DRAGON AWARDS WILL RECOGNIZE THE BEST IN IMAGINATIVE FICTION IN BOOKS, GAMES, COMICS AND FILMED ENTERTAINMENT

ATLANTA – August 16, 2016 – The inaugural Dragon Awards will be presented on Sunday, September 4th the Hyatt Regency Hotel, as part of Dragon Con, the internationally known pop culture, fantasy, sci-fi, and gaming convention.

These awards, introduced as part of Dragon Con’s 30th-anniversary celebration, recognize the best in imaginative fiction, books, games, comics and filmed entertainment as selected by the fans, who both nominate their favorite works and vote for the winners.

Voting at http://awards.dragoncon.org/ is open to anyone who registers. There is no cost or attendance requirement. Registering to vote ends this Sunday, August 28th at midnight. Voting for this year will end Wednesday, August 31st. Open nominations for the 2017 awards will begin in October of 2016.

Thousands of fans have already registered and voted. The finalists are chosen from nominations that are open to everyone who watches, reads or otherwise enjoys the imagination and excitement found in all types of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

“These awards are our way of recognizing the best writers, artists, directors and game designers who breathe life into the things we love,” says Pat Henry, president of Dragon Con, Inc.

“The first tall tales were told around fires in camps and caves,” Henry said. “Fire was perhaps the original invention that began man’s climb to civilization. The Flame has always been a symbol of imagination and progress and so each Dragon Award contains a unique, sculpted flame.”

The Dragon Awards fifteen categories are designed to recognize the authors, writers, and creators behind the very best in genre fiction. Like the hundreds of events at Dragon Con, the Dragon Awards reflect the diversity of interests shared by those who enjoy science fiction.

Finalists for each category can be found on the Dragon Awards websitehttp://awards.dragoncon.org/. The 2016 categories are:

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
Best horror novel
Best comic book
Best graphic novel
Best episode in a continuing science fiction or fantasy series, TV or internet
Best science fiction or fantasy movie
Best science fiction or fantasy PC / console game
Best science fiction or fantasy mobile game
Best science fiction or fantasy board game
Best science fiction or fantasy miniatures / collectible card / role-playing game

Further details are available on the awards website http://awards.dragoncon.org. Please direct all inquiries to dcawards@dragoncon.org or mail them to Dragon Awards, PO Box 16459, Atlanta, GA 30321-0459 USA

Yesterday's Tomorrow Book (G.W. Pomichter Author)(Free Sampler)

Excerpt:  In Summation (Yesterday's Tomorrow) by G.W. Pomichter and William DuPree

     War loomed on the horizon. A Nation beaten into the dark of night with a single blow, roused and wakened to a fury not known in generations. The President, who rose from obscurity in the twilight hours of necessity, to lead the broken masses from the darkness into hope, had risen beyond her calling. Now, in earnest humility, she set down her burdens before the next leader chosen, as were so many before her by her countrymen, to guide, inspire and in our great and terrible hour of reckoning, to conquer in their names.

     The machines of war began to clank and rumble as justice long refused by injury and loss shown ever closer. For a nation reborn from the ashes of the very adversity meant to destroy it, these days were only a beginning.

     But, for two families that had once only known the delicate tethers of a modern life to hold them one to another, the trials and tragedies of darkness now brought them into new light.

     Whether the taste of apples, once far from their grasp, or the smell of a three course meal cooking in the kitchen, or perhaps the feeling of a son’s hand grasped firmly inside that of his father’s grasp, or the tender kiss of a mother upon a daughter’s cheek, these were the luminous jewels left to light their way no matter their course.

     Yesterday’s dull silence was now replaced with the electric hum of power lines, the resurgent grumblings of traffic on a nearby street corner or the lulling cycling of newly restored air conditioning condensers. All around them the sounds of the life they knew beckoned them back into their slumber. But for those awakened to the powerful rhythms of the tenuous threads of warmth, kindness, generosity, faith and affection, that bind family, community and nations together in the molten plasma of common cause, these once powerful siren songs held little distraction from the simplest of joys: the sounds of a child’s laughter or the melodic chant of simple, silent prayer.

