Bouchercon2026: Calgary: Full Schedule

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7:00am MDT

Thursday October 22, 2026 7:00am - 9:00am MDT

This is a great way to meet authors and find out about their latest books. Authors circulate tables of readers to pitch their books. It's a fast-paced event with 40 authors, short pitches, and lots of fun. Limited seating.

Thursday October 22, 2026 7:00am - 9:00am MDT
Macleod D 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

9:00am MDT

Celebrating Strength in Mid-Grade and YA Stories

Thursday October 22, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT

Glen 206

Growing up is confusing. It helps having friends and allies, who when they aren’t driving you crazy, help you find yourself.

Moderators

Kristie McMechan

Kristie is a STEM nerd, ultimate frisbee champion, former marathon runner, parent, world traveller, volunteer dog walker and now writer, thankfully not all at the same time. She is currently working on her first novel, a middle-grade sci-fi/fantasy about children and vegetable vi... Read More →

Speakers

Gary R. Bush

YA or adult, if it’s historical, Gary R. Bush writes it. His award-winning YA Jamie Sharpe novels, Jamie Sharpe and the Seas of Treachery, Jamie Sharpe and the Pirates of Barbary, and The Voyage To Hell’s Island, are “A simply riveting read:” Midwest Book Review. Bush is co-editor... Read More →

Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Lorna Schultz Nicholson is an award-winning author and has published children’s picture books, middle grade fiction and non-fiction, YA fiction, and adult non-fiction. She has a middle grade mystery series featuring Rhapsody Smith Ice Angel. AND she is currently writing an adult... Read More →

Nancy G. West

Nancy West writes suspense/thrillers about ordinary people in danger who struggle to save themselves or loved ones. Risky Pursuit, an inter-generational thriller and Anthony Nominee, is her ninth book. A UT-Austin business grad who switched to English lit, Nancy found writing fiction... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT
Glen 206

9:00am MDT

Closed Communities: Looking in, Looking Out

Thursday October 22, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT

Glen 208

Views from inside a closed community differ widely from views on the outside looking in. How does position change story?

Moderators

Susan Carpenter

Speakers

C.J. Carmichael

USA Today Bestselling author C. J. Carmichael has written over 55 novels, including the Twisted Cedars trilogy, the Bitter Root Mysteries series, and Tangle of Lies. A film version of her novel, A Bramble House Christmas, premiered as a Hallmark Mystery movie in 2017. C. J. and her... Read More →

Tony Wirt

Tony Wirt is the bestselling author of four novels, the most recent being Silent Creek (2025, Thomas & Mercer). A graduate of the University of Iowa, he spent nine years doing media relations for the Hawkeyes. He’s also been a sportswriter, movie ticket taker, and Dairy Queen ice... Read More →

Randy Nikkel Schroeder

Randy Nikkel Schroeder's most recent crime novel is Sinner's Banquet, a "Menno-Noir" described as "The Coen Brothers meet Miriam Toews." His previous, Arctic Smoke, is a surrealist crimepunk set in the Canadian Arctic. In his spare time, Schroeder is a professor of English, Languages... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT
Glen 208 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

9:00am MDT

Digging Deep

Thursday October 22, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT

Macleod D

Characters that build strength and tenacity in spite of - or because of - life's challenges.

Moderators

Lori Rader-Day

Lori Rader-Day is the USA Today bestselling author of Wreck Your Heart. She has been nominated for the Edgar Award and Thriller Award and has won the Mary Higgins Clark Award, the Agatha Award, and three Anthony Awards. She lives in Chicago, where she co-chairs the crime fiction readers... Read More →

Speakers

Renda Knapp

Renda Knapp writes medical thrillers featuring resilient women confronting impossible odds. Her debut novel is set for publication early 2027 by Penzler Publishers. As an Ob/Gyn physician, Renda brings authentic medical expertise to her fiction, crafting stories where life-and-death... Read More →

Nick Petrie

Nick Petrie‘s first novel, The Drifter, won the ITW Thriller and Barry Awards, and was nominated for Edgar, Anthony, and Hammett Awards. He was named one of Apple’s 10 Writers to Read in 2017. Light It Up was named the Best Thriller of 2018 by Apple Books and was nominated for... Read More →

Joseph Moldover

Joseph Moldover's mystery debut, To the end of Reckoning was published by Mysterious Press in April 2026. He is also the author of two prior Young Adult novels and many works of short fiction and nonfiction. He is a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist. Joe lives in Massachusetts... Read More →

Kat Caputo

Kat Caputo’s debut mystery, A Sliver in the Dark, will be published in 2027 by Red Adept Publishing. Her work has been featured in Mystery Readers Journal and Hudson Valley MOCA. An award-winning arts educator and artist, Kat coaches creatives and hosts Mystery Woman Creative R... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT
Macleod D 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

9:00am MDT

Introducing the Steele Curry Collection

Thursday October 22, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT

Macleod BC

A discussion of the collection of more than 8,000 mystery, espionage and thrillers donated to the University of Calgary by Steele Curry, longtime Bouchercon supporter and 2026 Fan Guest of Honour

Moderators

Annie Murray

Thursday October 22, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT
Macleod BC

9:00am MDT

Rural versus Urban

Thursday October 22, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT

Glen 203

Cities bustle; small towns relax. Except it’s more complicated. The real trick is intimately knowing place vibes.

