Bouchercon2026: Calgary: Full Schedule

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9:00am MDT

Cognitive Dissonance of Noir in Non-traditional settings

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT

Glen 203

Noir isn’t limited to gritty big city streets, but are there some places just too nice for noir?

Moderators

Reed Farrel Coleman

Called a hardboiled poet by NPR's Maureen Corrigan, Reed Farrel Coleman is the NY Times bestselling author of thirty-plus novels including six Jesse Stone novels for the estate of Robert B. Parker. He is a four-time Shamus Award recipient for Best PI Novel and a four-time Edgar Award... Read More →

Speakers

Hope Thompson

Hope Thompson is a playwright, scriptwriter, and writer. Her plays have been produced in Canada and the US. and published in anthologies, including by Playwrights Canada Press. A licensed PI, Hope has written numerous true crime scripts for the podcasts Crimehub and Whereabouts Unknown—and... Read More →

Francesco Paola

Francesco was born in Turin, Italy, and raised in Italy, Thailand, and Australia before making his way to the US. In 2019 he spent two years at a cannabis startup in California where the experience led to the ideas for his debut novel, Left on Rancho. His short thriller film, Another... Read More →

Charles Salzberg

Charles Salzberg is a former magazine journalist. His articles have appeared in New York, Esquire, and The New York Times. His first novel, Swann’s Last Song was nominated for a Shamus Award, as was Second Story Man (Beverly Hills Book Award winner), and Canary in the Coal Mine... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT
Glen 203 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

9:00am MDT

Hosting a Bouchercon

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT

Glen 201

This convention could happen where you live. Getting there means a long-term commitment and is a lot of fun

Moderators

Bouchercon National

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT
Glen 201

9:00am MDT

How Far Outside Normal does Something Have to be to Be Paranormal?

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT

Glen 208

Ghostly wisps to full out vampire attack? Where are the borders of paranormal?

Moderators

Mark L. Van Name

Mark L. Van Name is a writer, technologist, and spoken word performer. He has published five mystery/SF crossover novels (One Jump Ahead, Slanted Jack, Overthrowing Heaven, Children No More, and No Going Back) and an omnibus collection of his first two books (Jump Gate Twist); edited... Read More →

Speakers

S.K. Andrews

S.K. Andrews grew up writing fantasy stories and acting on stage. Her book series The Kelly Society features Vivien Kelly, a psychic warrior keeping the modern world safe from supernatural monsters in Bay of Darkness and A Kelly Society Christmas. Bay of Darkness was a Readers Favorite... Read More →

Gabi Coatsworth

Gabi Coatsworth is an award-winning British-born author who lives in Connecticut in a cottage that’s American outside, and English inside. Her first novel, A Beginner’s Guide to Starting Over (2023) features a lovable ghost, and so does her second, A Field Guide to Library Ghosts... Read More →

C.A. Rowland

Speculative fiction writer C.A. Rowland has lived and visited many amazing places around the world. Twists of historical facts, myths, and folklore help her create fantastical worlds. Want to come along? Her second novel in her amateur sleuth paranormal series, The Haunted City Mysteries... Read More →

Lyndsay Faye

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT
Glen 208 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

9:00am MDT

What does Query Mean Today?

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT

Glen 206

Has every publisher gone digital? How do I find an editor or publisher who is taking new submissions?

Moderators

Kevin R. Doyle

Kevin R. Doyle is the author of six novels in the Sam Quinton mystery series, all published by Camel Press. He’s also written four crime thrillers, including And the Devil Walks Away and The Anchor, and one horror novel, The Litter, along with numerous short horror stories published... Read More →

Speakers

Tyson Cornell

Shawn Reilly Simmons

Shawn Reilly Simmons is the author of The Red Carpet Catering Mysteries and is the Agatha Award-winning author of over 30 published short stories. As a crime fiction anthology editor, Shawn has also won an Anthony Award. She is Publisher & CEO at Level Best Books, an independent crime... Read More →

Jennifer van der Kleut

Jennifer van der Kleut is an award-winning former journalist of both print and digital publications, including the D.C. affiliate of ABC7 News. A graduate of San Jose State University, she spent most of her life in the Bay Area before moving to the Northern Virginia suburbs of D.C... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT
Glen 206

9:00am MDT

What has Replaced the Cold War in Espionage Novels?

