At the World Fantasy Convention in Columbus, Ohio, this past weekend (Sunday, Oct. 30), Bone Swans by C.S.E. Cooney won the World Fantasy Award for best collection. Anita and I were there to see Claire Cooney make her acceptance speech, dedicating her win to her mentor, Gene Wolfe.

It’s just about impossible for us to express how proud we are to be the publishers of Bone Swans, and what a stunning surprise it was when announcer Gordon Van Gelder read Cooney’s name. None of us expected to win, as the quality of the competition was impeccable. At dinner the previous night, Claire had mentioned that we had likely gotten her book as far as it was going to go, and I didn’t disagree . . . And yet, I hoped we weren’t done yet, and my hopes were realized!

It’s a privilege to share the wonders inside this book with the world, and wonderful to see the power of Claire’s stories recognized in such a prestigious way.

It’s also, I should note, a first World Fantasy Award for both C.S.E. Cooney and for Mythic Delirium Books! You can bet we’ve been celebrating at every opportunity.

Proud publishers bracket a World Fantasy Award-winning author! Me, C.S.E. Cooney and Anita after the World Fantasy Award ceremony in Columbus, Ohio. Photo by Amal El-Mohtar.

We didn’t make this happen without some alley-oops, so once again, thanks to Shveta Thakrar for her thorough copy edit of the book, and to Elizabeth Campbell, Nicole Kornher-Stace, Sita Aluna, Michelle Hillard Powell, and Christina Sng for the things they did to help us put Bone Swans together right.

C.S.E. Cooney wasn’t the only winner with some tie to Mythic Delirium Books. We were delighted to see John O’Neill get a much deserved award for Black Gate, and we’re sure grateful for all the things he’s done to signal boost us over the years. Kelly Barnhill, a contributor to Clockwork Phoenix 2, won for best long fiction, and Galen Dara, who provided the cover art for our Mythic Delirium anthologies, won best artist. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees!