Break out the sequined fedoras... Sleuthing Dragons are HERE!

Hello Everyone!

Now, I know the upcoming sentence might have had my medieval ancestors scrambling around in a panic, grabbing pointy farm implements, and locking up any vulnerable maidens, but...

A dragon is on the loose!

Okay, granted, he's only on the loose on several retailers' bookshelves, and he'd probably be more interested in omelets than maidens, but nevertheless, Duncan has been let loose to wreak sleuthing havoc and deliver bad puns once again.

In other words...

It's release day for Too Claws for Comfort: The Circus of Unusual Creatures #5.

(that's your cue to shout "hoorah!")

Once you've finished with your hoorah-ing, below you'll find...

Some gushing thanks
Colorful graphics (aka "evidence of me procrastinating")
Tales of the bad (yet inspirational) audiobook
All the many and marvelous ways you can get your copy
A sample from the book and its description
A striking absence of cake and champagne, but plenty of Dragon Delights and omelets.

The gushing thanks bit...

I owe a HUGE THANKS to all of you from my review team, beta readers, and writerly friends who, as ever, provided some wonderful feedback.

This was especially helpful because, as with Beast or Famine (book 4) I did my best to write Claws so people who are new to the series would be able to jump right in without feeling too confused.

About the book, anyway. I can't help it if you're confused about other things, since I usually am as well.

I'm never quite sure if my writing skills are cunning enough until I receive your lovely feedback that things did indeed make sense.

So, thanks. And... phew!

Oh, and many many MANY thanks to my writerly friends (and anyone else) who shared the book with your own readers -- you're the greatest!!!

And then there's the astounding number of you who I have to thank for pre-ordering Too Claws for Comfort, and... well, this gratitude thing could go on for far too long, so how about we continue on with the celebrating?

Tales of the Bad (yet inspirational) Audiobook

So, if you've read the samples from Too Claws for Comfort that I've repeatedly thrown in your face, you'll know that the book starts out with Duncan being woken from a dream by Fergus.

Who seems to find himself married. Oops.

I go into more details about this (and much more) in the Behind the Scenes stuff at the end of the book, but the idea of Fergus accidentally getting married was the sole basis for Claws.

Seriously, I had no other plot ideas for this book other than the setting of a circus-themed conference.

No ideas for clues. No ideas about suspects. No ideas of what trouble the other characters might get up to (which turned out to out to be plenty).

But there was Fergus and his unexpected nuptials, all thanks to listening to a bad audiobook. Well, I listened to the first fifteen minutes, and then turned it off and sent it straight back to the library.

At the very start of The Bad Audiobook (sorry, I've blocked the title from my brain), a woman finds herself married when she really didn't mean to be.

Despite returning the book ASAP, my mind wouldn't stop whirling with this idea of someone accidentally getting married.

Who might get themselves hitched unintentionally? Who might really screw things up if he got married? Who is the unluckiest unicorn in love?

Of course it had to be Fergus!

Anyway, there's even more troubling aspects of this unplanned marriage that make it impossible for Fergus to get out of it without ending up dead, but I'll leave that to you to discover. Let's just say, it involves gargoyles.

And really, while I love Duncan's goofiness, Zin's gruffness, and Molly's southern charm, Fergus is my absolute favorite character to write... especially when I get to ratchet up his dramatic reactions to everything.

Although Beast or Famine still remains my favorite book of the series, with all the characters' hijinks and the silly situations they got themselves into,Too Claws for Comfort turned out to be a very close second (and not just because of Fergus).

And since I think you'll like it too, let's stop all this sappy gratefulness and reflection and sell you some books!

Ebooks and Paperbacks, Big Retailers and Indie Shops

If you're new here and want to learn more about the book, including a sample and description, you'll find those just a bit further down.

Where to find Too Claws for Comfort...

As an ebook here on my Payhip Bookstore at a slight discount (this week only)
As an ebook at most major ebook retailers
As an ebook through a fair number of subscription services (Kobo Plus, Scribd, Hoopla)
As a paperback on Amazon and (eventually) a few other retailers*.

You'll find links to all those retailers and subscription services at books2read.com/Duncan5

*My paperback publisher who distributes to other stores is verrryyyy slow at getting the books to retailers far and wide. You can try searching your favorite shop for Claws, but unfortunately, the Big A is the most reliable paperback option out there. More retailers will trickle in eventually...I think.

On a budget?

Want to share the book with other book lovers?

All you have to do is simply ask your local library to purchase a copy of Too Claws for Comfort -- either in ebook or paperback format.

Don't be shy about this.

Most libraries LOVE acquiring new stuff, getting ideas of how to build their collections, and keeping their patrons happy.

Also, sharing your favorite books with other readers is an EXCELLENT way to help support and promote an author.

That's (Sort of) It...

Okay, that's about it for this special "buy my book" post.

However, if you haven't read them yet, keep scrolling for a tasty sample and description of Too Claws for Comfort.

As ever, thanks to everyone who continues to read and recommend my work. It means so much that you enjoy the wacky things my brain comes up with.

Happy Reading!!

Tammie Painter

Want to try a Sample?

If you missed the sample of Duncan's latest antics, you can read a couple of taste-tempting chapters HERE

The Description...

Duncan's back and the mysteries are piling up faster than empty bags of Dragon Delights!

It's the Annual Unusual Circus Conference, and Duncan and the rest of Zin's troupe are in attendance. On the outskirts, of course, because Zin says it's cheaper that way.

Duncan - dragon detective and omelet aficionado - is thrilled to be there, not only because it's his first time attending the overly commercial event but also because he's getting a chance to spend time with the lovely Viola.

Only trouble is, Viola appears to prefer spending her time with a rather handsome dragon Duncan's never seen before. A situation that becomes even more worrisome when Viola turns up missing.

But before Duncan (along with his fellow amateur sleuths Boris and Cordelia) can sift through the clues and rescue Viola from the dragon-napping clutches of Mr Handsome, they find themselves contending with…

A satyr who’s become obsessed with styling products
A flurry of fortune tellers giving vague advice
Transformational tea pots
Wigs of unusual size
And a unicorn who’s discovered that accidentally getting married might be the last thing he ever does.

Can Duncan, Cordelia, and Boris sort out everyone else's problems, bring Viola back, and survive several days of overt commercialism? Or will they get too distracted by omelets on sticks, buckets of donuts, and a new line of sparkly fedoras?

Find out in Too Claws for Comfort, the latest addition to the Circus of Unusual Creatures Mysteries — a cozy fantasy series that mixes in laughs with murderous mayhem and mythical beasts.

* * *

Although it's the fifth book in the series, Too Claws for Comfort is a great place to jump into the humor-filled mysteries of The Circus of Unusual Creatures series.

If you like comic fantasy whodunnits you'll love, not only this silly story, but also the first four books in the series:Hoard It All Before, Tipping the Scales, Fangs a Million, and Beast or Famine.