The Painted Hall Collection

Anna Tan

Dec 2018 · Teaspoon Publishing

About this ebook

 A curse binds the City of Winter and the Dragon's prophecy holds the key to breaking it. But will a poor fisherman from the South have the means to fulfil the prophecy? Or will the foreignness of the North itself repel him and his efforts?

The Painted Hall Collection is a series of four short, old-school fairy-tales designed to open your eyes to wonder. Each story can be purchased separately as a single, or together in this compilation. 

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*When Winds Blow Cold*

Go north, little human. 

Go north until the winds blow cold and you walk on water. 

Go north, and there you will find her.

With the Dragon's prophecy ringing in his ears, Danis travels from town to town, seeking a wife. But at every stop, he is turned away, until he enters the City of Winter itself...

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* The Flame of the North*

Ten-year-old Mica hates the cold. Yet he’s bound by duty—and prophecy—to rule over the City of Winter as his grandfather’s heir. All signs seem to indicate that something is wrong and the reappearance of the Yuki-Onna in the Painted Hall is an additional worrisome detail…

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*Beneath the Rumbling Earth*

In the Deep where none dare go

Beneath the rumbling earth

Before the Flame is doused 

You must rekindle birth

Mica’s only comfort in the City of Winter is the once-cursed Painted Hall. When the deep sea creatures start speaking to him, he must decide if he should listen… or if this new magical event is related to the Dragon’s new prophecy.

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*The Still, Small Voice*

On her eighteenth birthday, Hono is to be crowned Queen of the City of Winter but the Dragon disrupts the coronation ceremony with a peculiar cry: 

Listen. Listen. Listen!

There is one more task to free the City of Winter of all enchantment—and Hono must listen carefully for it.

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*BONUS STORY: Shattered Memories*

For generations upon generations, Memories have been passed from mother to daughter in an unbroken line of Secretkeepers. 

Not this time. When Nek Ramalan dies, her granddaughter, Rahsia, does not inherit the Memories. Instead, Iman struggles to fulfil a role she's not prepared for... piecing together shards of Memories she's not equipped to understand. 

A sneak peek into the current trilogy Anna's working on! 

About the author

Anna Tan grew up in Malaysia, the country that is not Singapore. She has given up on annoying bean counters in general—she now counts money for the Malaysian Writers Society (MYWriters) and runs write-ins, though not both at the same time. She is the author of two fantasy books, and has short stories included in anthologies by Fixi Novo, BWWP Publishing, Bausse Books, and Wordworks. Anna can be found tweeting as @natzers and forgetting to update her website. She is currently taking an MA Creative Writing: The Novel at Brunel University London.