Tag Archives: Humor

The Cassie Black Trilogy by Tammie Painter

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Work at a funeral home can be mundane. Until you accidentally start bringing the dead back to life.

The Undead Mr. Tenpenny

The Cassie Black Trilogy Book 1

by Tammie Painter

Genre: Humorous Dark Fantasy Mystery

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 thinks 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 comic fantasy whodunits with plenty of wry humor, a cast of unforgettable characters, a touch of paranormal mystery, and piles of pastries, you’ll find it hard to pry yourself away from this first book of the Cassie Black Trilogy.

Note: While this book delivers a contemporary fantasy tale with snarky 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.

The Cassie Black “Trilogy” has now grown to a very un-trilogy-like six books that include…

  • The Undead Mr. Tenpenny (#1 of The Cassie Black Trilogy 1.0)
  • The Uncanny Raven Winston (#2 of The Cassie Black Trilogy 1.0)
  • The Untangled Cassie Black (#3 of The Cassie Black Trilogy 1.0)
  • The Unusual Mayor Marheart (#1 of The Cassie Black Trilogy 2.0)
  • The Unbearable Inspector Oberlin (#2 of The Cassie Black Trilogy 2.0)
  • The Unexpected Mr Hopkins (#3 of The Cassie Black Trilogy 2.0)

What readers have to say about the series so far…

  • “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.”
  • “More, please!”
  • “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.”
  • “…suffused with dark humor and witty dialogue…”
  • “Cassie Black, won me over in the first book of this series, and she doesn’t disappoint in this one!!!”

**On Sale for Only .99cents!**

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READ A SAMPLE OF THE UNDEAD MR TENPENNY HERE:https://read.bookfunnel.com/read/t2q4kh1ayg

The Uncanny Raven Winston

The Cassie Black Trilogy Book 2

There’s nothing like an evil wizard to ruin a perfectly good trip to London.

Ever have one of those weeks? You’ve taken an overdose of magic, you’ve melted a twelve-year old girl, and Magic HQ has sent a letter “requesting” you come by to discuss your magic control issues.

No? Just me, then?

I don’t want to go. I’ve got a boss in a wheelchair (my fault), a zombie cat who demands his treats on schedule, and no interest in sorting out the quirks of another magical community.

But when someone slips me information tying my parents’ disappearance to HQ, I can’t pack my bags quickly enough.

I’m soon destroying historical displays, befriending befuddled ghosts, and focusing more on uncovering the truth about my past than on learning how to rein in my magic. Which, considering what might happen if I fail the test HQ has for me… Well, best not to think about that.

This second book of the Cassie Black Trilogy squeezes you through a magic portal, lodges you in a hidden corner of the Tower of London, and plunges you into a tale of mysterious mishaps, peculiar ravens, and TV-binging trolls.

If you like contemporary fantasy with unforgettable characters, snarky humor, and a touch of paranormal mystery — or if you’ve ever wondered what those garden gnomes are really up to — you’ll find it hard to pry yourself away from The Uncanny Raven Winston.

The Cassie Black Trilogy is a fish-out-of-water tale 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?

**Get it On Sale at Smashwords discounted for the month of July!**

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https://amzn.to/3QA70Hl

The Untangled Cassie Black

The Cassie Black Trilogy Book 3

Sometimes taking an overdose of magic is the least of your problems.

Not only has Cassie Black just lost two people through a magic portal, but her archenemy, the Mauvais, is threatening to destroy city after city if Magic HeadQuarters doesn’t hand her over to him…. a proposal HQ isn’t exactly saying no to.

As the Magic higher ups debate her fate, Cassie refuses to sit by and watch the grass grow between the toes of the surveillance gnomes. Biting back her life rule to never get involved, she knows the only way to stop the Mauvais is to go after him herself.

Which is exactly what he wants. Because the instant Cassie falls into his hands, the Mauvais will gain the unlimited power he’s always craved.

So don’t get captured, right? Easy for you to say.

Trouble is, there’s a traitor within HQ who’s proving to be more devious, more powerful, and with more tricks up the sleeve than anyone could have ever guessed.

In this page-turning conclusion of the Cassie Black Trilogy, the curses are flying, the pastries are plentiful, the bookworms are slithering, and the magical batteries are charged to capacity.

If you like contemporary fantasy filled with dark humor, paranormal mystery, and a cast of unforgettably quirky characters, you’ll love the twists and turns of this conclusion to the first Cassie Black Trilogy.

**Get it On Sale at Smashwords discounted for the month of July!**

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Author of humorous fantasy whodunits full of mythical misfits and magical mishaps

Many moons ago I was a scientist in a neuroscience lab where I got to play with brains and illegal drugs. Now, I take wickedly strong tea and turn it into comic fantasy whodunits full of mythical misfits and magical mishaps that I hope give you a giggle. 
My tales run the gamut from the ever-expanding Cassie Black Trilogy with its wryly humorous paranormal mysteries to the comical fantasy whodunits in The Circus of Unusual Creatures, and from light-hearted novellas celebrating my love of books to short fiction in which I really flex my myth-loving and humor-craving muscles!

When I’m not creating worlds or killing off characters, I can be found gardening, planning my next travel adventure, concocting some sort of mess in the kitchen, or working as an unpaid servant to one very spoiled cat and some very demanding squirrels.

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Would you like a chance to win a $20 Amazon or PayPal Gift Card? Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

Tune In Tomorrow by Randee Dawn

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Tune in Tomorrow
by Randee Dawn
Genre: Humorous Pop-Culture Fantasy

A funny, thrilling and mysterious adventure into the world of alternate reality television… Perfect for fans of Jasper Fforde and Christopher Moore.

