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.

 

Our team will be looking for 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 less than 5000 words and your story must not have been published previously in any format.

 

In addition to our Guests of Honor, every Bouchercon attendee is invited to submit a story. Each submission will be read by a committee of readers and the editor. All submissions will be read blind. The editor will make the final decisions based on our reader panel 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. There will also be an anthology signing during Bouchercon 2024 for all included authors.

 

Our team will be choosing a charity to be the recipient of the net proceeds from Nashville’s anthology, in addition to the proceeds raised from our live and silent auctions. Watch this space for more detail once the charity has been selected.

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Sharpen those pencils and get ready to send us a story!  We will be accepting submissions later this year and will have an email address for you to send your story when you are ready.

 

Working Title: Music, Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem

Editor: Brendan DuBois

Submission Deadline: To Be Announced

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