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Mount Pleasant For Real Editor-in-Chief Lou Antonelli is a finalist for one of the most prestigious awards in
science fiction and fantasy literature.
The Dragon Award is a fan-voted award "to recognize
outstanding achievement in science fiction and fantasy literature, comics,
gaming and filmed entertainment".
The 2017 awards ballot was formally released Aug. 3.
Antonelli’s novel “Another Girl, Another Planet, published by WordFire Press of
Monument, Colorado, is one of eight finalists in the Alternate History
category.
The Dragon Awards were introduced in 2016 as part of the
30th Anniversary of Dragon Con, Atlanta ’s
internationally known pop culture, fantasy, sci-fi and gaming convention.
Dragon Con is held each Labor Day in Atlanta . Organized for fans, Dragon Con
features more than about 3,000 hours of comics, film, television programming,
costuming, art, music and gaming over four days.
The ballot was selected in an open nomination process. Using
the dedicated Dragon Awards website, fans were invited to nominate one (and
only one) of their favorite properties in any or all the award categories.
Nominations ran from early April until July 25. The best and
most popular of the nominated properties were elevated to the ballot.
To accommodate as many creative genres as possible, awards
will be given in each of 15 categories covering the full range of fiction,
comics, television, movies, video gaming and tabletop gaming.
Literary categories include Best Science Fiction Novel; Best
Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal); Best Young Adult / Middle Grade Novel;
Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel; Best Alternate History Novel;
Best Apocalyptic Novel; and Best Horror Novel.
Winners will be announced on Sept. 3rd at Dragon Con, which
will be held September 1 to September 4, 2017 in Atlanta .
The Dragon Awards are decidedly a “fans’ choice” award. All
fans – not just Dragon Con members or attendees – are invited to select the Dragon
Award winners by voting – for free – on the second annual Dragon Awards ballot.
“We believe strongly in the principle of one fan, one vote,”
said Pat Henry, president of Dragon Con, Inc. “We believe that the vast body of
fandom is in the best position to identify and recognize the most beloved works
in science fiction and fantasy today.”
Henry went on to encourage every fan to go vote for their
favorite works.
“We all know that a determined minority can carry the day
when not enough people vote,” Henry said. “For that reason alone, we think it’s
critical that fans everywhere vote for the books, games, comics and shows they
love.”
All voting will be done electronically and only on the
Dragon Awards site. No memberships or other qualifiers are required, making the
voting open to all of the fans of all forms of science fiction.
Fans have until Monday, August 28th at 11:59 p.m., Eastern,
to register. Voting ends 24-hours later, on Tuesday, August 29th at 11:59 p.m.,
also Eastern.
In 2015, Dragon Con attracted some 70,000+ attendees and had
a direct economic impact of $65 million, as reported by the Atlanta Convention
& Visitors Bureau in the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
According to statistics provided by Georgia State
University
In 2002, Dragon Con began hosting a parade through downtown Atlanta , which ran from
Centennial Olympic Park to the Marriott Marquis, and featured thousands of
costumed participants.
In 2005, Dragon Con raised $20,000 for the Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society. Charity efforts have continued with USD $104,000 sent to the Atlanta Center
Lou Antonelli started writing fiction in middle age; his
first story was published in 2003 when he was 46. He’s had 111 short stories
published in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, India and Portugal in venues
such as Asimov's Science Fiction, Jim Baen's Universe, Tales of the Talisman,
Andromeda Spaceways In-Flight Magazine, Greatest Uncommon Denominator (GUD),
Daily Science Fiction, Buzzy Mag, and Omni Reboot, among many others.
His collections include “Fantastic Texas” published in 2009;
“Texas & Other Planets” published in 2010; and “The Clock Struck None” and
“Letters from Gardner ”,
both published in 2014.
His debut novel, the retro-futurist alternate history
“Another Girl, Another Planet”, was published in Jan. 2017 by WordFire Press.
His story “Great White Ship”, originally published in Daily
Science Fiction, was a 2013 finalist for the Sidewise Award for alternate
history.
His short story “On a Spiritual Plain”, originally published
in Sci Phi Journal, was a finalist for the Hugo award in 2015.
His first professional science fiction short story, “A
Rocket for the Republic” (Asimov’s Science Fiction Sept. 2005) was the last
story accepted by Editor Gardner Dozois before he retired after 19 years.
“The Yellow Flag” his 100th published short story (Sci-Phi
Journal Aug. 2016) set the record for all-time fastest turnaround in genre
fiction. It was written, submitted and accepted between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on
May 6, 2015
A Massachusetts native,
Antonelli moved to Texas in 1985 and is
married to Dallas native Patricia (Randolph ) Antonelli. They
have three adopted furbaby children.
Further details on the Dragon award are available on the
awards website awards.dragoncon.org.
The full ballot can be accessed here:
awards.dragoncon.org/2017-ballot/
To vote, fans much register on the Dragon Awards website: http://application. dragoncon.org/dc_fan_awards_signup.php Ballots are then emailed to registered
voters a few days later.
For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and
follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
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