Texas author finalist for literary award

Internationally-renowned science fiction and fantasy author Lou Antonelli of Mount Pleasant is a nominee for the 2015 Hugo Awards, the premier awards in the Science Fiction field, given annually for over 50 years in over a dozen categories, including best books, stories, dramatic works, professional and fan activities.

The Hugos are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, organized and overseen by the World Science Fiction Society. The awards are given each year at the annual World Science Fiction Convention as the central focus of the event. The 2015 Hugo Awards will be presented at 73rd Worldcon, which is being held August 19-23, 2015 in Spokane, Washington, where the announcement originated via live streaming video at noon Pacific Daylight Time Saturday, April 4.

Antonelli is a double finalist for both the Best Short Story and Best Related Work, a non-fiction category. His short story, “On a Spiritual Plain”, was published by the Australian-based magazine Sci-Phi Journal. His non-fiction book, “Letters from Gardner”, was published by the Merry Blacksmith Press of Providence, Rhode Island, and features short stories plus correspondence from Gardner Dozois, long-time editor of Asimov’s Science Fiction. The book covers a year-and-a-half period when Antonelli was trying to break into the science fiction field.

In addition to being a rare double finalist, this marks only the fifth time in the award’s 60-year history where an author was nominated in both a fiction and non-fiction category in the same year; the most recent occasion was in 2008.

One of the most prestigious science fiction awards, the Hugos have been termed as "among the highest honors bestowed in science fiction and fantasy writing". The awards are named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories.

“I am incredibly honored and humbled by the recognition from fellow authors and science fiction fans,” Antonelli said.

He is a journalist and the managing editor of The Clarksville Times in Red River County, Texas. He is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) as well as the Society for the Advancement of Speculative Storytelling (SASS).

"Author has book signing in Mount Pleasant"

Here is a copy of a news release I sent off to local news outlets about my book signing tomorrow:

--

Internationally-renowned science fiction and fantasy author Lou Antonelli will have a book signing at Hasting Entertainment in Mount Pleasant from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, April 4.

Published by The Merry Blacksmith Press of Providence, Rhode Island, “Letters from Gardner” features short stories plus correspondence from Gardner Dozois, long-time editor of Asimov’s Science Fiction. The book covers a year-and-a-half period when Antonelli was trying to break into the science fiction field. He submitted 16 stories to Dozois, who had been editor of Asimov’s since 1985, before making his first sale. Dozois retired after accepting “A Rocket for the Republic” in 2004. The book reproduces the correspondence between the editor and author.

“I was the last person who ever went through this process with Dozois at Asimov’s, which is why I thought it needed to be chronicled,” Antonelli said.

The book also covers how the stories were edited and revised after crossing Dozois’ desk as a result of his input, also making it a writer’s manual. All of the submitted stories except one were later published in other venues. Antonelli subsequently has had 92 short stories and three collections published across the globe.

At 2 p.m. Saturday Antonelli will watch a live streaming feed for the Hugo Awards, given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, organized and overseen by the World Science Fiction Society. The awards are given each year at the annual World Science Fiction Convention as the central focus of the event. The 2015 Hugo Awards will be presented at 73rd Worldcon, which is being held August 19-23, 2015 in Spokane, Washington, where the announcement will be made. Antonelli will be available for interviews afterwards.

He is a journalist and the managing editor of The Clarksville Times in Red River County, Texas. He is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) as well as the Society for the Advancement of Speculative Storytelling (SASS).

"Letters from Gardner - A Writer's Odyssey" contains 16 stories and is 246 pages long. It is available through Amazon or directly from the publisher, Merry Blacksmith Press, at orders@merryblacksmith.com.

Latest signing

I will be at the Hastings Entertainment in Mount Pleasant from 1-3 p.m. this Saturday, April 4, signing "Letters from Gardner". I will be taking a laptop so I can live stream the announcement of the Hugo finalists, which will be at 2 p.m. local time.

Who let the Sad Puppies out?