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT

Macleod D

How have digital devices, drones, eco disasters, pandemics, and shifting alliances altered spy craft?

Moderators

Jonathan Payne

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 →

Sam Reaves

Sam Reaves has written crime novels set in Chicago and the rural Midwest and has co-authored a mobster memoir. Under the name Dominic Martell he writes geopolitical thrillers with international settings. Reaves has traveled widely in Europe and the Middle East but has lived in the... Read More →

Matthew Lavoie

Matthew Lavoie is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling debut author of Main Street Fringe (Hopefully—his was written before the release). His gritty, real-world tales offer thrilling and genre-bending takes on societal undercurrents. A longtime political operative, he’s... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am MDT
Macleod D 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

9:00am MDT

Book Signing: Louise Penny

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:00am - 9:45pm MDT

Macleod Lobby

Meet Louise Penny! Limit of 2 items for signing.

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:00am - 9:45pm MDT
Macleod Lobby 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

10:15am MDT

Deep in the Heart of Cozies

Saturday October 24, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT

Glen 206

What is it about traditional stories that still speak to the heart?

Moderators

Claudia Hagadus Long

Claudia Hagadus Long is a lawyer in Calistoga, California. Her writing includes the Zara and Lilly mystery series, one of which, Nine Tenths of the Law (Kasva Press) has been optioned for a feature film. Truck a Duck and Murder without a Duck (Simpato Mystery series, Sibylline Press... Read More →

Speakers

Rebecca Tope

Rebecca's first novel was published in 1999. Since then, another 46 titles have appeared. None of them has won an award, but readers seem impervious to that sad fact, and the books gather many accolades. They comprise three series, almost entirely featuring female amateur sleuths... Read More →

Roz Nay

Roz Nay is the bestselling, award-winning author of four thrillers, Our Little Secret, Hurry Home, The Hunted, and The Offing. Her new funnier mystery, All Rise for Murder, is the first in a series and will be released in May 2026.

Susan Calder

Susan Calder lives in Calgary. She is the author of six novels published by BWL Publishing Inc. Four are part of her mystery series set in Calgary. Her standalone novels take readers to California and 1918 Calgary. She is currently working on a suspense novel set in Czechia. Susan’s... Read More →

Rosemary McCracken

Rosemary McCracken has worked on newspapers across Canada as a reporter, editor, editorial writer and arts reviewer. She's the author of the five-book Pat Tierney Mystery Series, and numerous works of short crime fiction. Rosemary now lives and writes in Toronto.

Saturday October 24, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT
Glen 206

10:15am MDT

Forensic Toxicology and Treatment of Poisoning

Saturday October 24, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT

Glen 203

What poisonings are commonly treated in emergency rooms? What is forensic toxicology?

Saturday October 24, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT
Glen 203 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

10:15am MDT

Hollywood Confidential

Saturday October 24, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT

Glen 208

Hollywood has always had a darkness under the glitter. All too often that darkness surfaces.

Moderators

Elizabeth Crowens

Entertainment industry veteran, Elizabeth Crowens (NY/LA) nominated for Lefty, Agatha, Macavity, Silver Falchion and Claymore, Glimmer Train Awards and won a MWA-NY Leo B. Burstein Scholarship, NYFA grant, Eric Hoffer and two Grand prize and seven First prize Chanticleer Awards. Crowens... Read More →

Speakers

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.

Alan Orloff

John Shepphird

John Shepphird is a Shamus Award-winning author and writer/director of television films.Novels include Deception Specialist and the Hollywood-themed thriller Bottom Feeders. John's short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. He is the editor of the Tennis Noi... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT
Glen 208 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

10:15am MDT

Mysteries/Thrillers and …: Why Crime Fiction Plays Well With Other Genres

Saturday October 24, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT

Macleod D

When was the last time someone described their book as a straight mystery/thriller? Lots of hyphenated cross-genres out there.

