Half dozen tales of the imagination

Between August 15 and September 15 I had to fulfill SIX commitments I made to submit for anthologies. I got them all done, so that's another half dozen stories in the Antonelli canon. They are:

For Superversive Press planet-themed anthologies:

"Last Call" - Mercury.
"The Wrong Venus" - Venus
"The Girl Who Died Twice" - Mars.

For More Alternative Truths - "Queens Crossing".

For Toys Sha'Daa - "Sketches From the Apocalypse".

For Whispers of the APOC - "Stuck in the Middle With You".

The last I recall half of these have been formally accepted.

Well, that's a relief. I'm moving on to new projects now, but if anyone has an upcoming anthology that needs a good story, don't forget, I work fast and cheap!

Take no notice

I've noticed that Mike Glyer - the guy who runs the File 770 web site - has always seemed to believe his self-identified "Sad Puppies" are some sort of minority group that need to be ethnically cleansed.

Glyer lurks around Facebook pages and blogs, and cherry picks postings that he and his coterie of hate-filled commentators can use to attack and abuse those Sad Puppies.

File 770 purports to be a news site about science fiction fandom, but it's extraordinarily biased. I've noticed that if I post something he thinks makes me look bad - even if any normal, intelligent and honest person can't see any problem - he'll copy and paste it for his jackals to feast on.

On Sept. 26 I posted here about my satisfaction at having become a finalist for the Dragon Award on my own terms, without seeking any organized support. I realized this morning, as I am plowing through breakfast, that File 770 didn't take notice.

Now, Glyer's posted more trivial musings - from me as well as from other people - many times in the past. My reasonable supposition is that he can't see any hateful hay to be made from my comments.

Prejudiced and narrow-minded, he and his claque of character assassins would not admit of the possibility that I am a competent writer and that the Dragon awards are an indicator of popular appeal among fandom.

OK, I guess at some level I could be accused of being piqued at not getting free publicity - but that's not really the case.

I just don't like File 770, Glyer, his flunkies, and all the people who are still flogging the Sad Puppy dead horse.

Interesting possibiity

With my alternate history "Queens Crossing" running in the "More Alternative Truths" anthology to be released in a couple of months, it occurs to me that next year I might be in the running for the Sidewise award in both the short and long fiction categories.

The Sidewise is a juried award, so there's no way of telling, but both "Another Girl, Another Planet" and "Queen Crossing" will have been published in 2017; the Sidewise eligibility is based on the calendar year.

"More Alternative Truths" is a sequel to the initial anthology "Alternative Truths", which came out in April and has been very well received. There's probably more than one Sidewise contender between the two volumes.

Cue the Frank Sinatra song

Here's a point I would like to make about being a finalist for the Dragon Award this year:

Two years ago, I solicited support from the Sad Puppies group for the Hugo nominations. I know Brad Torgersen and I thought it would be a harmless way to get support. Unfortunately, the Rabid Puppies picked up a lot of the same nominations (I never asked to be on the Rabid Puppy list) and the cumulative effect - where in some categories ALL the finalists were either from the Sad or Rabid list - provoked a reaction from the s-f establishment - well, we all know what followed.

I vowed afterwards I would not solicit support from any similar organized effort in the future.

This year I lobbied for "Another Girl, Another Planet" on my own. Along the way, some folks gave me their support - such as Jon Jon Del Arroz and Declan Finn - and I accepted it, but I did not go our and seek advance support from any organized sources.

I got on the Dragon ballot that way, on my terms, and I feel much better about that. Yes, I lost to Harry Turtledove in the Alternate History category - big surprise!

I was beaten fair and square, but I was in the running, and I did it on my terms. After the fiasco two years ago, I feel so much better about that.

Lies, lies, lies, and bullshit

At the Amazing Stories web site, there is a guest editorial by one Chris M. Barkley engaging in more useless navel gazing over the Sad Puppies vs. Rabid Puppies vs. blah blah blah issue and such.
I wouldn't bother to mention this except for one passage that caught my attention:

"Their views vastly contrast with The Rabid Puppies, primarily represented by Theodore Beale (aka Vox Day), John C. Wright and Lou Antonelli, they are unabashedly and enthusiastically racist in their worldview and their fiction. They believe a white male hegemony over all peoples of color, women and the LGBTQ community is the best course for the human race AND any aliens we may encounter, to put it mildly."

Ok, I don't know what kind of stupid bullshit rumors have wafted through Mr. Barkley's empty cranium, but it is specious to lump me in with Vox Day and John C. Wright.

