Blood on the Bayou: Bouchercon 2016 Anthology

I tantalized you with the news of the Bouchercon Anthology: Blood on the Bayou a month ago before it was available to order. You can get it now! 

Bouchercon will be invading New Orleans for its annual world mystery convention this September. Readers, writers, publishers, editors, agents, booksellers and other lovers of crime fiction will gather for a weekend of education, entertainment, and fun! It is the world’s premiere event bringing together all parts of the mystery and crime fiction community.

In conjunction with this year’s event, Down & Out Books has published BLOOD ON THE BAYOU: Bouchercon Anthology 2016, edited by Greg Herren.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to edit this outstanding collection of stories,” said Herren, an award-winning author of mystery and suspense novels. “It demonstrates the deep appreciation each of the contributing authors has to their craft.”

“This is the third year that we have had the privilege of publishing Bouchercon’s official anthology,” added Eric Campbell, publisher of Down & Out Books, “and I share in Greg’s enthusiasm for these stories.”

Nearly 100 authors blindly submitted a story for consideration by three industry professionals, who had the incredibly difficult task of narrowing the list down to just 22 stories.  

Kaye Wilkinson Barley, Eric Beetner, G. J. Brown, Sheila Connolly, O’Neil De Noux, Barbara Ferrer, John Floyd, Alison Gaylin, Greg Herren, BV Lawson, R. T. Lawton, Deborah Lacy, Edith Maxwell, Liz Milliron, Terrie Moran, David Morrell, Dino Parenti, Mike Penn, Gary Phillips, Thomas Pluck, Paula Pumphrey and Elaine Viets were chosen to have their short stories included in the anthology. Heather Graham, co-chair of Bouchercon 2016, has written the introduction.

Each of the selected authors contributed their stories to the anthology and the Bouchercon Committee and Down & Out Books have agreed that all proceeds from the sale of BLOOD ON THE BAYOU will go to support the New Orleans Public Library system and by extension readers and writers everywhere.

The book is available at Down & Out Books. It is also available in Trade Paperback from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and in Kindle, Nook, and Kobo ebook formats. Blood on the Bayou Anthology will also be available at Bouchercon in the Dealers Room. 

2016 David Thompson Special Service Award to Otto Penzler

The Bouchercon Board of Directors is proud to announce that Otto Penzler is the recipient of its 2016 David Thompson Special Service Award for “extraordinary efforts to develop and promote the crime fiction field.”

Founded in 1970, and named after distinguished mystery critic, editor, and author, Anthony Boucher, Bouchercon is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that each year brings together fans, authors, publishers, editors, agents, and booksellers from around the world in a different location for a four-day celebration of their shared love of the crime genre. This year’s convention, “Blood on the Bayou—Bouchercon 2016,” takes place in New Orleans, September 15-18 (www.bouchercon2016.com).

The David Thompson Special Service Award was created by the Bouchercon Board to honor the memory and contributions to the crime fiction community of David Thompson, a much beloved Houston bookseller who passed away in 2010. Past recipients of the award are Ali Karim, Marv Lachman, Len & June Moffatt, Judy Bobalik, and Bill and Toby Gottfried.

This year’s honoree, Otto Penzler, is the proprietor of New York City’s The Mysterious Bookshop and founder of The Mysterious Press (1975). A publisher of original works and classic crime fiction in the U.S. and abroad, Mr. Penzler also published The Armchair Detective, a quarterly journal devoted to the study of mystery and suspense fiction, and created the publishing firms of Otto Penzler Books and The Armchair Detective Library. He is a prolific editor, and his most recent anthologies include The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories, The Big Book of Locked Room Mysteries, The Best American Mystery Stories of the 19th Century, and The Best American Noir of the Century. Since 1997 he’s also been the Series Editor of The Best American Mystery Stories of the Year.

The Mystery Writers of America has bestowed on Mr. Penzler two Edgar Awards, its 1994 Ellery Queen Award, and the 2003 Raven Award. He’s also received Lifetime Achievement awards from Noircon and The Strand Magazine. In addition, Mr. Penzler co-chaired two Bouchercon Conventions (1977 and 1983) and served on Bouchercon’s Board for ten years.

Blood on the Bayou: Bouchercon Anthology

Bouchercon will be invading New Orleans for its annual world mystery convention this September where every year readers, writers, publishers, editors, agents, booksellers and other lovers of crime fiction gather for a weekend of education, entertainment, and fun! It is the world’s premiere event bringing together all parts of the mystery and crime fiction community.

In conjunction with this year’s event, Down & Out Books will be publishing BLOOD ON THE BAYOU: Bouchercon Anthology 2016, edited by Greg Herren.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to edit this outstanding collection of stories,” said Herren, an award-winning author of mystery and suspense novels. “It demonstrates the deep appreciation each of the contributing authors has to their craft.”

“This is the third year that we have had the privilege of publishing Bouchercon’s official anthology,” added Eric Campbell, publisher of Down & Out Books, “and I share in Greg’s enthusiasm for these stories.”

Nearly 100 authors blindly submitted a story for consideration by three industry professionals, who had the incredibly difficult task of narrowing the list down to just 22 stories.  

Kaye Wilkinson Barley, Eric Beetner, G. J. Brown, Sheila Connolly, O’Neil De Noux, Barbara Ferrer, John Floyd, Alison Gaylin, Greg Herren, BV Lawson, R. T. Lawton, Deborah Lacy, Edith Maxwell, Liz Milliron, Terrie Moran, David Morrell, Dino Parenti, Mike Penn, Gary Phillips, Thomas Pluck, Paula Pumphrey and Elaine Viets were chosen to have their stories included in the anthology. New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham will write the introduction.

Each of the selected authors contributed their stories to the anthology and the Bouchercon Committee and Down & Out Books have agreed that all proceeds from the sale of BLOOD ON THE BAYOU will go to support the New Orleans Public Library system and by extension readers and writers everywhere. 

Scheduled for publication September 1, but book will be available for pre-order (no date yet). It will be available in Trade Paperback from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and in Kindle, Nook, and Kobo ebook formats. Blood on the Bayou Anthology will also be available at Bouchercon in the Dealers Room.