I have not been one of the organizers of the Sad Puppies project, a recommended reading slate for the Hugo awards, but I have two entries on it, in the Short Story and Best Related Work categories.

The name of the project is a jab at unreasoning emotional appeals to thoughtless entimentality, I believe. I didn't even know about the first year. Last year it caught my attention. I was unhappy when I saw its recommended list didn't have any suggestions for short stories, which is mostly what I've done over the past dozen years.

Last year things got interesting when seven of its 12 suggested works made the Hugo ballot, including a novelette by Theodore Beale (Vox Day), a prolific blogger who has has expressed views that have made him infamous in s-f circles.

None of the Sad Puppies recommendations won in their categories, and even Beale seemed to chuckle at himself as his work came in sixth in a field of five - since "No Choice" is a voting option. But the hounds (puppies, I mean) had been loosed.

Sad Puppies had been organized, I believe by Larry Correia, who is one of those authors who writes for his readers and otherwise doesn't care what you think. This year Day split off to do his own thing, and came up with a slate called the Rabid Puppies. Correia handed off organizing the third incarnation of Sad Puppies to Brad Torgersen, who was one of the nominees last year. I know Brad from SASS, the small semi-pro writers group we both belong to.

Brad did a very thorough job of soliciting and compiling a slate of recommended reading for Sad Puppies 3. The choices were made with an eye towards encouraging a greater appreciation of authors who have been overlooked or shunted aside by the greater s-f community.

This year's slate of recommended works offers people an excellent line-up of top notch, mind bending science fiction in the finest tradition. They seem to have reacted well, and predictions are the Sad Puppies recommendations may make up a large percentage of the final Hugo ballot.

In a time when typical literary s-f is dystopian slipsteam pornography, it's nice to be reminded that there is still core s-f out there. I took a few minutes this afternoon to read my story which is on the Sad Puppies slate, "On a Spiritual Plain", with the Kindle I was given for Christmas.

This was the first time this old troglodyte read a story on a Kindle. Somehow reading it from this new medium, which is the way so many people have probably read it, made me look at it in a whole new light. As I went along, I though to myself, "Hey, this IS pretty good!"

If Sad Puppies got more people to read it, as well as my book nominated in the Best Related Work category, "Letters from Gardner", more power to the pups!

I'm proud and happy to have been a part of the Sad Puppies 3 slate. The formal announcement of the ballot finalists will be made on Saturday, April 4. Authors have already been contacted, but the formal announcement is embargoed until then.

My prediction is that Sad Puppies will take 30 percent of the nominees in the writing categories, while the more hardcore Rabid Puppies slate will take half as many, 15 percent. That will give Puppies of either stripe 45 percent of the total noms. Bear in mind, Vox Day repeated a number of Sad Puppy suggestions, so that number includes some overlap. For example, while I was in contact with Brad as he prepared Sad Puppies, I had nothing to do with Day's picks. But he picked up both my works.

We'll see how it goes. I can't imagine how a volunteer project that encourages people to read more s-f, and a more diverse and varied selection of s-f, can hurt. Of course, people will make up their own minds as they vote on the final ballot, but a great deal of good has already been done.

Brad and his pack of pups are to be commended! Good boy! WOOF!

Tales of the Talisman

"It was a week after the 17th St. canal levee had breached - and a month since my mother died - and I was still in the house."

- Start of "Cerulean Dream" in Tales of the Talisman.

Got my author's copy in the mail Tuesday.

Upcoming publication

Always nice to sign a contract, in this case for my short story "Would Olympus Fall" which will be in the "Ruins Excavation" anthology being published by Hadley Rille Books. Thanks to Editor Eric T Reynolds.

Since both my parents were born in Italy (Yes, I'm a first generation American), I think it's safe to say I don't have any Irish ancestors. Back in the 1980s a colleague at a newspaper sought to address my non-celebration of St. Patrick's Day by giving me the depicted badge, which I've worn March 17 of every year since. I also wore a green shirt today. So Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!