Last week I quietly released Sleeping Beauty Saves Herself: Stories as an e-book, and yesterday the paper back version became available (long story short, I goofed on the release date for the print book). It’s my first book in nearly five years (thanks, pandemic!). These are stories that I love and have loved for the last twenty years when I started writing them in a flash fiction continuing education class in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Not all the stories from that class made the cut into this brief collection. “Brief Bus Stop” and “Bulletproof Breasts,” were from that time period. In fact, there’s a story even older that exists in the book from a college creative writing class. That story, “Stalking Mr. Right,” was not the first short story I wrote, but it was an early one. It was inspired by the prose of Lorrie Moore and Elizabeth Crane, and helped me hone my voice.
Most of these stories originally appeared in other publications and each one has a story behind it. One of my favorites, “The Squirrel and the Fox,” was inspired by a dream I had where I was a modern-day Robin Hood to frazzled moms. “Graylight” was originally entered in a short story contest based on a prompt. “Self Check” was written on a lunch break after being inspired by a walk one spring. The title story, “Sleeping Beauty Saves Herself,” came to me in a therapy session.
There are more stories to tell, but in the meantime, check out the stories of my heart for the last two decades. You can order on Amazon or ask your local library to purchase it. Thanks for reading!
danielle dreger 