Doc Weir Award

Jan van’t Ent received the Doc Weir Award at Eastercon the weekend of March 29-31. The Doc Weir Award is voted on by the convention’s attending membership. The award is given to someone who has made some form of contribution to fandom that deserves a little public recognition. The winner receives a certificate and a silver cup, although the winner must return it at the end of the year with his/her name engraved on it.

For more information…

Compton Crook Nominees

The Baltimore Science Fiction Society has announced the finalists for the 2013 Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Award. The award i presented for the best debut SF/Fantasy/Horror novel of the year and will be presented at Balticon 47 on the weekend of May 24-27, 2013. The winner is selected by a vote of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society membership.

• Glitch, by Heather Anastasiu
• Shadow Ops: Control Point, by Myke Cole
• Stormdancer, by Jay Kristoff
• Fair Coin, by E. C. Myers
• Scourge of the Betrayer, by Jeff Salyards

For more information…

Worldcon and NASFiC Candidates

LoneStarCon 3, the 71st World Science Fiction Convention, has announced the official bidders for the 2015 Worldcon and the 2014 NASFiC. All bidders have successfully turned in their paperwork. Members of LoneStarCon 3 will select the winners, who will be announced at the Sunday business meeting at the Worldcon. A NASFIC may be held in 2014 since the Worldcon will take place in London that year.

2015 Worldcon:

• Helsinki in 2015
• Orlando in 2015
• Spokane in 2015

2014 NASFIC:

• Detroit in 2014
• Phoenix in 2014

For more information…

Changes at LoneStarCon 3

Randy Shepherd has announced that effective immediately he will be assuming the position of Chair for LoneStarCon 3, this year’s Worldcon. The previous co-chairs, Laura Domitz and Bill Parker, will assume the duties of vice chairs. The change is an effort to streamline the Worldcon’s organization as they enter into their final six months of pre-con planning. LoneStarCon 3, the 71st World Science Fiction Convention, is scheduled to take place in San Antonio, TX from August 29-September 3.

For more information…

Stoker Award Nominees

The Horror Writers of America have announced the nominees for this year’s Bram Stoker Awards, to be presented on June 15 at the World Horror Convention in New Orleans, LA.

Superior Achievement in a Novel

• Bottled Abyss, by Benjamin Kane Ethridge
• NightWhere, by John Everson
• The Drowning Girl, by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• The Haunted, by Bentley Little
• Inheritance, by Joe McKinney

Superior Achievement in a First Novel

• Charlotte Markham and the House of Darklings, by Michael Boccacino
• Wide Open, by Deborah Coates
• The Legend of the Pumpkin Thief, by Charles Day
• A Requiem for Dead Flies, by Peter Dudar
• Bad Glass, by Richard Gropp
• Life Rage, by L.L. Soares

Superior Achievement in a YA Novel

• The Diviners, by Libba Bray
• I Hunt Killers, by Barry Lyga
• Flesh & Bone, by Jonathan Maberry
• I Kissed A Ghoul, by Michael McCarty
• The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater
• A Bad Day for Voodoo, by Jeff Strand

Superior Achievement Long Fiction

• Thirty Miles South of Dry County, by Kealan Patrick Burke
• I’m Not Sam, by Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee
• Lost Girl of the Lake, by Joe McKinney & Michael McCarty
• The Blue Heron, by Gene O’Neill
• The Fleshless Man, by Norman Prentiss

Superior Achievement in Short Fiction

• “Surrounded by the Mutant Rain Forest,” by Bruce Boston
• “Bury My Heart at Marvin Gardens,” by Joe McKinney
• “Righteous,” by Weston Ochse
• “Available Light,” by John Palisano
• “Magdala Amygdala,” by Lucy Snyder

