Short Stories

Quick, entertaining, and inexpensive reads for you. A way to stretch the writing muscles for me.

A selection of my stories are available individually on my Payhip Bookstore, and are a great way to try my work for only about $1.

But if you’d rather get a whole gobsmack of my stories for one low price, you’ll want to check out the collections The Great Escape and 13th Hour below

Mrs. Morris Meets Death

A Mortal Tale of Time Management

Available now for FREE – Click HERE to get your exclusive copy today!

With her book sales, bake sales, garden club, and the Halloween Hop, Mrs. Morris has no room on her schedule for activities such as dying.

Unfortunately, when Death calls, he can’t take no for an answer…management simply won’t allow it.

Trouble is, with his overwhelming workload, although Mrs. Morris doesn’t want to go, Death might just need her organizational skills if he’s ever going to find a spare moment for the new hobby he’s fallen headstone over heels with.

Originally published in 2019 in First Line Literary Journal

*****

The Great Escape: 15 Tales of Humor, Myth & Magic

Peculiar pet shops

Troublesome dream homes

And robot vacuums that just want to be free

COMING July 2023!!!

Try a SAMPLE today!

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 is the second short story collection by Tammie Painter – author of the humor-filled Cassie Black Trilogy and The Circus of Unusual Creatures Mysteries. It begins with a brief introduction telling how these stories led to the creation of those fan favorite series. The author then begins each tale with a few words to share the twists and turns of inspiration.

The fifteen stories range from dark (but not too dark) fantasy to beguiling magical realism to laugh-out-loud silliness.

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 include….

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

What readers have to say about some of the stories in The Great Escape….

About The Great Escape (story)

“Hilarious, absolutely hilarious!… I laughed in the first few pages, and I continued to laugh through the rest of the story too. My sides still hurt!” –Jonathan Pongratz, author of Reaper

About The Ghost of Arlen Hall…

“The chills and the mystery really kept me going, and I loved that ending! Definitely worth a read if you’re in the mood for a haunting!” —Jaunts & Haunts Book Review

About Testing the Waters….

“The writing is crisp, and I love the way the relationships between the townsfolk are portrayed. It’s even more fun once you figure you out what’s really going on.” —Ruined Chapel Book Review

About The Drive-Thru Window…

“I loved the end result of this story, and I was hanging on the edge of my seat the entire time.” —Jaunts & Haunts Book Review

About SpaceWalk

“I gave this short story five stellar stars!…a great story through and through.” —Goodreads Review

The Great Escape is hitting the shelves July 2023. You can pre-order your copy today at select online retailers.

*****

13th Hour: Tales From Light to Midnight

From light tales of legends and love, to dark stories of ancient beasts and a desperate chef, 13th Hour will delight you, mystify you, and make you cringe.

13th Hour’s seventeen tales tick through questions such as….

Can you dream forever?
What is it really like to work for the gods?
What would you do for love?
Or for revenge?
Do fabled creatures still stalk the earth?
What lurks in paradise?
What is your family’s darkest secret? …and many more.

So sit down and unwind your clocks because it’s time for the 13th Hour.

What readers have to say about the collection…

“I usually don’t read fiction but this I really liked. The stories were varied in the type of suspense/horror. To me these stories seem like a cross between Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock.”

“I’m a huge fan of supernatural short stories, and this book was perfect. My favorite story, ‘Island Ways’ creeped me out in the way I only thought Stephen King could. Loved it!”

“This is a great collection of short stories! So well written, each story totally unique, a really great read! I will be recommending this book to all of my friends!”

If you’d like to try a sample story from 13th Hour, you’ll find one HERE