I’ve already shared my Volume 0 story “Waving Hello, Waving Goodbye,” but here’s the story behind the story: a cemetery clown, a teenage boy, and the ache of wanting to be seen. Also, events: Arlington Thurs at One More Page; RVA Sat at Book People. ➡️ johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/waving-hel...

Heat dome survival plan: JonnyPop + Issue 14 of Volume 0, featuring my story “Waving Hello, Waving Goodbye,” inspired by the creepy 2015 clown sighting at Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago. In it, I inhabit the clown. Boo! 🤡 Pick up the issue/subscribe: bit.ly/4xZP8Xa

Crossing lines of identity in fiction is an act of empathy, if done right. My new essay is up. The first in a series about writing across difference: why it matters, why it's at the core of fiction writing, and how to do it responsibly. johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/writing-ac...

20th place on Substack in “Rising in Fiction”… just a few below Michael Chabon! 😃 I’m really loving Substack and proud of the work I’m doing there. Follow and subscribe! ❤️ substack.com/@johncopenha...

HAPPENING NOW: "The Idea to the Reader: Selling and Marketing Your Queer Mysteries," w/ publisher Salem West (Bywater), editors Alexa Wejko and Taz Urnov (Soho Press), and publicist Brittani Hilles (Lavender PR). Event link: us02web.zoom.us/j/8698562744...

TONIGHT: Don't miss the panel at 7:00 PM ET: "The Idea to the Reader: Selling and Marketing Your Queer Mysteries," w/ publisher Salem West (Bywater), editors Alexa Wejko and Taz Urnov (Soho Press), and publicist Brittani Hilles (Lavender PR). Event link: us02web.zoom.us/j/8698562744...

I give my students 7 celebrated opening lines and ask them to rank them. The discussion always gets lively. New Substack essay on what great first lines actually do. Which is your favorite? johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/what-great...

June 23 at 7 PM ET — "The Idea to the Reader: Selling and Marketing Your Queer Mysteries." Publishers Salem West (Bywater), Alexa Wejko & Taz Urnov (Soho Press), and publicist Brittani Hilles (Lavender PR). Moderated by Jeffrey Marks. Register below! 🏳️‍🌈📚 forms.gle/kKVRqifjmwTM...

Three recent limited series—Boots, Half Man, and DTF St. Louis —gave me more to think about than most think pieces on masculinity have. New essay on male loneliness and the tenderness our culture barely has language for. Enjoy! open.substack.com/pub/johncope...

June 23, 7 PM ET — "The Idea to the Reader: Selling and Marketing Your Queer Mysteries." How to get your book into readers' hands with editors Taz Urnov & Alexa Wejko (Soho), Salem West (Bywater), and publicist Brittani Hilles (Lavender PR). Register now. 🏳️‍🌈📚 forms.gle/kKVRqifjmwTM...

Goddess of Love—cover reveal. D.C., 1964. Judy and Philippa were each other's world, then betrayal. Now a murderer from the past is coming for Judy. Pre-order today. Proud of this book—and the reveal video. 😂 Made it myself. No digital natives consulted. a.co/d/04J5K6AJ

Tomorrow, I’m finally revealing the cover of Goddess of Love—the final book in the Nightingale Trilogy. It’s queer, dark, and, yes, a little ruthless. I’m so proud of this one. Can’t wait until tomorrow? Preorder now for an early look at the full cover: bit.ly/4oktLLW

The Queer Crime Writers is out for Pride Month. Reading lists, author interviews, and the queer crime fiction community you've been looking for. Subscribe and pass it along. Here’s the link: open.substack.com/pub/queercri...

Thanks HEAPS to @johncopenhaver.bsky.social & host Alan R. Warren for having me on HOUSE OF MYSTERY, talking about the backstory AN ARTFUL DODGE, clever women thieves & 1870s London. Out June 2! shows.acast.com/houseofmyste... @sohopress.bsky.social #anartfuldodge #podcast #houseofmystery #newbook

New Substack! What AI Writing Does to the Writer Using It. In today's post, I explore the spiritual gamble writers take when they hand the gesture of writing to AI. Read more about it here: johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/what-ai-wr...