Moderators

Ruth Knafo Setton

Ruth Knafo Setton is the author of Zigzag Girl—ITW Award finalist for Best Standalone Book, Next Generation Indie Book finalist for Best Mystery, & Grand Prize winner of ScreenCraft’s Cinematic Book Competition. She has studied magic with Teller & other magicians, been sawed in... Read More →

Speakers

Linda Norlander

Linda Norlander is the author of three mystery series set in Minnesota. Her fourth Sheriff Red mystery Only the River Knows was published in September 2026. She is an award-winning author of short fiction, humor and non-fiction. Her short story was a winner in the 2026 Tucson Festival... Read More →

Craig Kingsman

Sandy Vora

Sandy Vora is a former employee of the U.S. Department of Defense who spent over a decade working on advanced defense and intelligence technologies, including classified assignments worldwide. His real-world experience brings captivating authenticity to his spy thrillers. Of Indian... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT
Glen 203 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

9:00am MDT

The Spark that Lights the Fire

Thursday October 22, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT

Glen 201

Celebrate that ah-ha moment when historical research solves character or plot problems that seemed unsolvable.

Moderators

Katherine Glover

Katherine Glover spent her childhood flying between St. Paul and Santa Barbara, and now lives in Hollywood. She's an award-winning playwright and journalist who's hard at work on her second novel, a post-apocalyptic queer political fantasy/amateur sleuth locked room whodunnit. She... Read More →

Speakers

Abir Mukherjee

Abir Mukherjee is the Times bestselling author of the Wyndham & Banerjee series of crime novels set in colonial-era India. His books have been translated into fifteen languages and won various awards including the CWA Dagger for best Historical Novel, the Prix du Polar Européen... Read More →

Kevin Sands

Since escaping from university with a pair of degrees in theoretical physics, Kevin Sands has worked as a researcher, a business consultant, a teacher, and a professional poker player. He lives in Ontario, Canada. He is the author of the bestselling The Blackthorn Key and Thieves... Read More →

William Kent Krueger

William Kent Krueger is the author of twenty-two novels in the New York Times bestselling Cork O’Connor mystery series. His 2013 stand-alone novel Ordinary Grace won the Edgar Award for Best Novel. This Tender Land, a stand-alone novel published in 2019, spent six months among the... Read More →

Charles Todd

Charles Todd is the NTY Best Sellin author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge Series and the Bess Crawford series. Coming soon, A Christmas Witness Novella 10-21-25 and A Day of Judgement 3-10-26 followed by a Bess Crawford Mystery. He has published over forty books and twenty short-stories... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT
Glen 201

9:45am MDT

Book Signing: Mark Greaney

Thursday October 22, 2026 9:45am - 10:15am MDT

Macleod A

Meet Mark Greaney!

Thursday October 22, 2026 9:45am - 10:15am MDT
Macleod A 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

10:15am MDT

Bouchercon 101

Thursday October 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT

Macleod D

Suggestions for getting the most out of Bouchercon and having the stamina to keep going

Moderators

Local Organizing Committee Members

Thursday October 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT
Macleod D 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

10:15am MDT

Bouchercon Anthology #1

Thursday October 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT

Glen 201

Come and meet some of the authors featured in the Anthology

Moderators

Olyn Fleming Ozbick

Olyn writes domestic crime thrillers with paranormal elements for books and movies. Editor of 2026 Bouchercon Anthology, she works with writer to bring sharp, intelligent crime stories reflecting our world to audiences at Bouchercon and beyond. An award-winning screenwriter, her adaptation... Read More →

Speakers

Brenda Buchanan

Brenda Buchanan’s crime fiction reflects her experience as a journalist and lawyer. Her three-book Joe Gale mystery series—Quick Pivot, Cover Story and Truth Beat—feature a newspaper reporter covering the Maine crime and courts beat. Brenda also writes short fiction. Her story... Read More →

Nancy Pawelek

Charles Shipps

Charles Shipps is a mystery writer and a retired bus driver for the Detroit Department of Transportation. His short story, "God of the Pond," appears in the Penguin Berkley Prime Crime anthology Shades of Black, edited by Eleanor Taylor Bland. After decades of navigating Detroit’s... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT
Glen 201

10:15am MDT

Crafting Domestic Violence Characters

Thursday October 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT

Glen 208

(Trigger warning) Intimate partner violence is a dark place. How do writers and readers approach these stories while protecting themselves?

