This week, Ellen Datlow released her longlist of stories published in 2021 for Best Horror #14. I was incredibly surprised and thrilled to see my story “What Remains to Wake” was included in that list!
“What Remains to Wake” was originally published in The Deadlands Issue 5, and is still available to read on their website. “What Remains to Wake” is based around an earlier version of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, and provided a means for me to explore all of my complicated thoughts and feelings around childbirth and motherhood.
I grew up reading the series of fantasy anthologies edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (my favorite was Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest). These were my first introduction to the SFF short fiction format. So, although very few of the stories from the longlist will actually make it into Best Horror #14, I’m still very excited to be included, knowing that it means Ellen Datlow read and enjoyed a story I wrote!
Jordan Taylor 