Resources that may be of interest to writers & readers of mystery & suspense:
Organizations and conferences
U.S. & International
- Bouchercon World Mystery Convention – annual convention in honor of Anthony Boucher, the distinguished mystery fiction critic, editor and author for mystery and crime fiction community, and is commonly referred to as Bouchercon. [bough‘·chur·con].
- The Crime Writers Association (CWA) – for commercially published authors and people from related industries. In 2012, CWA launched The Crime Readers Association (CRA) for readers of crime fiction. The CRA features a “read of the week.”
- International Thriller Writers (ITW) – for authors, both fiction and nonfiction, who write books broadly classified as “thrillers,” including mystery and suspense novels. ITV’s stated purpose is to help authors advance their careers. ITW sponsors its ThrillerFest conference annually.
- Malice Domestic – annual “fun fan” convention held in May salutes the “cosy,” or traditional mystery (defined as mysteries which contain no explicit sex or excessive gore or violence) — books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie.
- Mystery Writers of America – for mystery writers, and those who are devoted to the genre. MWA sponsors the Mystery Writers of America University writing seminar (a full-day seminar for novelists), and presents the annual Edgar® Awards, the mystery/suspense novelist’s version of the Oscar. The Edgar Awards are presented in April.
Other sites of interest
Screenwriting:
- Writing a mystery/suspense screenplay? Consider entering your work in the Screenwriting competition held during the annual Austin Film Festival Conference. This Austin, Texas conference is the premiere event for newbie screenwriters, including newbie screenwriters who are creating suspense/thriller screenplays. But plan ahead: The deadline to submit your screenplay to the annual competition is around mid-April (or mid-May if you don’t mind adding an additional $10 to the regular submission fee). Winners are announced in October/November. The competition is stiff, but placing in the Austin Film Festival gets your work noticed by Hollywood movers and shakers.
- Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting – considered a truly prestigious win, a Nicholl Fellowship is also a sure way to get your screenwriting efforts noticed. The competition is officially described as “an international screenwriting competition established to identify and encourage talented new screenwriters (including, of course, screenwriters whose focus is on mystery/suspense). The early deadline is sometime in early March the late and final deadline is around the end of April/beginning of May. Check the Nicholl site for details as they are updated.
Other
- Crimespace – an online community for readers and writers of crime fiction to discuss and share the latest in crime fiction.
- The Criminal Element – online community created by Macmillan providing crime fiction news for readers of crime fiction and nonfiction. Writers can submit crime fiction short stories.
- Crime and Clues – information on courtroom testimony, crime scene investigation, criminal investigation, death investigation, and forensic science.
- CrimeSpree Magazine and Blog – an indie publication that focuses on mystery and crime publishing. The magazine is print-only.
- Sisters in Crime – networking group offering advice and support to women who write mysteries. Includes authors, readers, publishers, agents, booksellers and librarians. Founded by Sara Paretsky and a group of women at the 1986 Bouchercon in Baltimore.
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