Plus to claim I am "unabashedly and enthusiastically racist" in my worldview is simply libelous. I dare this hatemonger to point to anything I have ever said or did that was racist - because I'm not. As the first generation non-white child of an illegal immigrant, I have always felt revulsion towards ethnic and racial prejudice - I have been on the receiving end, believe me.

Mr. Barkley is entitled to his opinion, but not his lies. It's pathetic he tosses out such slander so casually.

But, as the saying goes, consider the source. Steve Davidson and the Amazing Stories web site are right up there with File 770 as the biggest cesspools of hate and bigotry against people who did them no harm.

Just to make my position on racism clear, I'm a Christian. God made man - all men: White, Black, Brown, Yellow, Red, whatever. A racist is God-defiant. He's putting himself above God by saying God made a mistake. A racist does the Devil's work.

Latest sale

I'm proud to announce my short story "The Man Who Sold His Soul For His Country" will be published in the upcoming anthology "Forbidden Thoughts 2"

No. 112

My latest short story has been published at the ezine Theme of Absence, "Milady Wakes". It is the 112th short story I have had published since June 2003.

http://www.themeofabsence.com/2017/09/milady-wakes-by-lou-antonelli/

Was the ass-terisk a mistake?

In the process of discussing changing award rules recently over at File 770, Mike Glyer himself seems to opine it was wrong:

"That wooden asterisk was a self-inflicted wound that will never heal."

At which point somebody called Cheryl S. says:

"@Mike Glyer, that wooden asterisk was unfortunate, but it wasn’t meant to wound. If it nicked the very thin skinned, that’s the kind of thing that thicker skin would prevent. Since the wounded were the sort of people who say “snowflake” and “safe spaces” with scorn, I feel only a little badly and mostly just raise an eyebrow at their lack of appreciation for irony."

She added later in the same post:

"Did I cheer for all those No Awards from Spokane? Yeah, I did, watching/reading the live feed at a Michael Franti concert, because it meant that Worldcon’s organizational strength translated to public support when needed."

I mean, where do these people some from?

Turtledove takes Alternate History Dragon award

Congratulations to Harry Turtledove for winning the Dragon Award for Alternate History.

He is the Dean of Alternate History, and the recognition is well deserved. I am honored to have been a finalist this year and included in such esteemed company

Just to show you how good an author Harry Turtledove is - bearing in mind that I don't read much original fiction these days as I am so busy writing - even I bought and enjoyed "Bombs Away".

It's hard to feel bad losing to a book you loved yourself.

Again, congrats Harry! You are the King!

The end of voting

Well. today is the last day to vote for the Dragon awards. The presentation will be tomorrow (Sunday) at the convention. I'm sorry I couldn't make the it, but everyone understands how Harvey messed up my plans (that and the Arkansas highway people).

I've already been told by a number of people they'll be there tomorrow and rooting for me. Thanks! I already feel like a winner, with all the support and great reviews I have received.

I won't post a link to the sign-up to vote, because the deadline has already passed. But if you are going to vote today, I'd appreciate your consideration (I just voted yesterday myself).

To all my friends and colleagues at DragonCon: I see you're having a great time. Enjoy yourself, and be safe on the return trip. As a number of people have observed, Dragoncon will be there again next year, so here's hoping.

It was a painful decision to bow to fate and admit defeat and turn around Thursday, but I didn't want to be on the winner's list this year and then the Memorial List next year.

I'm home and safe and sound and dry and I plan to get caught up with my submissions and keep writing. Thanks for all the kid wishes and support!

To all my friends at DragonCon:

I cannot make it.
Although my corner of Northeast Texas was unaffected by Hurricane Harvey (we didn't even get any rain), as I drove through Arkansas this morning I caught up with the storm, which slowed down traffic.

Then at noon, about 40 miles east of Little Rock, it stopped completely.

Interstate 40 was completely closed eastbound between Little Rock and Memphis because of a major traffic accident.

I was trapped in the backup from noon until 5 p.m.

The loss of time was fatal to my traffic plans. Not to mention that being a 60-year old diabetic, getting trapped like that was VERY inconvenient.

By the time I was able to exit the interstate, along with all the other traffic, at Exit 193, I had to gas up my car - which burned a lot of gas idling for five hours - and turn around.

After that delay I there was no way I could get to Atlanta in a timely fashion. The interstate to Memphis was still closed, and any diversion from where I was would have added many hours to the drive.

Plus, from all indications, I would be driving in the remains of Tropical Storm Harvey the whole way.
I got back to my home here in East Texas at 9:30 p.m. - about the time I should have been reaching Atlanta.

I really looked forward to the convention, and everything looked good up until noon. It just goes to show you how quick things can change.

Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.

Everyone have a good time. I wish I was there with you all.