Moderators

Alexandra Ryan

Alexandra Ryan is a paranormal mystery author known for blending sharp humor, emotional grit, and rule‑breaking twists. Her work mixes the uncanny with the unexpected, delivering fast‑paced stories full of voice and attitude. She publishes under Oddity House Publishing, and writes... Read More →

Speakers

Andrew Ludington

Andrew Ludington is the Compton Crook award nominated author of the Rabbit Ward series, including Splinter Effect and Double Shadow. Book Trib says, "Like HG Wells, [Ludington] gives us just enough fact to keep us believing in the fiction, penning a book that would make Michael Crichton... Read More →

Raven Lee

An avid traveler, Raven Lee, has never met a spooky tale she didn’t love. Ghost towns, haunted houses, or mysterious forests, wherever the story, she is fascinated. When not traveling, she channels her paranormal obsession into writing her own stories, hoping to make you sleep with... Read More →

Alexandra Renwick

Alexandra Renwick writes mythy, sometimes murdery tales of love and death. She splits time between Flower Mound, Texas and downtown Montreal but her short fiction appears under various iterations of her name around the world. Her novel Horn, a modern riff on unicorn folklore about... Read More →

Cynthia Swanson

Cynthia Swanson is the NYT bestselling author of the psychological suspense novels The Bookseller, The Glass Forest, and Anyone But Her, and the story collection This Isn’t New. Cynthia was named 2025 Indie Author of the Year by the Indie Author Project and has received the Colorado... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT
Macleod D 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

10:15am MDT

Spotlight Interview: Jennifer Hillier

Saturday October 24, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT

Macleod BC

Join Alex Finlay in conversation with 2026 Canadian Guest of Honour Jennifer Hillier

Moderators

Alex Finlay

Alex Finlay is the bestselling author of several acclaimed novels, including the 2026 instant national bestseller, The Anniversary. His work has been translated into twenty-eight languages and sold around the world. Alex’s books have been optioned or in development for film and... Read More →

Speakers

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 →

Saturday October 24, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT
Macleod BC

10:15am MDT

The Fast Pace of Thrillers

Saturday October 24, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT

Glen 201

What sets the clock ticking and propels your readers into the story?

Moderators

Vera Chan

Former journalist/big-tech cog Vera Chan (AKA HC Chan) stretches the definition of noir: corporate (Murderers’ Feast, Midnight Hour), Chinese music-school (Tone Deaf, Tales of Music, Murder & Mayhem), domestic ("These Poor Mothers", LA Review 2023 Short Fiction Award), and stand-up... Read More →

Speakers

Tom Milani

Tom Milani’s short fiction has appeared online in Urban Pigs Press, The Yard: Crime Blog, among other places, as well as in several anthologies. Derringer finalist “Barracuda Backfire” was published in 2024 as Book 4 of Michael Bracken’s Chop Shop novella series. His first... Read More →

Ox Devere

Ox Devere worked in the film industry for years before becoming an author. She lives outside of Boston with her Border Collie-Lab and an excessive collection of books and bourbon.

Hank Phillippi Ryan

Hank Phillippi Ryan is the USA Today bestselling author of 17 thrillers including All This Could be Yours, the 2026 Mary Higgins Clark Award winner, and the new Mother Daughter Sister Stranger. She’s won every major mystery award, with her thrillers translated into multiple languages... Read More →

J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 35 psychological thrillers. When she's not writing about murder and mayhem, she's the Emmy® award-winning co-host of A Word on Words on Nashville PBS, where she talks about books for a living. With millions... Read More →

Peter Thomas Pontsa

Peter Pontsa built a respected career in the dental industry, authoring numerous techno-clinical articles and serving as associate publisher of a denturist magazine. After retiring, he studied Advanced Fiction Writing at the University of Waterloo. A member of the Wordsmiths and Crime... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 10:15am - 11:00am MDT
Glen 201

11:30am MDT

General Members Meeting

Saturday October 24, 2026 11:30am - 1:00pm MDT

Exhibit Hall

If you are registered for the convention, then you're a member! You are invited to attend. Vote on future Bouchercon locations and items of business. This is your chance to have a say in the future of Bouchercon.

Saturday October 24, 2026 11:30am - 1:00pm MDT
Exhibit Hall

1:00pm MDT

Special Exhibit of the Steele Curry Mystery, Espionage, and Thriller Collection

Saturday October 24, 2026 1:00pm - 4:00pm MDT

Lobby

A curated selection of author Steele Curry's collection of some 8,000 first edition books, mystery-related publications and 'archives' that he donated to the University of Calgary. The collection is held in the university's special book collections department for students, researchers, budding authors and film writers to access. Sponsored by the University of Calgary.

