Welcome to a special blog post for my Canadian fans.
Voting for the 2024 Aurora Awards is now open. The Auroras are fan-voted awards recognizing the best of Canadian SF & Fantasy published the previous year. Any Canadian citizen or permanent resident may vote for the Auroras.
As I wrote recently, I am thrilled that this year's ballot includes two of my published works:
- The Crystal Key: The Dream Rider Saga, Book 2 (Best YA Novel)
- "If I Should Fall Behind" (Best Short Story)
I'm writing to ask you to consider voting for me.
Below, I explain how to vote as well as how to download the Voters' Package containing your complimentary copy of ALL the works on the ballot, including:
- 10 novels
- 7 graphic novels
- 5 novelettes
- 5 short stories
- ... and more!
But first, let me tell you a bit about my two nominated works.
The Crystal Key (The Dream Rider Saga, #2)
The sequel to The Hollow Boys (winner of the 2023 Aurora Award) has received universal praise, with a 4.8⭐ rating on Amazon and 5.0⭐ on BookBub, plus garnering these raves from top book review sites:
"The richly inventive Dream Rider adventure continues... [with] the Smith hallmarks of crack dialogue, fun sleuthing and puzzle-solving, a strong through-line of emotion, a swift pace…and a principled refusal to settle for the familiar. ... This thrilling superpowered urban fantasy series continues to grip." —BookLife (Editor's Pick)
"The engrossing second installment ... Smith continues to demonstrate an ability to expertly weave multiple complex fantasy elements into a cohesive whole. … This fast-paced story delivers in a big way." —Blueink Review (★ Starred review)
"The sequel to the excellent The Hollow Boys ups the ante for adventure and suspense and continues to deftly fuse superhero and fantasy tropes. ... A fun and engrossing superhero sequel." —Kirkus Reviews
"An ethnically diverse cast and strong female characters. Smith's take on superheroes and serials is both modern and original ... High adventure leavened with romance and mystery. … Everything that made The Hollow Boys work and turns it up a few notches." —Ottawa Review of Books
If you haven't read The Crystal Key, see below to learn how to get it in your complimentary copy of the Voters' Package.
"If I Should Fall Behind"
This story first appeared last year in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, one of the premiere markets for speculative fiction in the world.
Recently, it was also selected for The Year's Best Canadian Fantasy & Science Fiction, which will be coming out later this year.
Some selected reviews:
“One of my very favorites of the year. ... [The ending’s] an emotionally satisfying cap on a tremendous tale, a tale which itself is a tremendous cap on this issue of F&SF ... Exceptional.” —Tar Vol’s Recommended Reading List for 2023
“The story has great emotional appeal and the plight of the two lovers is sure to touch the reader’s heart. … [A] powerful tale.” —Tangent Online
To read "If I Should Fall Behind," see below to learn how to download your complimentary copy of the Voters' Package.
How to Register to Vote
To vote for the Auroras (and to access the Voters' Package of nominated works), you must be a 2024 member of the Canadian SF & Fantasy Association, the body that administers the Auroras.
(Note: If you nominated works earlier for this year's awards, you're already registered and can skip this step. Just jump down to "How to Vote.")
To register for 2024, go here and click on "Not a Member Yet?"
Enter your info, then select a username and password. (If the password box contains black dots, hold down "DELETE" to clear the box, then enter a password.)
Registration costs $10 CAD, which not only lets you vote, but also download the Voters' Package of ALL the nominated works: 17 novels, 5 novelettes, 5 short stories, and more! That's a pretty amazing deal, imo.
Registration for voting (and access to the Voters' Package) closes at midnight July 6.
How to Vote
Once you're registered, log in to the Aurora Awards site, then go to the Member's Home page.
From there, click on "Voting" to access the 2024 Aurora voting ballot.
The Auroras use a ranked voting method (more info here).
To vote, sort your choices from 1 (your favourite) to 5 (your least favourite), by dragging your selections with your mouse (or finger for touch screens).
Drag your choices above the voting line (the line that says, “No pick underneath this line will be counted”).
As you do this, your choice will display its ranking. If you make a mistake, just move your choice to a different position or back below the voting line.
You do not have to rank all works in a category, and you do not have to vote in all categories. But I would truly appreciate if you would consider voting for my two nominated works:
- The Crystal Key: The Dream Rider Saga, Book 2 (Best YA Novel)
- "If I Should Fall Behind" (Best Short Story)
Submitting Your Ballot
When you've ranked all your choices for the categories you’re interested in, click the “Send Ballot” button at the bottom of the form. This will lock and submit your selections.
Do NOT submit your ballot until all your selections are done. Unlike the nomination process, you will not be able to edit your ballot once submitted.
Also, if you close your ballot before submitting it, your choices will be cleared and not saved, and you will have to start again.
In other words, don't start to vote until you know everything you wish to vote for and can complete your voting in one session.
Remember, for your ballot to count you must click the “Send Ballot” button at the bottom of the form.
Voting closes on Saturday July 13 at midnight.
The Voters' Package
The Voters' Package contains electronic versions of all nominated works, made available through the generosity of the nominees and publishers so that voters may read the nominated works and make an informed decision when voting.
Once you've registered to vote, you can download the Voter Package from the Member's Home page (or directly here).
Access to the Voters' Package closes at midnight Saturday July 6, the same day registration closes and a week before voting closes
~~~
Thanks for any consideration you might give to voting for my nominated works.
Regardless, thanks for being a fan and supporter of my writing.
Hi! Thanks for visiting. I'm a multi-award-winning Canadian author of speculative fiction, published in twenty-seven languages and thirty-six countries.