     Soon, they knew, the proud drums of justice would carry their sons and daughters to far off lands to rage and reign the fires of a just reckoning upon those whose hatred has scarred their land. On this day, the earnest glow of an hour, a single moment in time, not part of a tumultuous tomorrow’s yesterday, but serene and hopeful as the fulfillment of a promise, was filled with all the joy and hope of … Yesterday’s Tomorrow.

Get It On Amazon

501ST LEGION ANNOUNCES COMMITMENT TO INTERNATIONAL MAKE-A-WISHTM ENDOWMENT FUND

Atlanta, Georgia, September 3, 2016 – The 501st Legion announces today their commitment to a first-of-its kind international endowment in a unique partnership with Make-A-WishTM. The 501st Legion Make-A-Wish Endowment Fund will allow Make-A-Wish America and Make-A-Wish International to grant more Star Wars-related wishes to children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions. This endowment fund will allow Make-A-Wish to grant wishes, alternating between the United States and international locations every other year – a first for an endowment of this kind.

The 501st Legion Make-A-Wish Endowment Fund will rely on contributions from its membership, as well as the public. The Legion does not charge for its appearances, but has always accepted donations to charities that are supported by its members. Together, raising $150,000 by September 2021 will unlock the first step into granting wishes to children for many years to come. Once the minimum gift is achieved, the Endowment fund will grant wishes from the interest accrued; as the fund continues to grow, so will the number of wishes granted by the endowment.

For over ten years, the 501st Legion has raised thousands for varied Make-A-Wish chapters, all over the globe. The 501st Legion Make-A-Wish Endowment Fund allows the organization, touting over 9500 members in over 60 countries, to band together for a greater global impact.

MORE ABOUT DRAGON CON

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day in Atlanta. Organized for fans by fans, Dragon Con features more than about 3,000 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

MORE ABOUT THE 501ST LEGION

The 501st Legion is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to bringing beloved Star Wars characters to life. Founded in 1997, the 501st Legion seeks to promote interest in Star Wars fandom, through the building and wearing of quality costumes. The group facilitates the use of these costumes for Star Wars-related events, as well as contributions to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work.

MORE ABOUT MAKE-A-WISH

Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. According to a 2011 U.S. study of wish impact, most health professionals surveyed believe a wish-come-true has positive impacts on the health of children. Kids say wishes give them renewed strength to fight their illness, and their parents say these experiences help strengthen the entire family. Headquartered in Phoenix, Make-A-Wish is one of the world's leading children's charities, serving children in every community in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and more than 28,000 volunteers, Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the country every 35 minutes. It has granted more than 270,000 wishes since its inception in 1980; more than 14,800 in 2015 alone. Visit Make-A-Wish at www.wish.org to learn more.

A press conference will be held at Dragon Con, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary and is known as the “birthplace of the 501st Legion.”

The Hangin' With Web Show set for DragonCon 2016 (Atlanta)!

RECORD CROWDS EXPECTED IN DOWNTOWN ATLANTA FOR DRAGON CON 2016

Cosplayers, Gamers, and Pop Culture Fans Return for Annual Fantasy, Sci Fi, & Gaming Convention: More than 400 Actors, Artists, Authors, and Creators Will Give Talks and Meet Fans.

ATLANTA – August 16, 2016 – More than 75,000 people are expected to pack downtown Atlanta over the Labor Day weekend as Dragon Con, the internationally known pop culture, sci fi, fantasy, and gaming convention, celebrates its 30th Anniversary.

Dragon Con fans will travel from every state in the nation and a few foreign countries to participate in the four-day convention, where they can meet their favorite actors, artists, authors, and creators, and talk about the stuff they love.