Moderators

M.M. DeLuca

M.M. (Marjorie) DeLuca was born in England, then later moved to Canada.
She’s the author of seven gripping suspense novels: Bestsellers, The Perfect Family Man and The Secret Sister, critically acclaimed The Savage Instinct, Lilah, The Night Side, The Divorce Party and her latest, Deadly Diamonds. She’s been featured on top podcasts, The Thrille... Read More →

Speakers

Steena Holmes

Steena Holmes is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than 3 million copies sold worldwide. With 55+ psychological thrillers and suspense novels to her name, she is a prolific voices in the genre. Named in Good Housekeeping's Top 20 Women Authors to Read, Steena... Read More →

Lis Angus

Originally from Alberta, Lis has also lived in Germany, Ottawa and Toronto. Before turning to fiction, she worked with children and families in crisis, and later as a business writer, conference organizer, and policy advisor while raising two daughters. Her two suspense novels, Not... Read More →

Delia Pitts

Delia PItts worked as a journalist before earning a Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago. After careers as a U.S. diplomat and university administrator, Delia authored the Vandy Myrick mysteries, featuring a Black private investigator in New Jersey. She won the Shamus award... Read More →

Brenda Chapman

Brenda Chapman is a Canadian crime fiction author with twenty-six published novels. In addition to short stories and standalones, she has written the lauded Stonechild and Rouleau police procedural series, the Anna Sweet mystery novellas, and the Hunter and Tate mysteries. Her work... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT
Glen 208 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

10:15am MDT

Start as You Mean to Go On

Thursday October 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT

Glen 206

New to writing? Stuck? All writing careers contain turning points where tweaking current practices can reap benefits.

Moderators

Christina Romeril

Christina Romeril writes the Killer Chocolate Mysteries. She lives in a quaint Southern Alberta village with her husband and two Chihuahuas. Her days are spent plotting twisty whodunits that serve up deadly fun, because every homicide should have a happy ending. She firmly believes... Read More →

Speakers

Vicki Delany

Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than sixty books: clever cozies to gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy.
She is the recipient of the 2019 Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing. Vicki lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario... Read More →

Barrett Bowlin

Barrett Bowlin is the author of the story collection, Ghosts Caught on Film. His essays and short fiction appear in places like The Best American Mystery & Suspense 2024 anthology, Mystery Tribune, and the Saturday Evening Post. An Arkansas expatriate, he lives and teaches and rides... Read More →

Michele Desoer

Patricia Smith

Patricia Smith has authored 12 books, including The Intentions of Thunder, winner of a 2025 National Book Award and finalist for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize, and Incendiary ArI, finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize. Her story "When They Are Done With Us" won the Robert L. Fish Award from... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT
Glen 206

10:15am MDT

Writing Cold: Northern Imagination

Thursday October 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT

Glen 203

Explore the uniqueness of living and writing in cold climates. Something about winter gives stories a different feel.

Moderators

Loretta Colton

Loretta Colton worked as a lawyer with Canada’s Department of Justice for 30 years, including nine years spent living and working as a prosecutor in the Northwest Territories. She now lives in Ottawa. What the Aurora Remembers is her first novel.

Speakers

Pamela Beason

Pamela Beason is an avid hiker, snowshoer, kayaker, and occasional scuba diver. She cannot imagine a world without wilderness and wild animals. She is the author of the Sam Westin Wilderness Series, The Neema the Signing Gorilla Series, The Run for Your Life Trilogy, and several romantic... Read More →

Marc Cameron

Marc Cameron is a former chief deputy U.S. marshal and the New York Times author of the Arliss Cutter novels, the Jericho Quinn series, and seven Tom Clancy Jack Ryan, Sr. books. A second degree blackbelt in jujitsu, he's a certified law enforcement scuba diver and man tracking... Read More →

Barbara Fradkin

Barbara Fradkin is a retired child psychologist with a fascination for why we turn bad. She has published seventeen novels, over thirty short stories, and four Rapid Reads short novels. Eleven of her works have been shortlisted or won Awards of Excellence from Crime Writers of Canada... Read More →

Tessa Wegert

Tessa Wegert is the critically acclaimed author of the Shana Merchant mysteries, as well as the North Country series, beginning with In the Bones. Her books have received numerous starred reviews and have been featured on PBS and NPR Radio. Tessa grew up in Quebec and now lives in... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT
Glen 203 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

10:15am MDT

The Hidden Load-Bearing Principles of a Murder Mystery Plot

Thursday October 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am MDT

Macleod BC

A mystery story is really two stories: what actually happened and what appeared to happen, plus clues and red herrings

Moderators

Juanita Violini

Juanita Rose Violini, author and teacher, has 35+ years plotting and writing mystery scripts, sold and performed worldwide. Creator of the Mystery Bones Method, she teaches visual systems for crafting tight plots and creating cohesive characters through books and classes. She has... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am MDT
Macleod BC

11:30am MDT

Cozies, the Next Generation

Thursday October 22, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm MDT

Macleod D

Many of today's cozies have nary a tea cup nor a summer fete in sight. Writers bring cozies into this century.

