I shattered the glass slipper

I’m pleased to announce that my short story, “CinderElvis: the story that Palace PR will never tell” won the Shattering the Glass Slipper Short Story contest. If you’d like to read the short story, here it is:

http://shatteringtheglasslipper.blogspot.com/2011/02/finalists.html

The other stories were amazing. I liked aspects of each one:

The runner-up “Just outside the Closet” by Mandy Manning shows us a truly fractured fairy tale Prince with a fetish that enslaves them both,

“Masque” by Amy Allison takes the HEA ending and sets it literally on bloody heels,

“Perspective” by Chris Longhurst told the story from one of the transformed footmen’s point of view addressing just how painful change is,

Hollan Lane’s “To Be Queen” blows away the wide-eyed good-girl image. This Cindy is a bad girl hellbent on revenge against her wicked stepmother and willing to do whatever it takes to get the throne,

We have a brand new twist when our heroine becomes Cindy-the- wampyr –Slayer in “Full Circle” by P. L. Blair,

Having a seafaring element to “Dark and Fair” by Brian Gray was a pleasant surprise. This story had the feel of the tales of old and a lovely HEA,

Yaddi Shaw’s “Toe to Toe” had a poetic elegance and defiant feel that I loved,

Ever wonder what it’s like for the poor guy having to put all those shoes on the women of the country? Manford in T. L. Sherwood’s “Best Foot Forward” can tell us,

Last, but by no means least, my heart broke over “Diamond Tear” by Jane Buffham. Her ending left me wanting the rest of the story.

Every one of the finalist stories was a winner. If I could have voted, I'm not sure whose story I would have chosen.

My win comes with heartfelt thanks to Stephanie and Simcha for hosting the contest. In addition to several friends who posted the voting link on their Facebook pages and got the word out to their friends as well as everyone who voted and commented on my story.

I wrote the story in the earnest hope that someday LGBT couples can love and marry outside of the closet. The biggest win for me was not so much the contest, but the fact that President Obama announced just days after that the government would stop defending DOMA. That's a significant step to me seeing my cousin marry his longtime partner and that's a bigger win for me than anything.