Guests – More than 400 guests, from the worlds of movies, television, comics, literature and other universes, will lead panel discussions and meet with fans. Some of this year’s top guests include William Shatner and Alexander Siddig, who will help mark 50 years of Star Trek plus Alex Kingston, Gillian Anderson, Jack Gleeson, Alan Tudyk, and Charlie Cox.

Brian Henson, master puppeteer and son of the late Jim Henson, will be on hand to talk about the 30th anniversary of Labyrinth. And puppeteers Brian Herring and Dave Chapman will talk about their work as the hands behind BB-8, the ball-shaped droid from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

“We are delighted to have so many guests from so many of today’s most popular or, in the case of classic science fiction, best loved shows and movies to join us for our 30th Anniversary celebration,” convention co-chair Rachel Reeves said. “Overall, we will have some 400 guests – actors, authors, artists and other creators and experts – from across science, science fiction, and fantasy worlds, in whatever medium.”

Parade – For the first time, the annual Dragon Con Parade will be broadcast live on television by Atlanta’s CW69 on Saturday, Sept. 5 beginning at 10 a.m., with a rebroadcast during primetime.

The parade route remains the same as last year. Beginning at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Linden Avenue, the parade will head south on Peachtree, east (left) on Andrew Young International Boulevard and north (left) on Peachtree Center Avenue. It will end on Peachtree Center Avenue between John Portman Boulevard and Baker Street, in front of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.

The route is convenient to three MARTA stations – North Avenue, Civic Center and Peachtree Center. Parking downtown is expected to be tight, and Dragon Con encourages parade spectators to consider taking MARTA.

Gaming – Already one of the largest gaming conventions in the nation, Dragon Con has expanded its gaming space by more than 60 percent for its 30th Anniversary convention. This year, Dragon Con’s gaming programming will move to the Westin Peachtree Plaza and the adjacent AmericasMart Building One, where it will take up a combined 140,000 square feet. Panels, contests, and parties will be held in the Westin while free gaming, paid tournaments, and similar events will be held in AmericasMart. As always gaming will be open to all Dragon Con members 24x7 for the convention.

“The strength of gaming has been a pillar at Dragon Con since our first convention in 1987. Just as the convention continues to grow, our ability to offer programming and gameplay does too,” convention co-chair Dave Cody said. “We are able to offer our fans more games, more gameplay, and more and better opportunities to talk with voice actors, game designers, and other guests from the worlds of table top and video gaming.”

Cosplay – Dragon Con is well known for the quality of its cosplay – or costume play – and that tradition will certainly continue. The nation’s top cosplayers will show off their best work during the show, participating in costume contests every night of the convention and promenading throughout the five host hotels and the streets of downtown Atlanta.

Cosplay competitions remain a mainstay of Dragon Con, including the queen of competitions, Dragon Con Masquerade, which is both the oldest continuously run competition in fandom as well as one of the largest in the world. The Chôsen, which premiered last year at Dragon Con Night at the Aquarium to a sold out crowd, returns again this year for a second annual appearance.

Official Charity – Earlier this year, Dragon Con selected the Atlanta Center for Self-Sufficiency as its official charity for 2016. Through auctions and other charity events, plus a dollar-for-dollar match up to $50,000 from Dragon Con, the convention will raise money to support this important community organization.

In 2015, the convention raised over $100,000 for its official charity, the Lymphoma Research Foundation – Georgia Market. Through the Superheroes community service program, Dragon Con fans contributed more than 900 hours of community service.

Dragon Con also conducts the largest convention-based blood drive in the nation. Some 3,000 fans donated more than 6,000 units of blood and blood products in the annual Robert A. Heinlein “Pay It Forward” blood drive, benefiting LifeSouth, which serves more than 40 hospital in the Atlanta area and 110 hospitals in the Southeast.

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than about 3,000 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music, and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Local Hangin With Web Show to Cover Creators at Space Coast Comic Con

     

COCOA BEACH -- From September 9, 2016 thru September 11, 2016, at Space Coast Convention Center, 301 Tucker Ln, Cocoa, FL 32926, Florida's Space Coast welcomes freaks and geeks from around the state to celebrate fandom and fun at the 2nd annual Space Coast Comic Con!

