A few days ago, a flock of writers (and readers) attended the 2026 Bouchercon mystery conference, held this year in Calgary. I did not make the trip, but from my conversations with some of those who did, I'm told the conference was well attended and well done.
I did, however, have a story in the 2026 Bouchercon anthology--a B'con feature that wasn't even around when I attended my first Bouchercon, in Baltimore. It was at that 2008 B'con that I met fellow Criminal Brief blogger Leigh Lundin, along with CBers James Lincoln Warren, Steve Steinbock, Angela Zeman, and Melodie Johnson Howe. Little did Leigh or I know that three years later Criminal Brief would end its run and we two gluttons-for-punishment would jump from that blog to a new one, one that we decided to call SleuthSayers. But that's another story.
About three years after that, someone--I never knew who--came up with the idea of doing an annual Bouchercon anthology, to be launched each year during the conference. It was a good decision, embraced by readers as well as writers, and if I'm not mistaken, all of those books have done well. Most have a "theme" stated in their submission guidelines, like travel, music, conference setting, etc.
For those of you who don't remember them (I didn't), here's a list of all the anthologies so far:
2014 - Murder at the Beach - the conference location was Long Beach, California; the editor was Dana Cameron; the publisher was Down & Out Books
2015 - Murder Under the Oaks - Raleigh, Art Taylor, Down & Out Books
2016 - Blood on the Bayou - New Orleans, Greg Herren, Down & Out Books
2017 - Passport to Murder - Toronto, John McFetridge, Down & Out Books
2018 - Florida Happens - St. Petersburg, Greg Herren, Three Rooms Press
2019 - Denim, Diamonds, and Death -- Dallas, Rick Ollerman, Down & Out Books
2020 - California Schemin' - Sacramento, Art Taylor, Wildside Press
2021 - This Time for Sure - New Orleans virtual event, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Down & Out Books
2022 - Land of 10,000 Thrills - Minneapolis, Greg Herren, Down & Out Books
2023 - Killin' Time in San Diego -- San Diego, Holly West, Down & Out Books
2024 - Tales of Music, Murder, and Mayhem - Nashville, Heather Graham, Down & Out Books
2025 - Blood on the Bayou: Case Closed - New Orleans, Don Bruns, Down & Out Books
2026 - The Lines We Cross - Calgary, Olyn Fleming Ozbick, Level Best Books
NOTE 1: This year's anthology theme was "borders," which might've had something to do with the fact that the conference was held not far north of the U.S,/Canada line. I have a story in that anthology, and I regret that I was not present for the signing, which is always an event in itself.
NOTE 2: The 2027 anthology will be titled Mystery Most Monumental, and its theme will be "power"--probably because the 2027 Bouchercon location will be Washington, D.C. I believe they're taking story submissions now for that anthology; I've already sent mine in.
For what it's worth, I've been fortunate enough to have stories in several of the B'con anthologies. My stories, in order, were:
"The Blue Delta" - An escaped murderer terrorizes a rural family in South Louisiana. - Bouchercon 2016
"Life Is Good" - A tale of motherly and brotherly love--and deceit--that reaches from one Coast to another. - 2017
"Frontier Justice" - A local hitman's assassination of a district attorney in Tallahassee fails to go as planned. - 2018
"The Midnight Child" - The story of a grand heist by a team of Southern bank robbers, told backward. - 2019
"Windows" - A young woman alone in a house at night knows an intruder is there also--but can't find him. - 2022
"Plymouth West" - A restaurateur sits down to Thanksgiving dinner with a man who's there for one reason only: to kill her. - 2023
"Garden Path" - To con-man Brian Woodson, blackmailing a U.S. Senator and his wife sounded not only easy but foolproof. At first. - 2026
My questions for today:
Which Bouchercons have you attended? Which, in your opinion, were the best? (I've heard from many which one was the worst, but I won't reveal that.) Did you have stories included in any of the anthologies, and if so, which ones? Are you planning to go in 2027? Have you submitted a story yet, for the '27 anthology? Do you plan to?
If you do make the trip to Washington next year, have a good time, and if you don't go, well, get lots of writing done. And even more important (and timely):
Happy Halloween!
John, I'm deeply envious of your record of placing stories in Bouchercon anthologies. You've surely appeared in more of them than any other writer, by a wide margin. And always with a great story!
ReplyDeleteI haven't been as lucky myself. I've submitted stories to every Bouchercon anthology since the Toronto 2017 book, and had exactly one accepted--"Final Edit" in the 2025 New Orleans volume. I take some solace in the fact that every one of those rejected stories was eventually published somewhere. In fact, one was nominated for an Edgar, and two ended up being selected for Otto Penzler's Best Mystery Stories of the Year, which just goes to show you that one editor's decision might differ wildly from another's.
One small correction: the 2027 anthology had a submission deadline of October 1. Look for the call for stories for the 2028 Indianapolis anthology early next year.
Hey Joe--thank you. And thanks also for the correction: I thought those submissions for the next B'con anthology were still open. The conference seems so far in the future, yet--but of course it's not.
DeleteAs for your observation about editors and their decisions, you are so right! A story that's rejected one place might be snapped up someplace else and go on to receive honors and wide recognition. And I have never, ever, been able to predict that kind of thing.
Regarding the Bouchercon anthologies, all I have done is probably the same thing others do: I try to match the "theme" as closely as I can, do the best I can with the story, and see what happens. Mostly, it's a roll of the dice.
Thanks as always!
Hi John. I attended Bouchercon in Baltimore in 2008 (many have heard of the infamous Booze Panel moderated immoderately by Ali Karim, in which I participated with dignity and humor) and Indianapolis in 2009—amazed to hear they're getting another run at it. Both were great experiences. I've submitted to a couple of the anthologies, never got in, always published elsewhere. Always nostalgic to hear Angela Zeman mention. She was a kindred spirit we lost too soon. Angela and I used to get ready for MWA events in New York more excited about seeing each other than any other aspect of the evening. It wasn't just me—ask Barry Zeman if you don't believe me!
ReplyDeleteLiz, I believe I first met you there! Yes, Angela is sorely missed--I think Barry was there with her, at the Baltimore B'con.
DeleteAnd yes, I too enjoyed the Indianapolis conference. It was there that I first met Herschel Cozine--remember Herschel? Good times.
I never attended a Bouchercon, but a dearly departed friend recommended me to submit a story to a Florida based contest they held. I seem to remember it was a contest, but it could've been for an anthology. Nothing came of it, but it refreshed me on my current path of writing fiction.
ReplyDeleteHi Justin. I bet that was for the "Florida Happens" anthology, for the St. Petersburg Bouchercon in 2018. And yes, if submitting to that one inspired you to write (or keep writing) stories, it was a good thing.
DeleteThanks as always for stopping in at SS.
Yeah, I was (and still am) writing non-fiction, but it was my first fiction tale in a few years. And set me on my current path with the fiction stories and novellas.
DeleteThanks for always having me,
Justin
And, for those who don't know this, you've mentioned to me that you've had some recent successes with your fiction. Congratulations on those, and keep it up!
Delete