Moderators

Penny Warner

Penny Warner has published 6 mystery series. Murder at Blackwood Inn(2025) features a mystery ghostwriter and her eccentric aunts who run mystery-themed Bed and Breakfast Inn. Other books include, The Official Nancy Drew Handbook (Anthony nom), Dead Body Language (Macavity winner... Read More →

Speakers

Adrian Andover

Adrian Andover is the Lefty Award and Agatha Award-winning author of the Mixology Lounge Mysteries series, including Whiskey Businessand Pour Choices. When he's not reading, writing, revising, or publishing a story, he enjoys long walks, attending live music events, and spending quality... Read More →

Alexis Koetting

Alexis writes the Bella James series (Encore, Triple Threat, Revival). The series' fourth book, Corpse, is in progress. She has been shortlisted for Arthur Ellis and Bony Blithe Awards and has been acclaimed by Indies Today and Writers’ Digest. Alexis has adjudicated various lit... Read More →

Nancy Coco

USA Today Bestselling Author Nancy Coco (also known as Nell Hampton or Nancy Parra) has penned over 35 novels across five popular mystery series. Dive into The Oregon Honeycomb, Candy-Coated, Kensington Palace, Wine Country Tours, Gluten-Free Baker’s Treat, or Perfect Proposal Mysteries... Read More →

Elle Hartford

Elle Hartford is author of the award-winning Alchemical Tales series, blending cozy mystery with cozy fantasy. She has also published several spin-off series and short stories in numerous anthologies. Check out author interviews on her podcast, Cozy Alchemy, and find her indie publishing... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm MDT
Macleod D 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

11:30am MDT

Dying with Laughter

Thursday October 22, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm MDT

Glen 206

Murder is not funny. Except, some times it is. What kinds of humour are appropriate in deadly situations?

Moderators

Priscilla Paton

Priscilla Paton grew up on a Maine dairy farm and now lives on the Wisconsin/Minnesota border overlooking the Mississippi River. She writes the award-nominated Twin Cities Mystery series featuring Detectives Deb Metzger and Erik Jansson. Her latest, In Blind Trust about the murder... Read More →

Speakers

Whiskey Leavins

Whiskey Leavins is a humorist with a crime-writing problem who loves life in Santa Cruz, California. His humorous Santa Lacrimosa series featuring murderous clown factions, turkey cults, and brawling street performers, was referred to by one Goodreads reviewer as “A one-man genre... Read More →

Kate Michaelson

As a curriculum developer, Kate Michaelson has created educational content on everything from media literacy to cybersecurity; however, her first love is crime fiction. Kate’s debut mystery, Hidden Rooms, won an IPPY medal. She serves on the boards of the Sister in Crime Guppies... Read More →

Mindy Carlson

Mindy Carlson is the Silver Falchion-nominated author of the leather jacket cozy Her Dying Day. Her newest short story AITA for Using My Husband's Hobby to Teach Him a Lesson She's continually surrounded by stacks of books, knitting yarn, half-filled tea cups, and sleeping cats.

J.B. Manning

Thursday October 22, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm MDT
Glen 206

11:30am MDT

In Pursuit of Phantoms

Thursday October 22, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm MDT

Macleod BC

A dead relative. A beaten partner. Missing women. When stakes are high and phantoms elusive, detectives won't stop. They can't.

Moderators

Julie Hennrikus

Julie Hennrikus is the executive director of Sisters in Crime, an international organization for crime writers. She hosts the Sisters in Crime Writers’ Podcast. As J.A. Hennrikus she writes the Theater Cop Mystery Series, and has published several short stories. As Julia Henry... Read More →

Speakers

John Copenhaver

John Copenhaver's novel Hall of Mirrors was a New York Times Crime Novel of the Year and won the Left Coast Crime Award for Best Historical Mystery. Earlier titles include Dodging and Burning and The Savage Kind, a Lambda Literary Award winner. He co-edited Crime Ink: Iconic, serves... Read More →

Laurie L. Dove

Laurie L. Dove is an award-winning journalist and the bestselling author of Mask of the Deer Woman(PRH), a debut currently nominated for an Anthony Award for Best First Novel. The second novel in the Carrie Starr series, Cry of the Rain Crow, releases December 2026. Dove is a keynote... Read More →

Suzanne Trauth

Suzanne Trauth is the author of the suspense novel The First to Die, the Dodie O’Dell mystery series—Show Time, Time Out, Running out of Time, Just in Time, No More Time, and Killing Time—and What Remains of Love, an historical romance (Firebird, American Book Fest, Chanticleer... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm MDT
Macleod BC

11:30am MDT

Notes From the Checkout/Sales Desk

Thursday October 22, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm MDT

Glen 203

What booksellers and librarians wish readers and writers knew about supply chains, hand-selling, book signings, and shelf space.

