INTRODUCTION

T HIS COLLECTION WAS written over a long period, and each new attempt was a learning experience. I had written very few short stories when I began writing these small pieces about Sookie’s world; by the time I finished, I had written many.

Another point to note: Most of these stories were written for the anthologies Toni L. P. Kelner (Leigh Perry) and I were producing. The anthologies were a labor of love, and we’ve always felt we had a part in introducing the mystery world to the urban fantasy world ... and vice versa. All our anthologies are themed. For example, “If I Had a Hammer” is in Home Improvement: Undead Edition . “Playing Possum” is in An Apple for the Creature , a collection of stories about school. (If you ever see one of the anthologies at a bookstore, give it a try. Selecting the stories and editing them was not only fun but rewarding.)

This is the first time all the stories featuring Sookie Stackhouse have been gathered into one volume. If you’d like to reread the whole series in order, including these stories, the suggested chronology is on my website.

Above all, have fun. Some stories were written to let the reader know something important about one of the characters or to move the whole story along. But all of them are intended to provide entertainment for the reader.

That’s what these are all about.

Charlaine Harris