Saturday October 24, 2026 1:00pm - 4:00pm MDT
Lobby 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

1:30pm MDT

From Mean Streets to Dark Web Alleys

Saturday October 24, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm MDT

Glen 206

Have real-life and fictional PIs moved from the mean streets to the dark web alleys?

Moderators

Peter Colt

Peter Colt is a 1996 graduate of the University of Rhode Island. Colt was a 24-year veteran of the Army Reserve with deployments to Kosovo and Iraq as an Army Civil Affairs officer. He is currently a police officer in Providence, Rhode Island. He is married with two teenage sons... Read More →

Speakers

Sandra J. Cady

Sandra J. Cady, is a former Detroit police officer and past owner of a private investigation agency. Her detective novel, A Game of Luck, releases on 4-30-26. Her short story, High School Reunion, is included in the 2026 Derringer Award finalist mystery anthology, The Not So Frail... Read More →

Angela van Breemen

Angela van Breemen is an author and soprano. After retiring from the dental industry, she focuses on writing, music, and volunteering with Procyon Wildlife. She writes the David Harris and Emma Jackson Mysteries, including Past Life’s Revenge and Revenge Is Not Enough, and is working... Read More →

Mir Bahmanyar

Mir Bahmanyar holds a BA from Cal Berkeley, served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, and has an MA from King’s College London. His books feature on US military reading lists and have been translated into Arabic, German, Japanese, Polish and Spanish. He was a military technical advisor... Read More →

Paul Bishop

Paul Bishop is the author of fifteen novels and multiple nonfiction works on crime fiction and Western literature. A thirty-five-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, he spent more than twenty-five years investigating sexual assault crimes, experience that informs his... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm MDT
Glen 206

1:30pm MDT

Humor Across the Board

Saturday October 24, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm MDT

Glen 201

Authors of very different books still find common ground in laughter.

Moderators

Sean Little

Sean Patrick Little is a writer, speaker, editor, educator, and general literary dude from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, best known for the critically acclaimed Abe & Duff Mysteries.

Speakers

Lawrence Allan

Lawrence Allan is the award winning writer of the Jimmy Cooper Mysteries. The first in the series, Big Fat F@!k-Up, won two Claymore Awards and was a finalist for a Shamus Award. The follow up, Big F@!king Deal was a Silver Falchion Top Choice in Comedy, and Go F@!k Yourself is out... Read More →

Sue Hincenbergs

Sue Hincenbergs is a former television producer who started writing when she was 60. Her debut novel The Retirement Plan was a Canadian #1 bestseller, has been nominated for five major crime and humor writing awards including an Anthony for Best First Novel, has been translated into... Read More →

Ellen Byron

Ellen is a bestselling author, Anthony nominee, and recipient of multiple Agatha and Lefty awards for her Cajun Country, Vintage Cookbook, Catering Hall, and Golden Motel Mysteries. She is an award-winning playwright and non-award-winning writer of TV hits like Wings, Just Shoot Me... Read More →

Catriona McPherson

Serial awards-botherer Catriona McPherson (she/her) was born in Scotland and immigrated to the US in 2010. She has published historical series, contemporary psychothrillers and humorous mysteries about a Scot-out-of-water in a “fictional” college town in Northern California. Catriona... Read More →

Ed Lin

Ed Lin, a native New Yorker of Taiwanese and Chinese descent, is the first author to win three Asian American Literary Awards. The Dead Can't Make a Living is the fifth installment in his Taipei Night Market mystery series published by Soho Crime. His other books include YA novel... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm MDT
Glen 201

1:30pm MDT

Spotlight Interview: Vicki Delany

Saturday October 24, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm MDT

Macleod BC

Join Cathy Ace in conversation with 2026 Cozy Guest of Honour Vicki Delany

Moderators

Cathy Ace

Cathy Ace’s Cait Morgan Mysteries feature a globetrotting Welsh Canadian criminal psychologist who solves traditional whodunits alongside her retired-cop husband, Bud Anderson (Eve Myles will portray Cait in the TV production by Free@LastTV). Her WISE Enquiries Agency Mysteries... 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 →

Saturday October 24, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm MDT
Macleod BC

1:30pm MDT

Sustaining a Detective Character Across a Series

Saturday October 24, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm MDT

Macleod D

How long can one human being keep going? How are they a different person at the close of their careers?