Moderators

Dana Grimaldi

Speakers

Matthew Galloway

Michael C. Bumsted

Dr Michael C Bumsted is the proprietor of Whodunit? Bookshop. The Libris award winner is also a published historian of Canadian history and a former instructor of archaeology with a PhD from the University of Aberdeen. Michael is a current judge for Bloody Scotland & an Irregular... Read More →

Elizabeth Ross

Elizabeth Ross is an author and bookseller. Her young adult novel, Belle Epoque, was a finalist for the American Library Association’s William C. Morris Award and the California Book Award. Her second novel, a noir mystery, The Silver Blonde, was a Junior Library Guild selection... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm MDT
Glen 203 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

11:30am MDT

The Past is not the Present

Thursday October 22, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm MDT

Glen 208

Balancing historical reality and modern agency

Moderators

Iona Whishaw

Iona Whishaw is the author of the award-winning best-selling Lane Winslow Mysteries. She is a former educator whose mother and grandfather were both spies during their respective wars. She has won the Bony Blythe award, and has been a finalist for a Crime Writers of Canada award... Read More →

Speakers

Baer Charlton

Baer Charlton secretly read science fiction books while his seventh-grade teacher talked. Listening to older people gave him a basis for characters. Talking and sharing meals with the older members of marginalized cultures give his characters depth. Baer’s characters remind readers... Read More →

Rob Osler

Rob Osler is the USA Today Bestselling Author of Harriet Morrow Investigates, so far including The Case Of The Missing Maid and The Case Of The Murdered Muckraker, both Publishers Weekly Starred Reviews. Rob also writes Perry Winkle Whodunits for Ellery Queen Magazine. An Edgar Finalist... Read More →

Olesya Lyuzna

Olesya Lyuzna is the author of the Ginny Dugan Mysteries, a queer, female-driven noir series set in the glittering shadows of the Jazz Age. She lives in Toronto, where she spends her free time hosting murder mystery parties, haunting old movie theatres, and scouring the archives for... Read More →

Nekesa Afia

Thursday October 22, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm MDT
Glen 208 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

11:30am MDT

Young Sprouts and Mature Trees: Writing Dialogue for Younger and Older Characters

Thursday October 22, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm MDT

Glen 201

Books are no longer uni-generational, and a 12 year old doesn’t talk like an 80 year old. Writing intergenerational dialogue.

Moderators

Anna St. John

Anna St. John writes the Josie Posey Mystery Series, featuring a mature yet feisty former crime reporter as the amateur sleuth. Cashed Out Cold (2026) is book four of the series. Others include Doomed by Blooms (2023), Clocked Out (2024), and Dolled Up for Murder (2025). A member... Read More →

Speakers

Marcy Lane

Marcy Lane is a late-blooming novelist whose fiction explores resilience, found family and the power of second chances. She’s currently writing the Eh! Team Mysteries, a cozy-ish series set in fictional Erie Bluff, Ontario. An army brat turned Lake Erie local, Marcy shares her cottage... Read More →

Tom Ryan

David A. Poulsen

David A. Poulsen’s writing career began in earnest when The Welcomin’ won the 1984 Alberta Culture Short Story Competition. His inaugural foray into the world of adult crime fiction was Serpents Rising, the first of the Cullen and Cobb mysteries, a four-book series including Dead... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 11:30am - 12:15pm MDT
Glen 201

1:45pm MDT

Anthony Nominees Anthology and Short Stories

Thursday October 22, 2026 1:45pm - 2:30pm MDT

Glen 201

Come and hear Nominees for Anthologies and Short Stories

Moderators

Heather Bonin MacIntosh

Heather Bonin MacIntosh from my Calgary / Mohkinstsis writes and published cross cultural stories.Ever hopeful, she has two novels in progress.

Speakers

C.W. Blackwell

C.W. Blackwell is a crime analyst and award-winning author from the Central Coast of California. He is a 3x Derringer Award winner and Anthony Award Finalist. His short stories have appeared with Shotgun Honey, Reckon Review, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and Rock and a Hard Place... Read More →

Mindy Carlson

John Copenhaver

Curtis Ippolito

Curtis Ippolito is an Anthony Award-winning writer and the author of the crime novel Waves of Burden, published this June from Rock and a Hard Place Press. His short stories have appeared in numerous publications and featured in several anthologies. Curtis is also the editor of On... Read More →

Alan Orloff

Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier

Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier’s work has appeared in EQMM, The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023, and other anthologies. Originally from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Ashley writes mysteries highlighting the vibrant culture of her home. She is a 2023 and 2026 Derringer finalist... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 1:45pm - 2:30pm MDT
Glen 201

1:45pm MDT

Bones and Flesh

Thursday October 22, 2026 1:45pm - 2:30pm MDT

Glen 206

Go beyond thriller readers’ elemental expectations

Moderators

Shoshona (S.M.) Freedman

S.M. Freedman worked as a private investigator before returning to her first love: writing. Her books have reached #1 on the Amazon charts, been a finalist in the Crime Writers of Canada’s Awards of Excellence, chosen as the Best Debut of the Year by Suspense Magazine, and selected... Read More →

Speakers

P.J. Vernon

P. J. Vernon was born in South Carolina. Called a "rising star thriller writer" by Library Journal, Vernon's debut, When You Find Me, was both an Audible Plus #1 Listen and Associated Press Top Ten U.S. Audiobook. His most recent novel, Bath Haus, has been praised as "a nightmari... Read More →

