eBook Short Stories

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The Patagonia Lakes And Other Stories - Kon Calembakis There is, unsurprisingly, a strong flavour of both Greece and Australia in this collection of entertaining stories, although their settings range as far afield as Switzerland, Germany, Russia and disparate parts of South America. Kon Calembakis has touched many an emotion in his stories: love, envy, fear, they're all here as he takes his readers on a mini world tour. Yet the overriding impression is that this is a collection of stories written by someone with a lot to say, and who knows how to say it. They have been drawn from a long and careful observation of life as it is lived by those whose existence might not conform to any particular stereotype and which is worthy of observation for that reason alone. The result is a fascinating window into a world populated by people who are just that little bit different; it's a thoroughly enjoyable experience. (about 48,000 words) Price: £4.00 Quantity:

Monet Or Your Life - Linda Lawrie Doug Shovell is a private detective. But whereas Sam Spade and the others were hard-boiled, Shovell is hard-up! He gets little reward for the work he does, but always tries to satisfy both his clients and his craving for curry. As most of his clients come from the Indian and Asian population of Walsall in the West Midlands, he never goes short of the odd Balti and onion barghee, along with poppadoms and naan bread. In these excellent short stories by Linda Lawrie we follow the adventures of the erstwhile PI as he takes on the might of the KGB, FBI and CIA. Oh yes, don’t be fooled by those acronyms as they’re not what you’re thinking they are. If you want to find out, read the stories. Shovell often finds himself in awkward situations, but always manages to extricate himself, even if he doesn’t always get paid! If you like your detective stories with a tinge of humour and complete lack of the dreaded political correctness, then these are highly recommended. In fact, we’d like to see Linda develop this excellent character further. Great stuff from a very accomplished wordsmith. (about 21,000 words) Price: £3.00 Quantity:

A Journey Into Fear And Fantasy - Sarah Sidibeh This collection of five short stories shows the danger of being obsessed with vanity, ever greedy to improve things that might not, in reality, need improvement. Carefully constructed, each story takes a different theme examining what might happen if ambition is pursued too rigorously. The tales are moralistic yet enjoyable: there is a certain sadistic pleasure in seeing characters collecting their well-deserved come-uppance! The author shows in this collection that she can write and create fantastic, often quite frightening stories. We hope to see a great deal more of her work in the future. (about 12,000 words) Price: £2.00 Quantity:

Candle Lady - Pradeep Kapoor Pradeep Kapoor has collected some of his favourite stories in this anthology; it demonstrates that he is unusually adept at writing compelling romance. It also demonstrates that romantic fiction encompasses so much more than the "boy meets girl and they live happily ever after" stereotype. 'Habits Endure' is a case in point as is 'An Old Friend', the latter being about a bungled burglary and at first sight rather out of place here. Anyone feeling in need of a little lift, of some intelligent feel-good reading, could do a lot worse than spending an hour or two with stories by Pradeep Kapoor - he's skilled in the art of making people feel better! (about 11,000 words) Price: £2.00 Quantity:

Pebbles From The Beach - Various Writers At Deunant Books we are fortunate in having quite a few authors who are very good at writing short stories; it isn't as easy as it sounds. To showcase their work collectively we decided we needed to create an anthology which would include an example of the work of each such writer and this is it. It also allows us to include stories by writers not represented elsewhere on the Deunant website, such as Trixie Brown who contributed 'Teddy Wars'. In here you will find a truly eclectic mix from the surreal and other-worldly (such as 'The Avenger' by Peter Waters or Jo Goudie's 'Zaith') to the eminently possible, such as Iain Brown's 'Rubbish' or Edward Lacey's 'The Commuter', not forgetting one who has truly mastered the short story - Liam Leddy's 'The Name Of The Game' gives an intriguing insight into his skilful handling of the format. There are many others here too, from India, from West and South Africa, from Ireland and from all over the UK. it is a varied and engaging work which is still growing. (about 64,000 words) Price: £4.00 Quantity:

Stories From The Attic - John Tummon 'Stories From The Attic' is a collection of four short stories, all with a distinctly Scottish feel but different in theme and atmosphere. 'Poetic Justice' is the story of the theft of a car and its consequences for both criminal and victim. By chance, by a quirk of circumstance, the victim unwittingly turns the tables on the criminal. 'It's Only A Piece Of Paper' is a story about marriage as an institution and takes a novel view of its importance, whereas 'The Twenty Pound Note' returns to the theme of petty crime and its consequences. Finally, 'The Plate' introduces a mystic, almost surreal feel to this innovative collection to leave the reader feeling that the world may not be perfect, but there are enough decent people in it to make it tolerable. (about 23,000 words) Price: £3.00 Quantity:

