Release Date: 31st May 2025

Short Stories And Tall Tales

In a world of sprawling novels and epic sagas, this short story collection dares to offer you something different—a breath of fresh literary air, a chance to travel through stories that pack a punch without overstaying their welcome.

It’s a collection of fleeting adventures, all carefully crafted to be devoured in under fifteen minutes.

Meet a werewolf who wears his sadness like a second skin, a group of overexuberant teenagers drooling over Debbie Harry on TV as the clock strikes midnight, and pigeons causing chaos with targeted pooping.

Encounter an AI companion so human it blurs the line between machine and soul, a highland abduction that defies explanation, and twins aboard the Titanic whose fate is as twisted as the ship’s wreckage. Also, don’t forget the eavesdropper in the café, whose curiosity uncovers more than they bargained for.

These stories are not just to be read but to be felt, questioned, and savoured.

So take a deep breath, turn the page and let your imagination run wild as the unexpected unfolds.

Stories included in this book:

  * The Battle For Spittal Castle.

 * My Precious Letter.

 * A Christmas Tragedy.

* The Hundred Dollar Gamble.

* I Am A Werewolf But I’m Different

* The Highland Mystery.

* Dem Dam Dogs.

* The Steam And Sip Eavesdropper.

* Pesky Pooping Pigeons.

* Billy The Kid – How It All Started.

* Lords, Ladies And Lifeboats. 

* Digital Embrace. 

* Lost In The City.

* The Wicked Tide.

 * Beer, Blondie And Hogmanay. 

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What readers are saying

The Battle For Spittal Castle
Oh, I loved this! I had no idea how that would play out! Brilliant writing. I really enjoyed this. Thanks so much for sharing.
Catherine: 22 Mar 2025
Digital Embrace
Very nice! While obviously written in the modern day, it felt like a throwback in some ways to the old school sci-fi of the pulps I enjoy! The emotional throughline was nice, especially the dual development of the characters as they both become more aware of their emotions.
Thanks!!!
Ben: 27 Mar 2025
Pesky Pooping Pigeons
Hi Chuck, great story, well written. And it is good luck, but not sure if it turned out lucky for you. Good to laugh so early in the morning. Well done.
Moira Le Roux: 23 Dec 2024
I Am A Werewolf But I'm Different
I like the cadence you set for this. It offered a series of windows into empathising with your werewolf’s isolation. I found the fear of getting too close to its old family touching, and I thought the werewolf’s attachment to the watch made it relatable.
Interesting premise, well done.
Elton James: 06 Jan 2025
The Steam And Sip Eavesdropper
I liked the way you built the tension in this story, so you hooked us in and then revealed a bit more from the couple’s conversation… then a bit more. I also liked the scene setting at the start, even if I did have to look up ‘dreich’ (which I should really have known, to be fair). Well done.
Helen French: 15 Oct 2024
Blondie, Beer And Hogmanay
I love this story, Chuck. The respect we showed our elders, the partying behind their backs, the old-style phones, and the music of Blondie – you captured it all really well. I felt like I had gone back in time.
Rosie Arnold: 10 Dec 2024
Digital Embrace
I enjoyed your story, but would have liked to have seen the relationship explored in even more depth. It was well written and an interesting idea to show both protagonists discover their emerging emotional side through a relationship. I would miss the bit about the wet t-shirt, telling us her wet clothes clung to her body was enough. It was a sad ending. Let’s hope he can take what he’s learned to another relationship.
Jackie Frost: 30 Mar 2025 
The Battle For Spittal Castle
I loved this story so much! You really had me until the end there. Fantastic twist with a wistful ending! 
Nicola: 27 Feb 2025
I Am A Werewolf But I'm Different
A werewolf, a killing machine. But you are different. I read this as part of the critique circle but I’m not into werewolf stories. I read it to see how different your MC could be. It’s such a moving and sad story. Well done.
Kaitlyn Wadsworth: 28 Dec 2024

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