Moderators

Libby Fischer Hellmann

Libby Fischer Hellmann left a career in broadcast news in Washington, DC and moved to Chicago a long time ago, where she, naturally, began to write gritty crime fiction. She soon began writing historical fiction as well. Eighteen novels and twenty-five short stories later, she claims... Read More →

Speakers

James W. Ziskin

Anthony, Barry, and Macavity award-winner James W. Ziskin is the author of the Ellie Stone Mysteries. His books and short stories have also been finalists for the Edgar, Agatha, Lefty, and Sue Grafton Memorial awards. His latest novel is The Prank (July 2026). A picture clipped from... Read More →

Kathy Reichs

Kathy Reichs is actually Dr. Kathy Reichs, one of only eighty-two forensic anthropologists ever certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology. For years she consulted to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in North Carolina, and she continues to do so for the Laboratoire... Read More →

Robert Rotenberg

Robert Rotenberg is the author of eight bestselling novels. His books have been published in more than nine languages. He is also a full-time criminal lawyer in Toronto, as well as a screenwriting and writing teacher. (He loves to teach). Known as "Canada’s John Grisham,” some... Read More →

James Benn

James R. Benn is the author of the Billy Boyle WWII mystery series and five stand-alone works. He worked in the library field for thirty years before leaving to write full-time. The Billy Boyle series is published by Soho Press. The New York Times called it “spirited wartime storytelling... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm MDT
Macleod D 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

1:30pm MDT

The Beat Goes On

Saturday October 24, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm MDT

Glen 208

Music in crime writing

Moderators

Rick Overwater

Rick Overwater is a crime, sci-fi and fantasy writer from Calgary, Alberta. He holds a Creative Writing MFA from the University of British Columbia and is currently co-editing a crime anthology set in Alberta, slated for release in Fall, 2026. His graphic novel Futility: Orange Planet... Read More →

Speakers

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 →

Dale W. Berry

Dale is a San Francisco-based author and graphic novelist. Among many questionable accomplishments, some favorites are: first comics artist to appear in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, having a story submitted to the Edgars, contributing to the multiple award-winning How To Write... Read More →

Winona Kent

Winona's writing career began in 1989 with her Seal Books First Novel finalist, Skywatcher. She's since published eleven more books, including her five Jason Davey amateur sleuth mysteries. Winona's the Past Chair of Crime Writers of Canada. She lives in New Westminster, BC with her... Read More →

Kelly Oliver

Kelly Oliver is the award-winning and bestselling author of four mystery series: The Jessica James Mysteries, The Pet Detective Mysteries, The Fiona Figg Mysteries, and The Detection Club Mysteries. Kelly is Past President of Sisters in Crime National, current Education Coordinator... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm MDT
Glen 208 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

1:30pm MDT

Through the Speculative Lens

Saturday October 24, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm MDT

Glen 203

Speculative twists and how they influence story lines and ambience.

Moderators

Laurie R. King

Laurie R. King is the NYT bestselling author of the SFPD Inspector Raquel Laing series (Those Who Are Gone), the Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes stories, the Kate Martinelli series, and other beloved books. She has won the Agatha, Anthony, Edgar, Lambda, Wolfe, Macavity, Creasey, and... Read More →

Speakers

Sandra S.G. Wong

Sandra SG Wong writes fiction across genres. Her novels and short stories have garnered multiple awards nominations in Canada and the United States. In addition to being a speaker, mentor, and community organizer, Sandra is a Past President of Sisters in Crime and founder of its DEIJB... Read More →

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of The Bewitching, The Seventh Veil of Salome, Velvet Was the Night, Mexican Gothic, and many other books. She has won the Locus, British Fantasy and World Fantasy awards. Her latest novel is the 1940s noir The Intrigue.

Candas Jane Dorsey

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 →

Saturday October 24, 2026 1:30pm - 2:15pm MDT
Glen 203 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

2:45pm MDT

AI Possibilities and Pit Falls

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm MDT

Macleod BC

Where is AI these days? The good parts; the not so good; and the downright scary.