Jennifer Hillier

Jennifer Hillier is the USA Today bestselling author of Things We Do in the Dark, winner of the ITW Thriller Award for Best Audiobook. Earlier novels include Creep, Freak, The Butcher, Wonderland, Jar of Hearts (winner, ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover), and the national bes... Read More →

Hannah Mary McKinnon

Internationally bestselling author Hannah Mary McKinnon’s suspense novels include The Revenge List, Only One Survives, and A Killer Motive, which is her 11th book. Her work has been optioned for the screen, and she also writes romance as Holly Cassidy. Hannah Mary lives near Toronto... Read More →

Tracy Clark

Tracy Clark is the author of the Cass Raines Chicago Mystery series and the Detective Harriet Foster series. She is a multi-nominated Anthony, Lefty, Edgar, International Thriller Writers, Macavity, and Shamus Award finalist, the 2020 and 2022 winner of the G.P. Putnam’s Sons Sue... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 1:45pm - 2:30pm MDT
Glen 206

1:45pm MDT

Joys and Pitfallsof Collecting Crime Fiction and Non-Fiction

Thursday October 22, 2026 1:45pm - 2:30pm MDT

Glen 203

Book collecting is not for the faint of heart. There's the search, the 'holy grail' book, but also the expense.

Moderators

Sam Wiebe

Sam Wiebe is an award-winning writer based in the Pacific Northwest. His fiction has won the Kobo Emerging Writers Prize and two Crime Writers of Canada awards, and been nominated for the Edgar, Hammett, Shamus, and City of Vancouver book prizes. His latest novel featuring Vancouver... Read More →

Speakers

Peter Rozovsky

Warren Moore

Warren Moore is Professor of English at Newberry College in Newberry, SC. His fiction has appeared in several online venues, magazines, and anthologies, including seven anthologies edited by Lawrence Block. He is also co-director of the Newberry Crime Writing Workshop, at http://www.newberry.edu/ncww... Read More →

Chip Cowell

Thursday October 22, 2026 1:45pm - 2:30pm MDT
Glen 203 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

1:45pm MDT

Locked Rooms, and Cyphers, and Maps, Oh My

Thursday October 22, 2026 1:45pm - 2:30pm MDT

Glen 208

Puzzles mysteries are more fun when authors reveal just enough to test the readers powers of deduction and problem solving.

Moderators

Shelly Dickson Carr

Carr’s time-travel mystery novel Ripped won 3 Ben Franklin awards: Best First Novel, Best Mystery/Suspense & Best New Voice. It was #1 YA e-book on Amazon. Founding member of the GBH Masterpiece Trust for Masterpiece and Masterpiece Mystery! Carr has published short stories in EQMM... Read More →

Speakers

Pamela Kenney

Pamela Kenney is a Canadian writer of cozy mysteries with a touch of humour, including the "Retired Cop Cozy Mystery" series and the "Body in Banff" series. Her short stories have been published in numerous anthologies including After Dark by Rowan Prose and Knucklehead Noir by Coffin... Read More →

Mary Seifert

Mary Seifert is the award-winning author of the Katie and Maverick Cozy Mysteries, must-reads for cozy fans with curious minds, a love of puzzles, and a need to uncover the truth. When she's not penning her next mystery, you’ll find her with a book in one hand, a glass of wine in... Read More →

S.B. Watson

S. B. Watson is a short story specialist with a particular love for locked-room mysteries and impossibility problems. His stories have appeared in Ellery Queen’s and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazines, Mystery Magazine, Mystery Tribune, and anthologies from publishers such as... Read More →

Audrey J. Cole

Audrey J. Cole is a USA TODAY bestselling thriller author, and her work has been translated into multiple languages. She resides in the Pacific Northwest with her two children. Before writing full time, she worked as a neonatal intensive care nurse for eleven years.

Thursday October 22, 2026 1:45pm - 2:30pm MDT
Glen 208 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

1:45pm MDT

Rising Out of the Slush Pile

Thursday October 22, 2026 1:45pm - 2:30pm MDT

Macleod D

What agents look for in potential new clients.

Moderators

Clair Lamb

Speakers

Luisa Cruz Smith

James Farner

Carmen Davis

Thursday October 22, 2026 1:45pm - 2:30pm MDT
Macleod D 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

1:45pm MDT

Spotlight Interview: Kevin Sands

Thursday October 22, 2026 1:45pm - 2:30pm MDT

Macleod BC

Join David A Poulsen in conversation with 2026 Kids' Guest of Honour Kevin Sands

Moderators

David A. Poulsen

Speakers

Kevin Sands

Thursday October 22, 2026 1:45pm - 2:30pm MDT
Macleod BC

3:00pm MDT

Anthony Nominees Non-Fiction and YA

Thursday October 22, 2026 3:00pm - 3:45pm MDT

Glen 201

Come and hear nominees in these categories

Moderators

Leslie S. Klinger

Leslie S. Klinger is the two-time Edgar-winning, NY Times best-selling editor of dozens of annotated works of classic crime fiction and anthologies, including the New Annotated Sherlock Holmes and Classic American Crime Fiction of the 1920s. He is the series editor of the multi-volume... Read More →

