A Small Thing to Want: Stories
(Press 53, 2020)
Winner of the Independent Publisher Bronze Medal for Short Fiction
“It is the most exceptional short story collection I have read in quite some time.”
—Dayton Daily News
A Small Thing to Want (Press 53), the debut short story collection by Shuly Xóchitl Cawood, chronicles the choices people make about whom to love and whom to let go, their yearnings that either bind them or set them free, and the surprising ways love shows up, without reason or restraint. The characters in these stories long for freedom, truth, friendship, courage, and second chances, but each person will have to grapple with the consequences and costs of their desires.
“Beautifully crafted and dig deep into the realities of family life.” —BuzzFeed News
“Stories so good you won't want them to end.” —Fred Leebron, author of In the Middle of All This
Selected in the Dayton Daily News as one of five favorite fiction titles of 2020: “My sleeper pick for 2020 is collection of short stories that can tunnel straight into our hearts.” —Vick Mickunas, Dayton Daily News
“By mining the nuances of her characters’ everyday lives, Cawood creates her collection’s true strength — narrating the crossroads moments in which people choose tenderness when bitterness or cruelty might be easier.” —Knoxville News Sentinel/Chapter 16, Humanities Tennessee
“Each gesture reveals a world of longing: for self-knowledge, for connection, for clarity.” —Kate Geiselman, Flights editor
“Cawood writes simply and eloquently about ordinary people making their way through life and love with all the messiness and heartbreak that is entailed.” —Main Street Rag
“What makes these short stories perfectly packaged, besides Cawood’s talent, is how she sews into the pattern some valuable, thought-provoking life lessons. You don’t even know that she’s teaching you.” —Becky Holland, book reviewer, When the Leaves Speak
“Smart, keenly observed, pitch-perfect stories.” —Elissa Schappell, author of Blueprints for Building Better Girls
Snowflakes in a Blizzard: A Book Feature
This site features individual books, provides excerpts, and allows authors to talk about why they wrote their book. I was asked to talk about A Small Thing to Want: stories, which was my debut short story collection. Find the link here.
Find retailers below.
—Where to Purchase Your Copy—
Book trailer for A Small Thing to Want: stories (Press 53). Shuly Cawood talks about her short story collection: what it's about, who would like reading it, where to get more information.
Shuly unboxing her short story collection, A Small Thing to Want (Press 53). To learn more, go to shulycawood.com.
Shuly Cawood reads from her short story collection, A Small Thing to Want: stories (Press 53). To learn more, go to www.shulycawood.com.