Moderators

Deanna Fowler

Speakers

Kathy A Norris

Kathy A. Norris is an author and host of the podcast The Quill & The Quantum: AI and Writing Craft. In each episode Kathy talks to authors and other creatives about how they use, or refuse to use, artificial intelligence in their creative process. Kathy has published short stories... Read More →

Shawn Reilly Simmons

Mary Lynn Cloghesy

Mary Lynn Cloghesy is an author and editor from Calgary, Alberta. She's also the founder of the Leadership Literary Lab, a program for aspiring authors. Mary Lynn holds a master’s degree in critical and creative writing, has been shortlisted for the Claymore and Aurora awards, and... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm MDT
Macleod BC

2:45pm MDT

Could We Please Stop for Just a Minute?

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm MDT

Glen 208

How do thriller writers give readers an occasional break from non-stop action, violence, and tension?

Moderators

S.J. Rozan

SJ Rozan is the author of 21 novels and 100+ short stories, and the editor of three anthologies. She's won multiple awards, including the Edgar, Shamus, Anthony, Nero, Macavity; Japanese Maltese Falcon; and Life Achievement Awards from both the Private Eye Writers of America and the... Read More →

Speakers

David Heska Wanbli Weiden

David Heska Wanbli Weiden, an enrolled citizen of the Sicangu Lakota nation, is author of Wisdom Corner (2026). His debut novel, Winter Counts (2020), was the winner of the Anthony, Thriller, Lefty, Barry, Macavity, and other awards, and named by Time as one of the best mystery novels... Read More →

Andrew Welsh-Huggins

Andrew is the author of the critically acclaimed Mercury Carter thriller series including The Mailman and The Delivery, the Shamus-Award-nominated Andy Hayes private eye series, and the standalone crime novel The End of the Road. Editor of Columbus Noir, Andrew’s short fiction has... Read More →

Boyd Morrison

Boyd Morrison is an actor, engineer, Jeopardy! champion, and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 16 thrillers, including 6 collaborations with Clive Cussler. Before becoming a writer, he worked at Johnson Space Center, RCA/Thomson, and Microsoft’s Xbox group. His newest... 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 →

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm MDT
Glen 208 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

2:45pm MDT

First Contact

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm MDT

Macleod D

Want to jump from print to media like television, movies, plays, or games? What starter kit do you need?

Moderators

Ryan Aldred

Ryan Aldred is the author of the Bar on a Beach mystery series and The Extractor thriller series. His debut novel Rum Luck was shortlisted for two Arthur Ellis awards and a Bony Blithe. He also writes interactive fiction including video games and tabletop adventures. Ryan previously... Read More →

Speakers

Kathleen Barber

Kathleen Barber is the author of Truth be Told, which was adapted by Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine into a series that ran for three seasons on AppleTV+, Sisterhood Above All(in collaboration with TikTok influencer with Amayah Shaienne), Follow Me, and Both Things are True. A... Read More →

Bonnie Kistler

Bonnie Kistler is the Edgar Award-nominated author of Shell Games and several other psychological suspense thrillers. Her novels have been optioned for film and streaming TV adaptations and have been translated into a dozen foreign languages. A former Philadelphia trial lawyer, she... Read More →

Hart Hanson

Hart Hanson is best known for creating the television series Bones (based on books by Kathy Reichs) which ran for 12 seasons, the longest-running scripted hour-long series in Fox history. Hart started writing in his native Canada for CBC television shows The Beachcombers, North ... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm MDT
Macleod D 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

2:45pm MDT

Psychology Meets Fiction: Writing Evil vs. Mental Health and Circumstances

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm MDT

Glen 203

Now that health and social professionals know a lot more about mental health, is there still a place for a truly evil character?

Moderators

Alice Bienia

Alice Bienia is the bestselling author of the Jorja Knight Mystery series. A three-time Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence finalist and Indie Author Project regional winner, her mysteries are known for their surprising twists, realistic characters, and tight plots. Before... Read More →

Speakers

Scott Ousdahl

Scott is a first time author, just completing the manuscript for a psychological crime thriller, Court of Equalization. He retired in 2025, finally able to focus his time on his writing passion. Scott has recently started a You-Tube channel, Destination Write!, to encourage the writer... Read More →

Alexandra Sokoloff

Alex is the Thriller Award-winning, Bram Stoker & Anthony Award-nominated author of 14 supernatural & crime thrillers and the Screenwriting Tricks for Authors books. As a screenwriter she’s written for numerous Hollywood studios. Her genre-bending, feminist Huntress Moon series... Read More →

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 →

Craig Robertson

Craig Robertson had a 20-year career as a journalist before becoming a full-time author. A Sunday Times and international bestseller, he has written 12 novels, and been longlisted and shortlisted for the main UK crime fiction prizes on nine occasions. Three of his books are currently... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm MDT
Glen 203 136 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 0K6

2:45pm MDT

Selling books in a Challenging, Chaotic Marketplace

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm MDT

Glen 206

Is there anything new on the bookselling horizon? What should be there?

