“Reflection” out now in Gingerbread House Literary Magazine

My short story, Reflection, is out now in Gingerbread House Literary Magazine. This is a lovely magazine, focusing on fairytale-inspired stories, with stunning art and a lovely sensibility. Please visit and check out some gorgeous art and wonderfully evocative stories.

Reflection was written in one fell swoop at Cherrywood Coffee House in Austin, Texas. I was sitting opposite my writing buddy, Rebecca Schwarz, and the story poured out of me. It has changed somewhat since that first explosion of words, but it remains essentially the same. It was originally titled The Cinderella Gaze, but I think Reflection suits it better.

Is narcissism a drug? And if it is, are we infecting our young people? This makes me sound like such a grumpy curmudgeon, but I can’t help but wonder — we spend so much time, energy, and focus on external appearance, especially of our young women, we are sapping their energy for anything else.