Margo Lanagan won her fourth World Fantasy Award for her novella Sea Hearts published in the X6 anthology by Australian small publisher Coeur de Lion. The winners were announced last night at the World Fantasy Convention in Ohio which is one of the most prestigious international awards in speculative fiction.

Congratulations to Margo from fellow Draft Busters in Sydney  who have been privileged to listen in and give feedback in it’s early stages.

Sea Heart’s inspiration comes from the mythological creatures in Scottish folklore, the selkies; female  seal like creatures who are able to become human after shedding their skin.

An early reviewer Tansy describes Sea Hearts as…

“a dark and twisty take on the legend of the selkie wife. In this novella Lanagan builds up a fogged, muddy and claustrophobic world of seal-women, their husbands and their sons, all part of a tightly closed island community. Through her usual tangled prose and deeply hidden emotion, Lanagan presents a simply glorious fantasy that transcends rather than merely replicating the story’s mythic roots. Those who loved Tender Morsels will be drawn to this story, which is less difficult to stomach but contains many similar themes”.

Next Draftbuster’s will be held on Sunday 21st Nov. Hopefully Margo’s award will have arrived in the post by then so she can bring it for show and tell – just like last year .