Liar of Lilløya Space Walk Moonlight Cruise The Ghost of Arlen Hall A Case of Mamma's Love Dragon Trouble The Secret Eater A Feast for Sight Champ

It's not paranoia if it's real."If you want a thrilling read with some solid creepy elements, this book is for you!" --Jonathan Pongratz, author of Reaper'...the storyline had me on the edge of my seat -- really hard to put down. You need to read it!" --Bookbub Reviewer"...keeps the reader engaged wanting to see where this will lead. But still...not wanting it to end." --Bookbub ReviewerAt first, Moire's sleepwalking incidents don't faze her. She's never had them before, so surely they'll pass. When further troubling events and coincidences begin plaguing Moire's sleeping and waking world, her paranoia mounts. Paranoia her husband Neil insists is a clear sign that Moire needs help. Moire struggles to get a grip, telling herself what she believes is too crazy to be true. But when people close to her start disappearing, she realizes what's been happening is more disturbing than she could have ever imagined. And that she's in a fight for her mind and her body. If you're captivated by The X-Files and The Handmaid's Tale, if you enjoy peeling back the layers of an otherworldly mystery, or if you've ever doubted what you've been told is true, you'll find yourself gripped by Day Sixteen, a modern day thriller with light supernatural elements. Grab your copy of Day Sixteen today to discover what happens when everything they told you was crazy, turns out to be true. Note on trigger warnings: This book doesn't have explicit sex scenes, but there is mention of forced sex. There is also a small amount of cursing and talk of abortion. If you feel any of this will upset or offend you, this may not be the book for you.

Wills often come with unexpected surprises. This one especially so. Reggie and Enton Bookman have just inherited their grandfather's bookshop. The place is profitable, well-loved by the community, and situated in a lively shopping district. But the Bookman brothers want nothing to do with it. After all, who in the world would want to waste their time around books when they could sell the place, pocket a few million, and experience VIP airport lounges and first-class flights? With such a hot property, selling it should be easy, right? Not when every scheme the brothers come up with to rid themselves of the shop hits obstacle after obstacle. And the more time Enton spends in the shop, the more he starts to believe it's not just bad luck thwarting their efforts. If you believe in the magic of books and enjoy a bit of humor with your magical realism, you'll love the exploits of the Bookman brothers. Pick up your copy today.

Work at a funeral home can be mundane. Until you accidentally start bringing the dead back to life. "...a clever, hilarious romp through a new magical universe" --Sarah Angleton, author of Gentleman of Misfortune Cassie Black works at a funeral home. She''s used to all manner of dead bodies. What she''s not used to is them waking up. Which they seem to be doing on a disturbingly regular basis lately. Just when Cassie believes she has the problem under control, the recently-deceased Busby Tenpenny insists he''s been murdered and claims Cassie might be responsible thanks to a wicked brand of magic she''s been exposed to. The only way for Cassie to get her life back to normal is to tame her magic and uncover Mr. Tenpenny''s true killer. Simple right? Of course not. Because while Cassie works on getting her newly-acquired magic sorted, she''s blowing up kitchens, angering an entire magical community, and discovering her past is more closely tied to Busby Tenpenny than she could have ever imagined. If you like contemporary fantasy with snarky humor, unforgettable characters, and paranormal mystery such as Ben Aaronovitch''s Rivers of London series or Wilkie Martin''s Inspector Hobbes tales, you''ll find it hard to pry yourself away from this first book of the Cassie Black Trilogy. Oh, and don''t forget the piles of pastries.... The Cassie Black Trilogy is a darkly humorous fantasy with mystery, magic, and plenty of mishaps that takes you from the streets of Portland to the Tower of London. It''s got magic and mystery, pastries and zombies, sentient gnomes and an evil wizard...because there''s always an evil wizard, isn''t there? What readers have to say..."When I saw the book title…my first thought was, "another zombie apocalypse". A wonderful surprise greeted me with an entertaining story that was written with humor, a great story line and new twist on the undead.""Wow and wow again! I absolutely loved this book! You get such a feel for the characters and the story is so fast paced you don''t want to put it down.""…suffused with dark humor and witty dialogue...""The whole story was a bit of wild ride, but it was a ride I wanted to stay on all the way through! There is mystery that actually kept me guessing, there''s humor, magic, and a unique storyline.""I was unable to put this down when I started reading it. The author combines humour with a fast paced murder mystery all packed into a funeral home." Note: While this book delivers plenty of wry giggles and a few hexes, it''s fairly clean with only an itty-bitty bit of light cursing, one fight scene, and no hanky panky or sexual situations. Selected as one of Apple''s Most Anticipated Books of 2021Winner of the Novel Excerpt Prize from the League of American PEN WomenFinalist in the Yeah You Write! Novel Contest