Your lovely reviews not only let other readers know this book is worth spending their hard-earned money and valuable reading time on, but are a vital component for me to join in on some pretty influential promotional opportunities.
Basically, you’re a superhero who can help launch this book into stardom!
I know! You’re feeling pretty powerful, aren’t you?
Well, don’t waste that power trip. Head over to your favorite book retailer, Goodreads, and/or Bookbub to share a sentence or two (or more, if you’re ambitious). Even a star rating would be appreciated.
And if you could tell just one other person about Cassie Black’s story, your superhero powers will absolutely skyrocket.
Thanks!!
By the way, if you didn’t like this book, please contact me and let me know what didn’t work. I’m always looking to improve.
THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
( NOTE: IF YOU’D like, you can also see me blathering on about the inspiration for the Cassie Black trilogy on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Cm-GQA4GeOU )
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With the wrap up of this trilogy, it’s time to look back on what inspired this book.
Several things. But namely, my grandma's funeral.
What? You don't get inspired to write dark humor that includes the waking dead and an entire magical world while facing down familial grief? Hmm...I may need to re-examine how my brain works.
Anyway, it took a fair while for the funeral to start and I'd brought with me a notepad, pencil, and one of my first line story prompts and thought I'd play with it. I'm not sure exactly what that first line was, but I think it was, "We need to talk."
I jotted down a quick dialogue in which a funeral home worker had to confess to her boss that she kept accidentally waking the dead. The tidbit wasn't all that great. It had way too much attitude, the funeral home worker came across as a big jerk, but it did plant a seed of an idea.
At the time, I was working through the final few books of my Osteria Chronicles series. I was bored with the series and feeling unmotivated to work on those books. But knew I had to get them done or I would never do them.
As I worked through those books, I had a few breaks in between drafts to play with this funeral home idea that kept growing in my mind even though I was trying to hold it back.
As part of trying to play a little looser with my writing, I was also doing writing exercises for 10 - 15 minutes one day a week. Using a prompt from the very fun book Take Ten for Writers, I ended up with the beginnings of a story set in World War II in which a bike messenger delivers what she thinks is a normal package, but turns out to contain a magic object that if it falls into the wrong hands could mean doom for the Allies.
I loved this idea and thought it could work into a novel. But damn it! There were still two books of The Osteria Chronicles (a six-book series) to get through, after which I really wanted to get out and play with my funeral home worker.
Let me tell you, slogging through the first few drafts of books five and six of the Osteria Chronicles was a HUGE exercise in discipline. But the good thing about drafts? You're recommended to take breaks in between them.
Okay, I may have looked forward to those breaks a bit too much. Because during one of these breaks I let myself loose on that funeral home story.
But wait, my funeral home worker (the future Cassie Black) is waking the dead. How? A magical object, perhaps? What if Cassie hadn't had the best luck in her life? What if she'd worked as a bike messenger to make ends meet? What if she happened to be unable to deliver a magic object that ends up changing the course of her life...and the dead people she's meant to be tending to?
Yes, I may have let out a squeal of joy at this point. I not only could get to work on the funeral home story, but I could also use the bike messenger concept without having to dedicate/find time to write a whole different novel.
Hoorah, indeed!
The first draft of The Undead Mr. Tenpenny came together within a couple weeks. I don't think words have flowed so freely from my pen as with that draft and I loved what I'd come up with.
But of course, there were those two Osteria books to complete. Which I did. Cheers to me for sticking with it...and I have to say, for all the grumbling, I think those final two books proved a strong and satisfying finish for the series.
While the core events stayed the same from that first Cassie Black draft, plenty changed as I began to plan how the trilogy might play out, how the original characters could have a role throughout the trilogy, and how I could dribble in hints and foreshadowing throughout the story.
And, thankfully, my early readers have told me it worked out and came together marvelously. I hope you’ve thought so too.
Thanks so much for reading these books. I’d love to stay in touch, so please be sure to sign up for my newsletter at www.subscribepage.com/mrsmorris (all lower case) to get a free story and to find out what’s coming next from my overactive imagination!
—Tammie Painter, May 2021
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Many moons ago I was a scientist in a neuroscience lab where I got to play with brains and illegal drugs. Now, I’m an award-winning author who turns wickedly strong tea into imaginative fiction (so, basically still playing with brains and drugs).
My fascination for myths, history, and how they interweave inspired my flagship series, The Osteria Chronicles, and my second series, Domna.
But that all got a bit too serious for someone with a strange sense of humor and odd way of looking at the world.
So, while sitting at my grandmother’s funeral, my brain came up with an idea for a contemporary fantasy trilogy that would be filled with magic, mystery, snarky humor, and the dead who just won’t stay dead. That idea turned into The Cassie Black Trilogy.
When I’m not creating worlds or killing off characters, I can be found gardening, planning my next travel adventure, working as an unpaid servant to three cats and two guinea pigs, or wrangling my backyard hive of honeybees.