Speakers

Dawn M. Barclay

Agatha/Chanticleer/Derringer finalist Dawn M. Barclay writes psychological/domestic/romantic suspense and edits crime anthologies as D.M. Barr and writes nonfiction under her own name. A former editor for Down & Out Books and Champagne Book Group, she currently edits for Hold Fast... Read More →

Lee Matthew Goldberg

Lee Matthew Goldberg is the Anthony, Lefty, and Prix du Polar nominated author of sixteen novels including The Ancestor and The Mentor, and The Great Gimmelmans. Miles In Time and Time Fixers are out now. He’s been published in multiple languages and is the publisher of Fringe Press... Read More →

Mia P. Manansala

Mia P. Manansala is a writer from Chicago who loves books, baking, and bad-ass women. She is the multi-award-winning author of the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series, the Dizon Detective Agency series (YA), and the forthcoming cozy fantasy, The Spirit Medium’S Enchanted Apothecary... Read More →

Nancy G. West

Anne Soon Choi

Anne Soon Choi is an award winning historian and writes across genres. Her true crime biography, LA Coroner: Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood was published in 2025 . She lives and writes in Los Angeles.

Thursday October 22, 2026 3:00pm - 3:45pm MDT
Glen 201

3:00pm MDT

Best in Show

Thursday October 22, 2026 3:00pm - 3:45pm MDT

Glen 203

How animal characters enhance story telling, and may be surrogate support animals for the readers.

Moderators

Margaret Mizushima

Margaret Mizushima is the author of the award winning Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries featuring Deputy Mattie Cobb, her K-9 Robo, and Cole Walker, DVM. Dying Cry is book ten in the series. Margaret and her veterinarian husband moved from Colorado to Washington’s Olympic peninsula, where... Read More →

Speakers

Peggy Doviak

Peggy Doviak writes cozy mysteries and personal finance books. Her Magnolia Hill series features a financial planner who solves murders with the help of her horse. She has just started a second cozy series set on Galveston Island. Her latest finance book offers money tips for creatives... Read More →

Sara Driscoll

Sara Driscoll is the pen name of Jen J. Danna, author of the FBI K-9s and NYPD Negotiators thriller series, and coauthor of the Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries. After over 30 years in infectious diseases research, Jen hung up her lab coat to concentrate on her real love—writing... Read More →

Liisa Kovala

Liisa Kovala is an award-winning Finnish Canadian author, book coach, and podcaster. She is the author of Like Water for Weary Souls (House of Karhu, 2025), Sisu's Winter War (Latitude 46, 2022) and Surviving Stutthof: My Father's Memories Behind the Death Gate (Latitude 46, 2017... Read More →

Bonnie Elizabeth

Speculative fiction writer and retired acupuncturist, Bonnie Elizabeth uses her varied experiences to create believable but often unusual characters.

As a multi-genre author, Bonnie has written paranormal cozy mystery, contemporary fantasy, gothic suspense, paranormal women’s fiction, and even young adult contemporary fantasy novels. Her short stories range from contemporary mystery to science fiction and secondary world fantasy... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 3:00pm - 3:45pm MDT
Glen 203 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

3:00pm MDT

Commercial Success Without Social Media: Is that Even Possible?

Thursday October 22, 2026 3:00pm - 3:45pm MDT

Glen 208

What would a marketing campaign look like without social media, and what are the chances it could be successful?

Moderators

Chris Dreith

Chris Dreith wrote several short stories, including “Old Soles” in the Bouchercon 2020 anthology, “Unknown Male and Parts of Two Others” in Cemetery Plots 2021 and “The Road To Limerick” in Mystery Most International 2022. More quirky short stories are being added to her... Read More →

Speakers

Erik D’Souza

Erik D'Souza is an author, publisher, and podcaster residing in Vancouver, BC. He is the author of the Suzanne Rickson Mystery Series, featuring a charming, resourceful senior sleuth. Erik serves as the Marketing Manager for Crime Writers of Canada and hosts their popular podcast... Read More →

Joanne Rock

Joanne Rock is a USA Today bestselling author and has written a variety of genre fiction. Her first domestic suspense, The Last Book Club, released in May from Crooked Lane Books. A frequent speaker at regional and national writing conferences, she has a master’s degree in literature... Read More →

Gerri Lewis

Gerri Lewis is the author of The Last Word and Grave Words, the first two books in her Deadly Deadlines Mystery series about obituary writer and amateur sleuth, Winter Snow. During her career as an award-winning reporter, columnist and feature writer, Gerri has become a go-to person... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 3:00pm - 3:45pm MDT
Glen 208 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

3:00pm MDT

Editors as Co-Conspirators: The Accomplices You didn't Know You Needed

Thursday October 22, 2026 3:00pm - 3:45pm MDT

Macleod BC

From hidden clues to shocking reveals, explore the author-editor partnership and the invisible decisions that shape crime fiction

Moderators

Alex Benarzi

Speakers

Rebecca Millar

Sarah L. Pratt

Thursday October 22, 2026 3:00pm - 3:45pm MDT
Macleod BC

3:00pm MDT

Relatable Villians

Thursday October 22, 2026 3:00pm - 3:45pm MDT

Glen 206

We know they are the baddies, but there’s something about them that gets our attention, and maybe even our sympathy.

