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Dragon*Con Membership Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 2August 30–September 2, 2013 Atlanta, Georgia

It’s Official! Presenting our 2013 Charities

Second PlaceTo receive 30% of monies raised and 30% of the company match

Third PlaceTo receive 20% of monies raised and 20% of the company match

We are excited to have had our members play a role in the selection of our official 2013 charities. After the selection of five charities that provide exceptional service in their category, represent different charitable needs, and are fiscally responsible (with a high percentage of every dollar donated going directly to charitable services), we put it out to you, our members, to decide which three would become our official 2013 Dragon*Con charities. Over 39,000 votes were cast during the two week voting period and we are proud to introduce the winners and look forward to partnering with each of them.

First PlaceTo receive 50% of monies raised and 50% of the company match

Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary is a non-profit dedicated to providing sanctuary for injured, abused and orphaned exotic, wildlife and domestic animals. Noah’s Ark received enthusiastic support from our members for the wonderful work they do. They did a great job educating our members and promoting their mission on Facebook by posting daily pictures of the many animals they have rescued and care for and how we can make a difference. We congratulate them on their first place win for our 2013 Charity!Learn more at noahs-ark.org

The Georgia Conservancy’s work for clean air and water, land conservation, coastal protection and sustainable growth recognizes the connection between the environment, the economy and our quality of life.It’s no surprise our members feel strongly about caring for our environment. The GA Conservancy embraced this contest in full geek fashion with clever sci-fi and fantasy themed Facebook posts and captions, and an enthusiastic appearance at the Braves. We are happy to welcome them as our second place 2013 Charity. Learn more at georgiaconservancy.org

Marcus Autism Center is the largest not-for-profit autism research and treatment center in the United States, treating more than 5,000 children a year.The work that the Marcus Autism Center does is so important and touches the lives of many of our Dragon*Con members. Their mission to help children realize their greatest potential is mirrored in Dragon*Con’s desire to support and encourage our member’s individuality and interests.We are pleased to have them as our third place 2013 Charity. Learn more at marcus.org

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Thank You for Your Outstanding Support

Fundraising for our charities has been such a success due to the generosity and support of our members and volunteers. Since 2005, Dragon*Con has raised almost $224,000 for its official charities, which change each year. In addition to the official charity fundraising that takes place during the annual convention, Dragon*Con has donated $265,000 of its profits to The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and other organizations.

In 2013, money raised from the following events will go to our 2013 Official Charities:

� Proceeds from all Braves game tickets 8/29 – 9/2/13 � Our Fabulous Dragon*Con Charity Auction 8/31 – 9/1/13 � Fundraising events put on by many of our 40+ tracks

Additionally, Dragon*Con announced this year that we will be matching every dollar raised up to $50,000. Thank you for your participation in selecting our 2013 Charities, and for your continued support in helping Dragon*Con make a difference.

Noah’s Ark Animal SanctuaryFor the contest, Noah’s Ark created daily Facebook posts that introduced us to the many animals they care for, their needs, and the work the sanctuary does.

� Calvin, a white-faced capuchin monkey who was rescued from an abusive owner and now has a safe and loving environment.

� U-Squeak, the rhesus macaque who used in painful scientific research and is now being provided with healthy activities to deal with the trauma.

� Zuri, the white Bengal Tiger who is in need of a special habitat due to the breed’s immune deficiencies.

Highlights From Our New 2013 Charities

“Enriching their lives and giving them a safe haven to live out the remainder of their lives” is the mission of Noah’s Ark, and our support will help them achieve that.

Georgia ConservancyThe folks at the Georgia Conservancy had a blast promoting their cause. They turned up at an Atlanta Braves game with Chewie in tow to get everyone energized. And you definitely need to check out their spot on, geeky Facebook posts. But more important is the work they are doing to protect Georgia’s environment.

� They are actively working to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whales

� Fought for new conservation laws and worked to protect places such as Cumberland Island, the Okefenokee Swamp, Sweetwater Creek and the Chattahoochee River.

� They work with landowners to encourage them to place their land in permanent protection, such as the over 100 acres of private mountain forest in Fannin County.

Our support helps them to “conserve Georgia’s land and water, for everyone!”

Marcus Autism CenterThere are so many aspects to the work that the Marcus Autism Center does, but these inspiring stories really say it all.

� Diagnosed with austism when he was a 1-year-old, Ryan Cartledge is now 18 years old with a bright future ahead of him. His father says, “Marcus Autism Center changed Ryan’s life.”

� At age 8, Sean Ahlberg’s aggressive behavior was keeping him from enjoying time with his family and getting out into the world. “This past Thanksgiving, Sean said his first word—it was clear as day—he said ‘happy’.”

� “They treated us with warmth and respect. Educating us as a family about how to care for Samantha’s needs at home as well as prepare her for school was the key to our success,” said Samantha’s mom Deborah Fotsch

The funds we raise will allow them to continue to help children and families like these.