Tales Of Romance And Revenge - John Tummon In his second collection of short stories John Tummon presents some crisp and entertaining tales with a neat and surprising twist at the end of each. John is from the Glasgow area like Liam Leddy - perhaps its something in the water that makes writers from the area so skilled at this difficult art. It is interesting to compare the 'Romance' stories with those of 'Revenge'. For instance, 'The Anniversay' and 'Letter From The Past' are both romantic tales but are so different in the stories they tell, yet there are echoes of each in the 'Revenge' tales. This is a very cleverly constructed collection that will, like all good stories, be enjoyed over and over again. (about 12,000 words) Price: £2.00 Quantity:

Tales From A Supermarket - John Tummon Thoughtful short stories are John Tummon's stock in trade and this themed collection contains, yet again, some excellent examples. 'Cry For Help' is a very sensitive story about a case of shoplifting, that perennial problem for self-service stores. 'Jan' is an equally sensitive but very different story carrying a message, as does so much of the author's work. Venturing into the realm of the horror story, 'The Furniture Shop' is a very clever story - much more so than it appears from a single reading - and is a chilling piece of work. These and the other stories make up a collection to be treasured and prove beyond doubt that the author is a most capable wordsmith. (about 17,000 words) Price: £2.50 Quantity:

Even Theists Pray - Darren Wilson This volume of thirteen stories projects characters who, each in their own way, are at odds with a society that they despise and a world that they mistrust. Its style, meditative, offbeat and vibrantly intelligent, reflects the protagonists' alienation and self-assurance. In part a study of relationships, in part an exploration of the nature of Christian faith, Darren Wilson exhibits in these stories a Kafka-like instinct to search for motives behind apparently everyday occurences. Each story shows a difference in approach, from an appropriately child-like naivety of the younger characters to the resolute indecision of those of mature years. The book is ultimately immensely rewarding, exquisitely crafted by an author who is wholly in control of his writing. This, the author's first published work, is a shining example of contemporary writing and will stimulate the minds of all who read it. (about 119,000 words) Price: £6.00 Quantity:

Tea Break Tales - George Donald In a change from his stunning crime novels George Donald has turned his accomplished hand to the difficult art of short story writing and, it has to be said, with success. In this collection there are tales that are heart-warming, tense, moralistic, even a little shocking - what they have in common is that they are all enjoyable. He shows that he can master the skill of providing an unexpected ending, but more than that he has provided stories that are full of detail and ultimately satisfying. The settings vary, from graveyard to underground railway to steamy cafe, but all are written with an understated confidence that makes each tale gratifyingly readable. We thoroughly recommend this collection from the pen of a talented storyteller. (about 21,000 words) Price: £2.75 Quantity:

Spirit Of The Manor And Other Stories - Lesley Bridger This collection of rather spooky stories reflects the character of its author: it is gentle, each story written to entertain but not to frighten. Of the ten stories, three contain an element of truth. One of those three, entitled 'The Haunted Mill', could very well be true as it is an adaptation of a story that is - or used to be - quite well known in the paper-making areas of central Kent. Ghost stories are usually supposed to be scary, but these are from an author who seems convinced that ghosts really are nothing to be afraid of. They are all neatly crafted, including those that are not really ghost stories at all. Those are unusual tales and a joy to read, just as much as the others. The author has produced a charming little book with hidden depths; as each story is re-read it will reveal more of itself! (about 12,000 words) Price: £2.00 Quantity:

Tales From The Broom Cupboard - Linda Lawrie Some jobs are high profile, jobs such as television presenter or perhaps being Prime Minister, others are less so and some are just about invisible but nonetheless essential. Fat Albert's job is one of the invisible ones, for he is a cleaner at a boarding school. This engaging and often very funny collection of short but interconnected stories proves, if any proof were needed, that cleaners are human too and that the comedy potential of any job is in inverse proportion to its profile. Colin, Shirley and, of course, Fat Albert take their work seriously, yet manage to raise more than a smile as they toil through their working day (Fat Albert, though, hasn't always been a cleaner...). This is an ebook that, once it is nestling comfortably on your computer, can be called on any time the spirits need to be raised - it's more effective than a prescription! (about 20,000 words) Cover design by Packrat Productions Price: £3.00 Quantity:

Face Value And Other Tales - Liam Leddy 'Face Value And Other Tales' is the first volume of Liam Leddy's short stories. It demonstrates that the author is an extremely capable wordsmith and a master of the twist in the tale. Containing eleven separate stories it has proved to be extremely popular both locally in Glasgow, the city which is home to the author, and further afield - indeed the ever-growing legion of Leddy fans stretches across continents. Although rightly recognised for his accurate portrayals of Glaswegian life, this collection of stories includes those set elsewhere - 'Jack' and 'Slinger' being cases in point. It's indicative of the breadth of the author's imagination and sets a trend that is pursued in the later works. (abour 10,000 words) Price: £2.00 Quantity:

