All sorts of things make their way into a city.They come, they breed, they adapt. One day, you’re looking at a raccoon breaking into a garbage can.
The next day, you’re not sure what you’re looking at, but it has intelligent eyes, lizard scales, and tentacles.
Should you get rid of it, or try to tame it? Spray some repellant, set out cheese for a midnight snack, or set the whole city on fire?
Can you make friends? And if you can, will it be more trouble than it’s worth?
Or will it lead to something glorious?
Uncollected Anthology: Beasties features 8 stories of beasties big and small, the ones we can live with—and the ones we can’t!
Get your copy of Beasties at Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, or Apple Books. You can also find the collection on Goodreads.
The Stories
“Wee Beasties” by DeAnna Knippling
Something’s going on in the new apartment building.
Something small…something blue…something that likes to steal things out of your kitchen trash can.
Not a rat, not a mole, not a vole, not a gopher…what?
The only way to find out might be to catch it!
“The Tommys” by Jamie Ferguson
Penelope heads out to the silver mining town of Leadville, Colorado after her cousin Bess’ husband is killed in an accident on his way back from his mining claim in the mountains.
Unlike Penelope, Bess didn’t inherit much in the way of witchcraft. But the one skill she has is detecting when someone is lying…so she knows that the miners who brought her husband’s body back to town aren’t telling the truth.
The only way to find out what really happened is for the women to head up into the mountains and investigate the mine themselves. But they find much, much more than they expected to…
“The Challenges of Raising Urban Chickens” by Leah Cutter
Dani loves the four proud and goofy chickens that she raises in the middle of downtown Seattle. However, there are always challenges with chickens in urban areas, like cats and raccoons.
And feathered serpents who decide to mate with her chickens.
Wait. What?
“The Challenges of Raising Urban Chickens” is a light take on issues that you might not realize are possible when it comes to raising chickens!
“Rise Up” by Rebecca M. Senese
While Doctor Miranda Malone struggles to keep her fledging veterinary clinic afloat, she discovers a sick bird abandoned in the reception. Despite not recognizing the species, she brings it in to try to save it.
Not realizing that she risks not only the health of her other patients but also her clinic.
And her life.
“Monsters of Ice Cream by Robert Jeschonek
WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!
A love of ice cream brings monsters flocking to a small-town soft-serve stand that never turns them away. But when the open-minded owner falls ill, a wolfman and his creature feature friends have to keep the place alive. Do they stand a chance when monster-hating locals threaten to destroy everything they’ve worked for?
The secret society of werewolves, vampires, zombies, and ghouls might not survive without help from the most unexpected allies of all.
“The Uncanny Valley” by Angela Penrose
Darcy James, a Detective Sergeant with the recently-formed Uncanny Crime Division, always has more on her plate than there are hours in the day. Hysterical civilians are screaming “Magic!” every time they catch a cold or get a flat tire. Overdosing on a new uncanny drug called Turbo results in gruesome death. And what’s up with the dogs commuting into downtown every day on the train?
Somehow Darcy has to figure out what’s real and what’s not in a world turned inside-out, hopefully before anyone else dies.
“Big Bad Wolf” by Annie Reed
Carla hated blind dates.
Hard enough just living in the city and trying to fit in with a bunch of regular people who didn’t know she was a werewolf.
Why didn’t everyone believe her when she told them she liked being single? No attachments? No commitments? No one to accidentally disembowel when the moon was at its fullest and she wolfed out during a particularly vivid dream?
This particular blind date, though, might be too good to be true.
Right up until the lights go out, and everything goes to hell.
“Telling the Bees” by Dayle A. Dermatis
Some kind of weird Sleeping Beauty curse has hit a Portland, Oregon, suburb.
Sounds like a case for Hedgewitch sisters Holly and Willow, and Holly’s fae familiar, Cam.
But “weird” doesn’t begin to describe what’s really happening….
A new story in the spellbinding Hedgewitch urban fantasy series by the author of the Nikki Ashburne series.
Learn more about the Uncollected Anthology at our website and Facebook page, check out our series on Goodreads, and sign up for our newsletter to learn more about our authors and upcoming issues!