New Short Story, Sleepwalking Too Close to the Fire published in Heavy Feather Review, and a story nominated for 2026 Best Small Fictions

I'm really excited to have a new short story, Sleepwalking Too Close to the Fire in one of my favourite American literary magazines, Heavy Feather Review 🧡🧡📚🎉 Thank you so much to the wonderful editors.

This story combines so many subjects I find deeply interesting; postpartum depression and psychosis, the wellness industry, the Jewish violinist Alma Rose, artistic identity versus being a mother and more.

Sleepwalking Too Close to the Fire is actually the title story of my new collection, and I can't wait to share it with all of you soon. I love writing short fiction so much, it's hard for me to overstate my passion for it, and how grateful I feel to get to write it.

You can read Sleepwalking Too Close to the Fire in full here:

: https://heavyfeatherreview.org/2025/10/20/botha/

I'm also thrilled to have a short story from this upcoming collection, Roses or Herpes, nominated for Best Small Fictions 2026 by Dipity Magazine, thank you so much to the editors. for their enthusiasm and support. I love writing short stories so much, and like all the stories from my upcoming collection, there was so much rewriting and editing (and rejection, which is so often part of the process, but it makes moments like this more amazing)

I'm also really excited that the story is also featured in Dead Mule: The School of Southern Literature this month. I'm really love Dead Mule, and Southern Literature, and I was honoured to work with their wonderful editor, and to have this piece featured there. Thank you so, so much again

https://deadmule.com/danila-botha-roses-or-herpes/

I can't wait to share this entire collection with you <3