She’s just a small town girl, with big mythic dreams.
Starr Weatherby came to New York to become… well, a star. But after ten years and no luck, she’s offered a big role – on a show no one has ever heard of. And there’s a reason for that. It’s a ‘reality’ show beyond the Veil, human drama, performed for the entertainment of the Fae.
But as Starr shifts from astounded newcomer to rising fan favorite, she learns about the show’s dark underbelly – and mysterious disappearance of her predecessor. She’ll do whatever it takes to keep her dream job – though she might just bring down the show in the process.

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Randee Dawn is an author, journalist, and lucky denizen of Brooklyn. Her first novel, the humorous pop-culture fantasy Tune in Tomorrow, published in August 2022 (Solaris/Rebellion).
Randee’s short fiction has appeared in publications and podcasts including 3AM Magazine (“The View of My Brother’s Profile in the Rear-View Mirror,” 2001; “Warm, In Your Coat,” 2004) and Well-Told Tales (“Home for the Holidays,” 2015; “Can’t Keep a Dead Man Down,” 2017).
Dawn’s stories have appeared in anthologies including Where We May Wag (“The Last Dog,” Writing Piazza Press, 2018), Children of a Different Sky (“Can’t Find My Way Home,” Kos Books, 2018), Magic for Beginners (“Queen Zoe and the Spinning Game,” Fantasia Divinity, 2019), Dim Shores Presents (“Rough Beast, Slouching,” 2021), Another World: Stories of Portal Fantasy (“The Way Is Clear,” SummerStorm Press, 2021), and Horror for the Throne: One-Sitting Reads (“Cat Person”).
She has a short collection of dark speculative fiction short stories, “Home for the Holidays” (2014) and co-authored “The Law & Order: SVU Unofficial Companion” (BenBella Books, 2009). She co-edited the speculative fiction anthology of “what if” stories about The Beatles, “Across the Universe: Tales of Alternative Beatles” (Fantastic Books, 2019).
When not making stuff up, Randee publishes entertainment profiles, reviews, and think pieces regularly in outlets including Variety, The Los Angeles Times, Today.com and Emmy Magazine, and writes trivia for BigBrain.
She can be found at RandeeDawn.com and @RandeeDawn (on Twitter).

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Would you like a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card? Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

Do you have a favorite movie?
Certainly! You don’t even have to drop a hat to get me to watch The Philadelphia Story, a movie from 1940 with some of my favorite actors of all time – Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. Ruth Hussey is also magnificent. It’s funny, it’s screwy, and it has a wonderful back story in that it helped revive Hepburn’s then-flagging career. Plus, it’s just a pleasure to watch these beautiful people on screen. In 1956, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelley – plus Louis Armstrong! – were the stars of a musical remake called High Society, with music by Cole Porter. I’ll always pick Philadelphia first, but Society is one of those rare reimaginings that’s almost as perfect, particularly the performance of “Well! Did You Evah?” in which Crosby notes to Sinatra, “Tune in tomorrow.”

Who is your hero and why?
When I was about 10 or 11, I came across something called “An Eschatological Laundry List,” by the late psychologist and author Sheldon B. Kopp. It’s a series of 43 brief sentences that starts with “This is it!” and includes lines like “All of the significant battles are waged within the self.” One that sticks with me is: “If you have a hero, look again: you have diminished yourself in some way.” I can see heroic behavior and admire it, but I do not have a single hero. We all live in the gray area, including the great people. What is heroic is loving, and admiring, someone despite their gray areas. My mother is a hero. My friend Julia – who gave me the list originally – is a hero. Everyone I love is heroic. And I strive for that, every day.

Which of your novels can you imagine being made into a movie?
All of them! I’ve only had one published so far – Tune in Tomorrow – and frankly, I think it’d make a better series than a movie, but I’ll assume that’s included in the question. I write with a movie playing in my head at all times. I know what every scene looks like, where the characters are standing, and if I squint, what they’re wearing. I only include the details that matter in each scene, but there are many more I don’t include. So for me, every book and short story I write is a kind of script for the movie I want it to become. But let’s face it: the book is always better.

I am happy to be one of many tour hosts sharing information about

Murder With Strings Attached by Mark Reutlinger #giveaway

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Murder With Strings Attached by Mark Reutlinger ~ Genre: Humorous Mystery

Sometimes even the most carefully conceived burglary can take an unexpected turn. Florence Palmer has her eye on concert violinist Aaron Levy’s priceless violin. Unfortunately, she finds it’s already been stolen. Her surprise doubles when the virtuoso she’d planned to burgle offers to hire her to help him steal it back. But they’re not the only ones looking for the missing violin. When Flo inadvertently becomes the prime suspect in a case of murder, she and Aaron need to clear her name. Will they find the real killer and get the violin back to its rightful owner without anyone else, especially themselves, being killed?

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Mark Reutlinger is the author of the novels “Made in China,” “Murder with Strings Attached,” and the “Mrs. Kaplan” cozy mystery series, as well as “Sister-in-Law” under the pen name M. R. Morgan. He is a professor of law emeritus at Seattle University. Born in San Francisco, Mark graduated from UC Berkeley and now lives with his wife, Analee, in University Place, Washington. When not reading or writing, Mark enjoys tennis, biking, playing the clarinet (in the Tacoma Concert Band), sports cars, and various arts and crafts. He doesn’t know where he finds time for it all.

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Would you like a chance to win a $15 Amazon gift card? Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

I am happy to be one of many tour hosts sharing information about Murder With Strings Attached by Mark Reutlinger.