Moderators

Michelle Godard-Richer

Michelle Godard-Richer is a multi-award-winning and Amazon bestselling author of ten books, including Accident or Murder? and The Fatal Series. She also has a Criminology degree from the University of Ottawa and was named Best Canada Author of the Year by N.N. Light’s Book Heav... Read More →

Speakers

Christopher Huang

Christopher Huang grew up in Singapore, where he served his two years of National Service before settling down for good in Canada. He studied Architecture at McGill University and lived for twenty-odd years in Montreal before finally moving to Calgary, where he has yet to find a proper... Read More →

Tanya Scott

Tanya Scott is a writer, doctor and medical educator based on the Victorian Surf Coast. Her love of twisty mysteries has made her an ‘accidental’ crime writer. She writes character-driven fiction informed by working in mental health care, where her patients have been her greatest... Read More →

Alexander Boldizar

Alexander Boldizar's writing has won a variety of awards in literary fiction, science fiction, thriller, and humor and satire categories, including the 2025 Locus Award for best science fiction. He has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, is a founding director of a charity that brings... Read More →

Curtis Ippolito

Thursday October 22, 2026 3:00pm - 3:45pm MDT
Glen 206

3:00pm MDT

The Past is Another Country: Balancing Research and Reader Engagement

Thursday October 22, 2026 3:00pm - 3:45pm MDT

Macleod D

What is a good balance between historical accuracy and story telling?

Moderators

Guy Mace

Guy Mace is a debut author recently signed by Emily Bestler Books. He's a mechanical engineer and venture capitalist that travels extensively around the world, collaborating with people of various cultures, languages, and backgrounds. His passions include history, adventure, and all... Read More →

Speakers

Susanna Calkins

Susanna Calkins, a historian and educator, writes the award-winning Lucy Campion historical mysteries set in 17th century London and the Speakeasy Murders set in 1920s Chicago. Her fiction has been nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award, as well as the Agatha, Anthony, and the... Read More →

Eleanor Kuhns

Eleanor Kuhns is the author of the 2011 Minotaur/Mystery/Writers of America first mystery prize for A Simple Murder. Since then she has written eleven more Will Rees mysteries, with the newest title The Long Shadow of Murder. She has also written the Bronze Age Crete Mystery series... Read More →

Paddy Hirsch

Paddy writes thrillers and mysteries, including the Lawless New York series, set in early 1800s New York. His latest novel is Primed, a transatlantic revenge thriller set in Belfast and Los Angeles. When he’s not writing about financially-motivated murders, Paddy works as a Murrow... Read More →

Ann Parker

Ann Parker writes the award-winning Silver Rush historical mystery series set in the 1880s American West and short stories set where and when her fancy takes her (lately those have been historical-mystery-fantasy mashups about a detective who "walks through time" to solve crime of... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 3:00pm - 3:45pm MDT
Macleod D 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

4:15pm MDT

Spotlight Interview: Mark Greaney

Thursday October 22, 2026 4:15pm - 5:00pm MDT

Exhibit Hall

Sponsored by Editors Calgary: Join Nick Petrie in conversation with 2026 American Guest of Honour Mark Greaney.

Moderators

Nick Petrie

Speakers

Mark Greaney

Mark Greaney is the #1 NYT Bestselling Author of The Gray Man series, the 15th of which, The Hard Line, was released in February 2026. The film version of his first novel, The Gray Man, was released in July 2022 starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. He is also the author or co-a... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 4:15pm - 5:00pm MDT
Exhibit Hall

7:00pm MDT

Opening Ceremonies

Thursday October 22, 2026 7:00pm - 9:00pm MDT

Exhibit Hall

Join Toastmaster PJ Vernon and the Calgary Fiddlers as we give a boisterous welcome to our 2026 Guests of Honour and Special Guests. We will announce the recipients of the Barry, Derringer, and Shamus Awards, and the David Thompson Award will be presented. Cash bar and light snacks. Sponsored by Berkley.

Thursday October 22, 2026 7:00pm - 9:00pm MDT
Exhibit Hall

8:30pm MDT

Anthology Celebration

Thursday October 22, 2026 8:30pm - 9:30pm MDT

Exhibit Hall

Celebrate the launch of the Bouchercon 2026 anthology The Lines We Cross published by Level Best Books. Purchase your copy and get your book signed by all the authors!

Thursday October 22, 2026 8:30pm - 9:30pm MDT
Exhibit Hall