Via Locus Online, it looks like the list of the 2007 World Fantasy Award Finalists is officially out. The World Fantasy Convention happens this year Nov. 1-4 in Saratoga Springs, NY and the winners will be announced there. A few quick thoughts about the list: Wow, I’m a World Fantasy Award nominee in the Artist category!! Too cool!! I’m thrilled and honored. Very pleased to be in there with Jon, Edward, Shaun, and Jill. They’ve all done breathtaking work in the last 12 months. It’s a terrific list of nominees in all categories. I can’t imagine it’s easy for the judges to make a list like this, but this one is as solid as any year I’ve seen. Names that gave me a big smile when I saw them here….Jeff Ford (3 times!!!), the mighty Mark Finn (his first nom….Finn, do the monkeywalk), Deanna Hoak (this may be the first ever for a copyeditor), John Klima (thrilled for JK…well-earned), Kim Newman (yay MonkeyBrain), Norm Partridge (hurrah for DARK HARVEST), Scott Cupp (happy for Lansdale as well, but this is a breakthrough for Scott), and Greg Ketter (tireless behind-the-scenes warrior who really deserved this nod….great call by the jury on this one). There are other names that I’m excited about, but I’ll stop there. Like I said, it’s a helluva list, and I’m proud to be a part of it. Final note — congrats to Chris Roberson and Allison Baker at MonkeyBrain Books for having three MonkeyBrain works on this ballot.

The 2007 World Fantasy Award Nominees

Novel:
Stephen King: Lisey’s Story
Ellen Kushner: Privilege of the Sword
Scott Lynch: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Catherynne M. Valente: In the Night Garden
Gene Wolfe: Soldier of Sidon

Novella:
Jeffrey Ford: Botch Town
Kim Newman: The Man Who Got Off the Ghost Train
Norman Partridge: Dark Harvest
M. Rickert: Map of Dreams
Ysabeau S. Wilce: The Lineaments of Gratified Desire

Short Fiction:
Jeffrey Ford: The Way He Does It
M. Rickert: Journey Into the Kingdom
Benjamin Rosenbaum: A Siege of Cranes
Christopher Rowe: Another Word for Map Is Faith
Geoff Ryman: Pol Pot’s Beautiful Daughter (Fantasy)

Anthology:
Scott Cupp & Joe R. Lansdale, eds.: Cross Plains Universe
Ellen Datlow & Terry Windling, eds.: Salon Fantastique (Jeff, Ed)
Joe R. Lansdale, ed.: Retro Pulp Tales
David Moles & Susan Marie Groppi, eds.: Twenty Epics
Sharyn November, ed.: Firebirds Rising

Collection:
Susanna Clarke: The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories
Jeffrey Ford: The Empire of Ice Cream
Glen Hirshberg: American Morons
Margo Lanagan: Red Spikes
M. Rickert: Map of Dreams

Artist:
Jon Foster
Edward Miller
John Picacio
Shaun Tan
Jill Thompson

Special Award Professional:
Ellen Asher for her work at The SFBC
Mark Finn for Blood & Thunder: The Life of Robert E. Howard
Deanna Hoak for copyediting
Greg Ketter for Dreamhaven
Leonard S. Marcus for The Wand in the Word

Special Award Non Professional:
Leslie Howle for her work at Clarion West
Leo Grin for The Cimmerian Magazine
Susan Groppi for Strange Horizons
John Klima for Electric Velocipede
Gary K. Wolfe for Reviews in Locus, and other contributions to the field.