Moderators

Julia O’Connell

Speakers

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 →

Angela Douglas

Angela Douglas is an award-winning thriller author, based in the Okanagan. Her debut novel, Every Fall, has been recognized by the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, Canadian Book Club Awards, Pen Craft Awards, and National Indie Excellence Awards. When she isn’t spending... Read More →

Josh Getzler

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm MDT
Glen 206

2:45pm MDT

Tones and Moods: Haunted Houses, Liminal Spaces, and Gothic Ambiance

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm MDT

Glen 201

Some places just feel different. Is it our imagination or could there be something else out there? Why is fear fun?

Moderators

Lexie Angelo

Dr. Lexie Angelo holds a PhD from the University of Edinburgh in creative writing. Her short fiction has appeared in Gutter Magazine, Neon Books, Typewronger Press, WRITE Magazine and Forest Publications. She was shortlisted for the Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award and the Killer... Read More →

Speakers

Debi Chowdhury

Love to write.

Carolyne Topdjian

Carolyne Topdjian is the author of the acclaimed gothic novels The Black Moth and The Hitman’s Daughter, the latter of which received a starred review from Library Journal. Her short fiction has appeared in PRISM International, Firewords Quarterly, Tales to Terrify, and elsewhere... Read More →

D.M. Pulley

Before becoming an Amazon best-selling author, D.M. Pulley worked as a Professional Engineer rehabbing historic structures and assessing building failures. Her survey of a vacant building in Cleveland, Ohio inspired her debut, The Dead Key, the winner of the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough... Read More →

Tara Goedjen

Tara Goedjen has worked all over the world, from Europe to the island of Guam. A recovering academic, she holds a Master of Fine Arts and a PhD, and was also an editor at a Sydney-based publishing house for several years. Tara now lives in the moody Pacific Northwest, where she can... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 2:45pm - 3:30pm MDT
Glen 201

4:00pm MDT

Spotlight Interview: Louise Penny

Saturday October 24, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT

Exhibit Hall

Join Rick Mofina in conversation with 2026 Lifetime Achievement Guest of Honour Louise Penny

Moderators

Rick Mofina

Rick Mofina is a USA Today, Toronto Star, and Globe and Mail, bestselling author of more than 30 thrillers that have been published in nearly 30 countries. He has twice won the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence. A Barry Award winner, and a multiple finalist for ITW’s Thriller... Read More →

Speakers

Louise Penny

Louise Penny, a former CBC radio journalist, is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Globe and Mail bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She has been awarded the CWA Dagger, Nero, Macavity and Barry Awards, as well as two each of the Arthur Ellis and Dilys Awards. In addition, she has won the Agatha Award (eight times), multiple Anthony Awards, and was... Read More →

Saturday October 24, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm MDT
Exhibit Hall

7:00pm MDT

Saturday Showcase: Auction & Awards

Saturday October 24, 2026 7:00pm - 9:00pm MDT

Exhibit Hall

This highly anticipated event is hosted by PJ Vernon. It includes the Live Auction in support of Further Education Society of Alberta with auctioneer Cathy Ace, immediately followed by the 40th Annual Anthony Awards Ceremony. It's the moment everyone has been waiting for, especially the nominees and we will have some very special presenters in attendance to congratulate the winners. Cash bar and light snacks. Sponsored by The Family of Steele Curry.

Moderators

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 →

Saturday October 24, 2026 7:00pm - 9:00pm MDT
Exhibit Hall

9:00pm MDT

Pub Night Trivia

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:00pm - 10:30pm MDT

Exhibit Hall

How good is your knowledge of mystery trivia? Join the Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime Canada West as they host a mystery trivia competition. Put on your thinking caps and sharpen your pencils - we have prizes for the winning teams. Cash bar and light snacks.

Saturday October 24, 2026 9:00pm - 10:30pm MDT
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