Zuri at Noah’s Ark Samantha Fotsch at Marcus Autism GA Conservancy at the Braves

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Horror Track Urban Fantasy TrackGet to Know a TrackLast year you knew it as the Horror and Dark Fantasy Track. This year, to give you more of the programming you love, we’ve split it into TWO tracks. We are happy to present the Horror Track, directed by Derek Tatum, and our new Urban Fantasy track, directed by Carol Malcolm. Here’s a little chart to whet your appetite for what’s to come.

What’s the Genre About?

Authors We Love

Movies We Love

TV Shows We Love

Characters You Might Know

Famous Quotes

Kim HarrisonTanya HuffSherrilyn KenyonAdrian PhoenixRob Thurman

Lost GirlSanctuaryTeen WolfThe Dresden FilesTrue BloodVampire Diaries

Rachel MorganKitty NorvilleChess PutnamMercy ThompsonSookie StackhouseJack Winter

H.P. LovecraftEdgar Allan PoeMary ShellyBram StokerManly Wade Wellman

HellraiserNosferatuPsychoThe ShiningSleepy HollowSuspiria

Lost BoysNight WatchResident EvilSorcerer’s ApprenticeUltravioletUnderworld

Kolchak: The Night StalkerNight GalleryTales from the CryptTales from the DarksideThe Twilight ZoneTwin Peaks

Freddy KruegerHannibal LecterHerbert West Norman BatesPinheadThe Wolf Man

The goal of a horror story is to elicit the emotions of intense fear and dread; to scare and disturb us; to get under our skin and cause us to confront our most primal fears.

Urban fantasy is fiction set in an urban area or recognizably real world, but has supernatural elements and characters that also inhabit this seemingly mundane world, creating conflict between the two.

Clive BarkerAlgernon BlackwoodRobert BlochM. R. JamesStephen King

Kelly ArmstrongPatricia BriggsJim ButcherSimon R. GreenLaurel K. Hamilton

American Werewolf in LondonThe BeyondBride of FrankensteinThe ExorcistHalloweenHouse on Haunted Hill

American GothicAmerican Horror StoryBates MotelDark ShadowHannibalHemlock Grove

AcheronAnita BlakeHarry DresdenHenry FitzroySabina KaneJill Kismet

Being Human CharmedDead Like MeGhost WhispererGrimmHaven

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” —H.P. Lovecraft“Look! It’s moving. It’s alive. It’s alive...” —Frankenstein“Redrum. Redrum. Redrum.” —The Shining“Tell me, Clarice—have the lambs stopped screaming? —Silence of the Lambs

Abraham Van Helsing CandymanAlice CooperCount DraculaCthulhuFrankenstein’s Monster

“When I was eight, my mother lost me to zombies in a one-card draw.” —Marjorie M. Liu“If you’re going to be bad, be bad with a purpose, otherwise you’re not worth forgiving.” —Vampire Diaries

“I died. I died and someone made a clerical error and I am in Heaven.” —Jim Butcher“I am a killer at my core, and I have to fight against that every day.” —Being Human

BladeBlood & ChocolateDaybreakersDay WatchDylan Dog: Dead of Night

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What's your track? J Kip Campbell

From Alternate History to Young Adult Literature, we've cover the gamut with this puzzle.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12

13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24

25 26 27

28 29 30 31

32 33 34 35

36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43

44 45 46 47 48

49 50 51

52 53

ACROSS 38 Princess' accessory 10 Buffy's weapon1 Gary's first name 41 AppleJack's nickname 12 Quaid, to some7 Zombie Food? 42 Evil plan 17 "I'm a ______ and I'm O.K."9 Schutzstaffel, for short 44 Robin Hood's practice piece 19 Emit energy11 Richard's title 47 Brain trace 20 Parasol Protectorate13 Oni 48 Evolution poison, author, familiarly14 Operating system, for short for short 22 Mrycella, to Tyrion15 Sheep sound 49 S in TES 24 S.H.'s archenemy16 Superman's family name 51 ___ Baba 26 Sodium symbol18 Clairvoyants 52 Terry Good____ 29 Mulder lives for this20 Gohan's father 53 Worf, for example 31 Skinner's title21 Prudent move near zombies 34 Grimm wrote one23 They are always listening DOWN 36 Vampire minions24 Shadowfax's female subjects 1 Tetsuo or Akira 37 Cthulhu sea deity25 ____ Me 2 Email title, many times 39 Shadowrun, for example27 Alien ICE 3 The One 40 Dwarven ale container28 Peter Rabbit author, familiarly 4 Heart monitors 42 Galactica's intersystem drive30 False witness 5 Famous 03-K64 transport 43 Peace prize city32 Sparkly vampire (initials) 6 Dryads' homes 45 something 33 Rear, to Capt'n Sparrow 7 Foo fighters, for short 46 Old, in Middle English35 He played B., J.B. 8 Shuttle flight design. 50 Horror writer's initials36 Uruk-Hai were made this way 9 Ansari X-prize flight goal 51 Silver symbol

Solution to this puzzle will be published in the next issue of Dragon*Talk

What’s Your TrackFrom Alternate History to Young Adult Literature, we cover the gamut with this puzzle.

J Kip Campbell

Something

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In case you missed out on last years’s dragon, we have discovered a secret lair and will be bringing back a limited number of the green baby dragons. Our dragons are being lovingly hatched and cared for until they are ready to travel to Atlanta. Because their wings are not large enough to carry them over the ocean, our baby dragons will be traveling by ship (hmmm, sounds familiar). They should arrive in the summer, closer to the show, and we will raise the flag on Facebook, Twitter, and our website when they arrive.

Baby DragonsBecause of your support of our green baby dragon in 2012, we’re bringing out a red one for 2013 . The little guy* is approximately 7” high with bendable wings and tongue. He also has a strap on his belly so he can sit on your shoulder, your head or wherever he wants to sit; although please watch for scorch marks on hair or clothing. We heard your feedback last year (see, I told you we listened) and we will be able to sell the baby dragons for $14 each, for members, which is $4 less than last year.

*For the purposes of this conversation, we will refer to the baby dragon as he. Whether it is a he or she, I can’t tell, I am too far away. You, the future owner, can make that determination when your baby dragon comes home with you.

Zip Pouch ID Holder

You know how it is; you’re at the convention, you’re trying to travel light but you’ve got stuff: room keys, car keys, money, ID, and other small but important kipple. So we’re introducing our zip pouch ID holder. It’s 3 1/4” x 5 1/2”, has a zippered pouch with an inside key ring, clear ID holder, and a back pocket. It also has a clip so you can securely attach it to your lanyard, belt loop, costume, wherever. It comes in red, purple, green, maroon, and black. We’re already excited about them and we think you will be too! They go on sale May 10 at a member price of $5.

Greetings from the volunteers and staff of the Dragon*Con Store! Our mission is to create and sell high quality souvenirs that are useful, fun, and memorable—so you can take them home as a reminder of your experience, or as gifts for someone who wasn’t lucky enough to attend. We’re always on the lookout for new ideas, or to fill a need that we see. We also listen to the feedback we get from you, our members, on what you want.So on that note, we are very happy to preview some new items that will be coming to our online store and on sale at our two locations at the convention.

Unnamed random Dragon*Con office staff happily posing in new polo shirts

Polo ShirtsAt long last, we have new polo shirts! Our polos are soft, comfortable, and feature our logo embroidered in vibrant yellow and orange.Our black polo is a breathable 65/35 cotton/polyester waffle weave. Our blue polo is made of 100% cotton pique. Because Dragon*Con members come in all sizes, shapes, and flavors, we carry a range of sizes from XS – 4X in the black, and XS – 5X in the cobalt blue. Many of our volunteers are already sporting the new polo shirts. You can order yours online starting May 10 for the member price of $35.

Just the FactsOnline at store.dragoncon.orgAt the Convention:

� Sheraton: Thursday – Sunday � Marriott: Friday – Monday

Look for the green and yellow banner!

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Membership BenefitsThe Charity Auction will now be held on two days, both Saturday and Sunday.The Science Fiction/Fantasy Track has been split into two individul tracks:

� Science Fiction Literature and � Fantasy Literature

Anne McCaffery’s World and Wheel of Time are merged into Fantasy Literature.

Announcements

Don’t forget, there are benefits to being a Member of Dragon*Con

� Special “members only” pricing on merchandise and workshops, and special offers throughout the year.

� Specialized workshops you can participate in at the show, including some that are free.

� Informative publications such as Dragon*Talk, the Progress Report, and our convention Program Book.

� And did you know you can buy your next year’s membership at the convention for only $65? It can be purchased at registration, at both Dragon*Con stores, and briefly online after the convention. It’s our best price all year long.

� Our next edition of “Get to Know a Track”. � Answers to the crossword puzzle, plus a brand new puzzle.

� Details on all the charity events at Dragon*Con.

� Pre-registration for the Saturday one day badge will be available in mid July; details in next issue.

Coming SoonWe hope you enjoyed this issue of Dragon*Talk. Here’s some of what’s coming in our July issue.

Thanks for being members of Dragon*Con. We’ll see you in August!

Reminders

The Vendor Halls have moved to the America’s-

Mart, located across Peachtree from the Hyatt,

and next to the Westin.

Still need to book your flight? Don’t forget our

5% – 10% discount at Delta on select airfares

for travel from 8/27/13 to 9/5/13. Go to

delta.com/booking. Enter NMFJC for domestic

and NMFJG for international.

We have a brand spanking new website. If you’re

new to Dragon*Con, check out the FAQs.

Have questions about your membership or

postcard? Email us at office@dragoncon.org.

We’re here to help.

But most importantly: May 25 is Towel Day!

Stay in TouchFollow Us on:

You Are Cordially Invited To HAVE FUN

Dragon*Con Night at the BravesThursday, August 29, 7:00 PM

atlanta.braves.mlb.comDragon*Con Night at the Aquarium

Saturday, August 31, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PMgeorgiaaquarium.org/dragoncon