Superior Achievement in an Anthology

• Shadow Show, edited by Mort Castle & Sam Weller
• Dark Tales of Lost Civilizations, edited by Eric J. Guignard
• Hell Comes to Hollywood, edited by Eric Miller
• Horror for Good: A Charitable Anthology, edited by Mark C. Scioneaux, R.J. Cavender, & Robert S. Wilson
• Slices of Flesh, edited by Stan Swanson

Superior Achievement in a Collection

• The Woman Who Married a Cloud: Collected Stories, by Jonathan Carroll
• New Moon on the Water, by Mort Castle
• Errantry: Strange Stories, by Elizabeth Hand
• The Janus Tree, by Glen Hirshberg
• Black Dahlia and White Rose: Stories, by Joyce Carol Oates

Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction

• Writing Darkness, by Michael Collings
• The Annotated Sandman, Volume 1, by Les Klinger
• Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween, by Lisa Morton
• The Undead and Theology, by Kim Paffenroth & John W. Morehead
• Dark Directions: Romero, Craven, Carpenter, and the Modern Horror Film, by Kendall R. Phillips

Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection

• Dark Duet, by Linda Addison & Stephen M. Wilson
• Notes from the Shadow City, by Bruce Boston and Gary William Crawford
• A Verse to Horrors, by Michael Collings
• Vampires, Zombies & Wanton Souls, by Marge Simon
• Lovers & Killers, by Mary A. Turzillo

Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel

• The Sixth Gun Volume 3: Bound, by Cullen Bunn
• Rachel Rising Vol. 1: The Shadow of Death, by Terry Moore
• The Tale of Brin and Bent and Minno Marylebone, by Ravi Thornton
• Behind These Eyes, by Peter J. Wacks & Guy Anthony De Marco
• Witch Hunts: A Graphic History of the Burning Times, by Rocky Wood & Lisa Morton

Superior Achievement in a Screenplay

• The Woman in Black, by Jane Goldman
• The Walking Dead, “Killer Within,” by Sang Kyu Kim
• American Horror Story: Asylum, “Dark Cousin,” by Tim Minear
• The Hunger Games, by Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, and Billy Ray
• The Cabin in the Woods, by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard

For more information…

Calls for Dragon*Con Boycott

Nancy A. Collins and others have called for a boycott of Dragon*Con, the Atlanta multi-media convention held over Labor Day weekend, due to shareholder Ed Kramer receiving a reported annual dividend from the company of more than $150,000. Kramer, a founder of the convention, was first arrested in 2000 on child molestation charges which have yet to come to trial.

For more information…
For an alternative view…

Crawford Award

Karin Tidbeck’s collection Jagannath: Stories has been announced as the winner of the William L. Crawford Award. The Crawford Award is presented annually for a new fantasy author whose first book appeared during the previous year. It is presented at the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, which will be held this year from March 21-25 in Orlando, Florida.

For more information…

I-CON Postponed

I-CON, scheduled to take place in Hempstead, NY the weekend of March 21-23 has been delayed indefinitely. According to the I-CON website, the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, financial difficulties, and challenges in moving a convention their size have caused them to make the decision. Refunds will be issued for memberships and dealers’ tables unless a person wishes to opt out. No new date has been established.

For more information…

Hugo Subcommittee Named

LoneStarCon 3 has announced the membership of the Hugo Subcommittee, Todd Dashoff, Vince Docherty, Saul Jaffe, Steven Staton, and Ben Yalow. Dashoff is also serving as the Hugo Award administrator. None of the members of the Hugo Subcommittee are eligible to be nominated for any category of the Hugo Award.

For more information…

Oddcontest

OdysseyCon is sponsoring the Sixth Annual OddContest. The contest is open to submissions of 500 words or less, either speculative fiction or prose poetry. Prizes will be awarded for youth and adult. Entrants under 18 may submit a single work for consideration at no charge with a $50 prize for first place. Adults may submit as many pieces as they like with a $10 submission fee per work and a a $500 prize for first place. Prizes also include memberships in OdysseyCon and books. OdysseyCon takes place in Madison, WI the weekend of April 12-14.

For more information…