I'm also the host of The Book Owl Podcast where I explore the tales of quirky books and literary lore. It's a book nerd's paradise over there so be sure to give it a listen wherever you listen to podcasts.
You can learn more about me at TammiePainter.com
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KEEP READING
Curious about my other series? Be sure to get my free series starters…
The Trials of Hercules: Book One of the Osteria Chronicles
Domna, Part One: The Sun God’s Daughter
Or, take a gander at my other books and short stories
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Other Books by Tammie Painter
The Cassie Black Trilogy
Working in a funeral home can be mundane. Until you accidentally start bringing the dead
back to life.
If you like contemporary fantasy with snarky humor, unforgettable characters, piles of pastries, and a little paranormal mystery, you'll find it hard to pry yourself away from the Cassie Black Trilogy...a fish-out-of-water tale that takes you from the streets of Portland to the Tower of London.
The Undead Mr. Tenpenny
Work at a funeral home can be mundane. Until you accidentally start waking the dead.
The Uncanny Raven Winston
There’s nothing like an evil wizard to ruin a perfect good trip to London.
The Untangled Cassie Black
Sometimes taking an overdose of magic is the least of your worries.
The Osteria Chronicles
A Six-Book Mythological Fantasy Adventure
Myths and heroes may be reborn, but the whims of the gods never change.
Perfect for fans of mythological adventure and romance like Clash of the Titans, as well as historical fantasy fiction by Madeline Miller, S.J.A. Turney, Mary Renault, and Bernard Cornwell, the Osteria Chronicles are a captivating fantasy series in which the myths, gods, and heroes of Ancient Greece come to life as you've never seen them before.
The Trials of Hercules: Book One of the Osteria Chronicles
In a world where mortals contend with the gods' vengeful jealousy, one man must ask himself if he will risk his life to defend the goddess who has done everything to destroy him.
The Voyage of Heroes: Book Two of the Osteria Chronicles
In a dangerous game that pits god against god, and family against one another, trust is the deadliest weapon.
The Maze of Minos: Book Three of the Osteria Chronicles
With the gods as your allies, your life, your world, and your sanity have never been in more danger.
The Bonds of Osteria: Book Four of the Osteria Chronicles
In a fierce clash for power, titans rise, heroes fall, and the gods find themselves on the brink of destruction.
The Battle of Ares: Book Five of the Osteria Chronicles
The war that could destroy Osteria has begun. And it's not just the mortals whose lives are at stake.
The Return of Odysseus: Book Six of the Osteria Chronicles
The war may be over, but the fight for Osteria's future has just begun. For both mortals and immortals, it's a race against time for survival, for love, and for Osteria.
Domna: A Novel of Osteria
Destiny isn’t given by the gods, it’s made by defying them.
If you like the political intrigue, adventure, and love triangles of historical fiction by Philippa Gregory and Bernard Cornwell, and the mythological world-building of fantasy fiction by Madeline Miller and Simon Scarrow, you‘ll love Domna’s epic tale of passion, ambition, and betrayal.
Domna: The Complete Set includes all six parts of this serialized novel in one volume.
Domna, Part One: The Sun God’s Daughter
As a realm teeters on the verge of rebellion anything is possible, except one woman’s freedom to choose her fate.
Domna, Part Two: The Solon’s Son
When your destiny has been stolen, it’s up to you to make a new one. But first you have to survive the marriage you’ve been forced into.
Domna, Part Three: The Centaur’s Gamble
In a world mired in chaos one wrong word could mean death, but one promise could mean greatness.
Domna, Part Four: The Regent’s Edict
A fight for power. A battle for loyalty. A plot that could cause it all to crumble.
Domna, Part Five: The Forgotten Heir
When the Solon ignores an imminent threat, one woman will go to any extreme to save him, protect her son, and ensure the stability of their realm.
Domna, Part Six: The Solon’s Wife
A life of love or a life of power. A promise to the gods or following your heart’s desire. The choice must be made.
Short Stories
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.
Other Short Stories
I love to stretch my writing muscles with short stories, many of which feature plenty of dark humor.
A few are available on major retailers, but you’ll find more on my Payhip Bookstore.
The Untangled Cassie Black
The Cassie Black Trilogy Book Three
Copyright © 2021 by Tammie Painter, All Rights Reserved
Daisy Dog Media supports copyright. Copyright fuels and encourages creativity, free speech, and legal commerce. Thank you for purchasing authorized copy of this book and supporting the hard work of the author. To comply with copyright law you agree to not reproduce, scan, distribute, or upload any part of this work in any form without permission from the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
You may contact the author by email at
[email protected]
Mailing Address:
Daisy Dog Media
P.O. Box 165
Netarts, Oregon 97143, USA
Also available as a paperback and hardback
First Edition, May 2021
The Untangled Cassie Black Page 32