Did the drummer disappear because he wanted to quit the band, or did he go on the run?

Did the singer shoot her manager, or was she set up to take the fall for the real killer?

Did the producer poison his assistant, or was it all a misunderstanding?

Did the guitarist garotte his girlfriend, or was he the victim of mistaken identity?

Did the bassoonist bludgeon the conductor, or was his bassoon just the murder weapon?

 

Music City, sometimes known as Nashville, has a 200-year-old history that is indelibly intertwined with music. Whether it is live performances, songwriting or recording, the sounds of Nashville contain elements of R&B, rock ‘n roll, jazz, C&W, classical and many more genres. Venues such as the Ryman Auditorium, the Grand Ole Opry House, the Station Inn, the Bluebird Café, and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, among many others, offer a variety of experiences for everyone to enjoy.

 

But every city has its dark side and Nashville is no exception. Jesse James lived in the Nashville area in the late 1800s. The city has been home to serial killers and the infamous Smokey Row. The Tennessee State Prison, closed in 1992 for inhumane conditions, and is rumored to be haunted by the ghosts of the murderers, psychopaths and innocent souls who were incarcerated there.

 

As you may know, each Bouchercon chooses a charity to support, and Nashville 2024 is no exception! We have chosen The Imagination Library, a charity founded by one of Nashville’s most famous residents, Dolly Parton. The Imagination Library provides free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five regardless of their family’s income. First launched in 1995, this award-winning program now provides two million books each month to children around the world.

 

One of the ways that Bouchercon raises money for their chosen charity is by producing and selling an anthology, the net proceeds of which will be donated to The Imagination Library along with the proceeds from our silent and live auctions.

 

Would you like to try your hand at a story for Nashville’s anthology? Our team will be looking for traditional short crime fiction that involves an element of music: performing, songwriting, producing, recording, even murder at a radio station, you decide! You can set it in Nashville or anywhere else the story fits. Story length must be 5000 words or less and your story must not have been published previously in any format. Just be sure your story fits in the traditional crime fiction genre.

 

In addition to our Guests of Honor, Bouchercon attendees are invited to submit a story. Each submission will be read by a diverse committee of published industry professionals as well as

our editor. All submissions will be read blind. The editor will make the final decisions based on our judges’ feedback and assist the authors with any final polishing needed prior to publication.

 

If your story is selected, we will send you a contract assigning Bouchercon the rights to your story for one year following the publication date, upon which the rights will revert to you. Everyone who submits a story will be notified regardless of whether their story has been rejected or accepted.

 

Authors whose stories are accepted will be paid $75.00 to meet the guidelines for certain awards in our industry, as well as a free copy. If you decide to donate your payment to The Imagination Library we know they would appreciate it! There will also be an anthology signing during Bouchercon 2024 for all attending anthology authors that we will ask you to attend.

 

Sharpen those pencils and get ready to send us a story! We will be accepting submissions until November 1st, 2023. Please provide your submission as a Word document.

 

If you have any issues submitting your story, please reach out to us at our main email address: bouchercon2024@bouchercon.com

 

Working Title: TBD

 

Editor: Brendan DuBois

 

Submission Deadline: November 1st, 2023

Submission Email: anthology2024@bouchercon.com