Space Coast Comic Con is now in its second Year! We are so very excited to be doing this again. We met some incredible people last year and had an absolute blast!

This year we have some exciting news! ICCON will be joining us for their second year of celebrating Independent Comic Artists. It is truly an honor to have Terrance Baker and his group coming on board and we are surely going to have a great time and their will be some fantastic original art and comics.

Over the years our family has been to many Comic Cons, Anime Expos, and Sci-Fi conventions and as these cons all morph into something completely different over the years the one thing always stays the same. THE FANS. It is amazing so may people (us included) stay dedicated to a story or idea that has effected them passionately. Seeing everyone express there love whether coming out to see their favorite guest, cosplaying as their favorite character, or simply buying a piece of art from a local vendor is awe inspiring.

If you didn’t make it out to last year's inaugural event, then do try this year and come find me and Julie, Jake Estrada or Terrance Baker, you can’t miss us, we will be the ones having the most fun!

ONEDAY CHARITY EVENT AIMS TO RAISE HALF A MILLION DOLLARS FOR ONE ORLANDO FUND

The Hangin With Web Show Scheduled to Cover Charity Event by the creators of Heroes & Villians Fan Fest & Walker Stalker Con     

     ORLANDO, FL -- On September 17, 2016, fans of TV’s top shows will have the opportunity

to meet their favorite stars at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL, while

raising money for the victims and families of the Pulse Nightclub attack.

     Dozens of well-known actors from The Walking Dead, The Flash, Arrow, and other shows will

meet fans, sign autographs and take photos ( see full list ). Most importantly, 100% of the profits

raised from ticket sales, autographs, professional photo ops, and vendor sales will be donated

to the One Orlando Fund.

     James Frazier, who created and runs the popular Heroes & Villains Fan Fest and Walker

Stalker Con events, is an Orlando native, as are several others on his team.

     “I grew up in Orlando, graduated from high school there, got married there, and had four of my

children there,” said Frazier. “Last week, my heart was broken by a senseless tragedy. I

wondered, what can we do? How can we help? This September, we're inviting our community of

fans to come help us raise as much money as we can for the families that were impacted.”

     "From our actors and photograph vendor to our volunteers and the Orange County Convention

Center, everyone involved has stepped up to make Fan Fest Orlando possible. Our hometown

needs us. We've always supported each other, regardless of race, orientation, or creed, and this

makes that more clear,” said Jackie Prutsman, Orlando native and VP of Fan Fest.

     At this very special one day Orlando event, attendees will be treated to a merging of activities

regularly held at separate events, Heroes & Villains Fan Fest and Walker Stalker Con. This

means that stars from a wide range of television shows and movies will be in attendance

interacting with fans, and attendees can participate in an array of interactive experiences. More

than 500,000 people attend these Fan Fest events annually.

Activities in Orlando include:

     ● Free panel sessions led by the stars of some of the TV’s most popular shows.

     ● Action heroes and cosplayers roam the convention floor, making for interactive

experiences attendees will never forget.

     ● Vendors who deal in the comic, entertainment, zombie and other genres and industries.

There are even a number of opportunities to volunteer at the event, which can be found on the

Fan Fest Orlando website.

In Orlando, attendees will be treated to sessions with guests including:

● Stephen Amell ( Arrow series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 )

● Lauren Cohan ( The Walking Dead, The Boy )

● Chandler Riggs ( The Walking Dead )

● David Ramsey ( Arrow )

● Emily Kinney ( The Walking Dead, Arrow, Flash )

● Josh McDermitt ( The Walking Dead )

● Michael Cudlitz ( The Walking Dead, Band of Brothers )

● Greg Nicotero (Executive Producer & Director, The Walking Dead )

● Alanna Masterson, Christian Serratos, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Ross Marquand, Seth

Gilliam, Sonequa MartinGreen (The Walking Dead )