Sales Target And Other Tales - Liam Leddy After 'Face Value' and 'Ticket Price' it would have been no surprise had the quality of the third short story collectionfaltered a little. Instead this collection shows a growing confidence in the construction of its plots and demonstrates that meatier plots can produce even more surprising endings. Again, some of the stories have been written in a Glaswegian dialect but readers from elsewhere soon get used to it - television has allowed us all to become so familiar with regional accents - and it just adds to the realism of the scenes being portrayed. There is real writing skill on display in this and the other books by Liam Leddy; nobody has been disappointed with the tales told and the feedback has all been positive. (about 10,000 words) Price: £2.00 Quantity:

Ticket Price And Other Tales - Liam Leddy The second volume of Liam Leddy's short stories reaffirms that there is an extraordinarily inventive imagination at work: the situations he creates are unusual and the endings again have that wholly unpredictable twist. Some of these stories have been written in the language of the Glaswegian underworld and those of us not blessed with a grounding in Glasgow culture may need to concentrate a little, but that's all part of the pleasure. Well written and immensely readable, these stories are just as enjoyable on a re-reading, even when you know what the twist in the tail will be. (about 10,000 words) Price: £2.00 Quantity:

Aiding And Abetting And Other Tales - Liam Leddy In his fourth volume of short stories Liam Leddy has demonstrated an evolution in his work. The individual stories are a little longer than has hitherto been the case yet the plots of each one are so tightly controlled that the reader's mind is channelled in exactly the direction that the author dictates. Then, of course, comes the trademark Leddy twist, always impossible to predict and always so obvious in retrospect. That's not to say that the tales can be read only once - as before, they are just as enjoyable even when you know the ending. It goes without saying that we recommend Liam Leddy's work highly; this is a fine example of the wordsmith's art. (about 14,000 words) Price: £2.50 Quantity:

Connected - Liam Leddy 'Connected' is a compilation of all the stories that appear in Liam Leddy's first four short story collections - 'Face Value', Ticket Price', Sales Target' and 'Aiding And Abetting'. It has been priced so that it represents a saving on the cost of those books, even if you've already bought one of them. If, on the other hand, you're new to Liam's work you can be certain of one thing - you won't find a better book to supply such a variety of tales, each with a twist at the end that defies prediction. It is a joy from beginning to end. (about 44,000 words) Price: £5.00 Quantity:

Cautionary Tales - Liam Leddy After the success of 'Connected', the compilation of the first four books of short stories, Liam Leddy turned his attention to the creation of some rather longer stories. The result, 'Cautionary Tales' even includes one story, entitled 'The Old Original', which is almost a novella rather than a short story. The Leddy trademark, the completely unexpected twist in the tail, is still very much present in stories that have clearly been crafted by a writer who has moved forward in the difficult art of short story writing to the point where plot and sub-plot intertwine: and that is extremely hard to master within a short story. The preceding books are all meritorious and more than deserving of their place in our catalogue but 'Cautionary Tales' is, without doubt, the best yet and is very highly recommended. (about 20,000 words) Price: £3.00 Quantity:

New Hope For Rigor Mortis, Book 1 - Chris Bygrave The first volume of the ´Rigor Mortis´ trilogy, it includes the novella-length title story, plus others. The author´s style is distinctively unusual and his stories are variously bizarre, offbeat, macabre, - but they always have the ability to entertain and amuse. ´New Hope For Rigor Mortis´ itself is the story of a con-man who, through delightfully improbable circumstances, becomes a recruiter of furnace-stokers for Hell itself. That story is accompanied in this volume by ´Fantasy Number One´, the story of one young lady´s rise from fish-gutter to Queen, and ´Murderous Intent´, which explains why one young man possesses a pathological hatred of ballroom dancers! These stories, and those yet to appear in Books 2 and 3, may be idiosyncratic, but are a true joy. (about 17,000 words) Price: £2.50 Quantity:

New Hope For Rigor Mortis, Book 2 - Chris Bygrave The second volume of "New Hope For Rigor Mortis" continues exactly where the the first left off, presenting more unusual, and unusually funny, tales. 'Gorillas' introduces the novel concept of using highly trained gorillas as a secret weapon in the (fictitious!) Anglo-Swedish porn war. The outcome is, to say the least, unexpected. 'Wipeout' is more contemporary but it would be wrong to say that it's more in touch with reality: in fact, it's a story which takes a comic approach to exploring the nature of reality as viewed from an individual standpoint. 'The Magician', set in Prohibition America, uses its background very skilfully in taking a sideways look at the attitudes and ambitions of the day. This second volume, like its predecessor, leaves you wanting more. (about 28,000 words) Price: £2.50 Quantity:

New Hope For Rigor Mortis, Book 3 - Chris Bygrave The long-awaited third volume of Chris Bygrave's 'Rigor Mortis' trilogy contains stories that are just a surreal, just as funny, as its predecessors. There may, perhaps, be more hidden meaning in the stories in this volume though; 'Nappy And Wolfers' can be read that way, as can'Superbrain', for instance. But of one thing there can be no doubt - these are funny stories. 'You Can Tell Jokes On Mars' is a delightful piece of futuristic, science fiction humour which supposes that jokes, all jokes, must riducule somebody somewhere and are therefore politically incorrect. They are, therefore, summarily banned. But Mars, as a self-governing colony, is exempt. 'Fatso' is perhaps exactly the sort of story that might, in an extreme jurisdiction, be banned as being offensive. Yet it is a story told with a great deal of sympathy and humour; it would be impossible to be offended as the author's imagination runs wild. This third volume completes a fascinating, almost unique trilogy of stories that combine surrealism with outstandingly funny writing. We recommend them. (about 40,000 words) Price: £2.50 Quantity:

Keeping The Peace - Ralph Thomas Over the years Ralph Thomas has written novels, biographies, humour, plays; he has also penned short stories on a variety of subjects. It has been a privilege to assemble the pick of those stories into an anthology under the title of one such story. The short story is a difficult art to master: avoiding the trap of the obvious, developing characters, creating, evolving and concluding a storyline and all within just a few pages - it all demands an economy of style and the ability to make each word matter. In this collection of stories Ralph demonstrates that he can do it, from the drama of 'The King Is Dead' through the semi-autobiographical 'Say Cheese' to the historical fiction that is 'Keeping The Peace'. All are very different, all are enjoyable and all amply repay the time spent in reading them. Ralph Thomas's work is always recommended, and this is no exception. (about 12,000 words) Price: £2.00 Quantity:

By The Fireside - Edward Lacey According to the author, some of the stories included here are true. There is some skill involved in deciding which might be so and which are just figments of a slightly bizarre imagination. 'A Short History Of The World' takes the reader from Creation to more or less now in just a few pages and seems likely to be true, but some of the other stories are far less clear-cut. We'll let readers decide, particularly about 'A Consuming Enigma', a discourse on the natural history of the wild haggis (with, it has to be said, an apology to any Scots who may read it...). Edward Lacey has put together an interesting collection of stories, some serious, some funny, but always captivating. It's excellent value for money! (about 26,000 words) Price: £2.50 Quantity:

Collected Writings - Nicola Bray Nicola Bray's first published work under her own name is a collection of short stories which give her interpretation of romance. These are very much 21st century stories, so there are no riding off into the sunset, happy-ever-after, endings here; instead she has written tales that challenge what we might regard as the norm. She explores the nature of passion, of lust, perhaps even love, to produce an immensely readable collection of stories. Sometimes a themed collection of stories can suffer from the repetition of the theme, but that is far from being the case here. Each scenario is different, but where there are similarities - and after all relationships between people are by their very nature repetitious - they are swiftly made insignificant by the circumstances under which they are played out. These are tales by a talented writer and we recommend them highly. (about 16,000 words) Price: £2.75 Quantity:

Little Gems - Ryan Hart This is a collection of eleven widely disparate short stories, each of which has its own particular appeal. To take just a couple of examples, "Whatever Happened To The Real Cinderella" could be a continuation of that well known story, demonstrating what living happily ever after really means, or it could be evidence that absolute power really does corrupt absolutely. "Mind Over Matter" is a completely diferent story, exploring the nature of pain whether it's a headache or, at the other extreme, a stab wound in the thigh. Although the content of these stories makes each a unique piece of work there is a thread running through them; it may not be obvious immediately but it's definitely there. That thread is the author's mental reaction to the set of circumstances he's created in each story. Thus it is that each separate tale can be read and enjoyed, but, if the reader chooses to look, there is a deeper meaning to be divined. It's a worthwhile exercise. (about 28,000 words) Price: £2.50 Quantity:

A Fate Worse Than Death - Various Writers Once upon a time we organised a short story competition. The rules were simple - writers were allowed just 1500 words on any subject at all but had to include the phrase 'a fate worse than death', ideally with some sort of relevance to the story. These were the entries that were considered the best. Which one of them was deemed to be the winner isn't now relevant because they're all worth reading; some are by writers whose work appears elsewhere in our catalogue and you might just find you'd like to read more. Just look up your favourite in our Writers' Biographies section to find out what else we have on offer. (about 14,000 words) Price: £2.50 Quantity:

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