Next Tuesday, RVA readers and writers: I'll talk about assembling and editing this anthology. It's a Hansen and Anthony Award nominee, with two stories headed to 2025's Best American Mystery and Suspense. Come hear about the journey with these wonderful writers.

I’ve said this in the space before and I’ll say it again: I’m so proud to have had the chance to co-edit this amazing anthology with all these talented contributors. If you haven’t had a chance to read it, order and pick up a copy today. johncopenhaver.com/order-crime-...

The Art of Pacing’s final part is out now! Why pacing is a macro and micro problem. I’m ending where pacing begins. The element that underlies everything else–language and the sentence itself. If you’ve missed parts 1-4, they’re available on my free Substack: open.substack.com/pub/johncope...

New Substack is up! Part Four: How Writers Control the Clock. Today’s post turns to the force that unifies all three: time itself. Don’t forget to subscribe to my free Substack. The final part of “The Art of Pacing” will be released next week! johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/the-art-of...

So absolutely thrilled that Crime Ink: Iconic is an Anthony nominee, alongside these other distinguished, inventive, and inspirational anthologies! Also, SO excited for Christa Faust and Cheryl Head, whose stories from Crime Ink have been nominated for Best Short Story! @bywaterbooks.bsky.social

Part three is here! The Power of What You Put Next to What. Today, one of the most powerful and underrated tools a writer has for propelling narrative: juxtaposition. If you’d like to catch up on parts 1 and 2, they’re available on my free Substack! johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/the-art-of...

This time, I'm sharing my thoughts on tension — what it is and how it drives a story forward. Keep an eye out for part three next week. Follow along and subscribe to my free Substack — link below. johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/the-art-of...

New Substack is up! The Art of Pacing: pacing isn't speed ... it's a symphonic interplay of plot, tension, and time. Plus a close read of Megan Abbott's DARE ME. Love that book! johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/the-art-of...

15 Years of Great Interviews on the House of Mystery Radio Show on NBC Wanda Morris Any Where You Run Full Interview: Listen to the Full Interview here: shows.acast.com/houseofmyste... Buy the Book! wandamorriswrites.com @wandamowrites.bsky.social @johncopenhaver.bsky.social

Thrilled—as always—to share this slate of spring (and winter!) releases from fantastic LGBTQ+ crime writers. As an organization, Queer Crime Writers works to compile this list to help spread the word about the vitality and variety of LGBTQ+ authors writing crime fiction! ➡️ bit.ly/4t8dfQK

I’m thrilled to be talking about pacing at JRW’s The Writing Show with Nicole Glover, Alethea McCollin, and moderator Melissa Scott Sinclair! Come out and learn more about pacing—we promise the discussion will move at a swift clip! 😊 www.facebook.com/events/15579...

I’m so thrilled that Christa Faust's superb story, "Hollywood Prometheus," has been nominated for a Derringer Award. Congratulations, Christa! And congrats to all the other nominees!

Hey, hey—it looks like I’m a Distinguished Adjunct now. 😊 Truly, I’m thrilled to receive this honor from VCU CHS for teaching fiction writing, Queer Literature, and Intro to Crime Fiction at VCU.

Salem and I are over the moon that Crime Ink: Iconic is a finalist for the Joseph Hansen Award for LGBTQ+ Crime Writing. This honor belongs to the brilliant writers in the anthology. Congratulations to our fellow finalists—truly wonderful company. 🖤 @bywaterbooks.bsky.social

Richmond friends—I’ll be at Gayton Branch Library on Thurs., March 19 (6–7 PM) for Crime Fiction as Social Commentary, part of All Henrico Reads with Walter Mosley. We’ll explore how crime stories challenge our ideas about justice and society. Free and open to all—hope to see you there.

Crime Ink: Iconic made the Foreword INDIES shortlist for LGBTQ+ Adult Fiction. Over the moon! I’m so proud of this anthology and the talented writers who make it what it is. Also, a shout-out to the publisher, Bywater, which had four novels shortlisted. www.forewordreviews.com/awards/final...

It’s Anthony Award nomination season! 🏆 If Crime Ink: Iconic thrilled you, moved you, or kept you up past your bedtime, please consider nominating it for an Anthony. We’d be honored to have your support! 🔥📚

Once again, a stylish Queer Crime Writers gathering at Left Coast Crime in San Francisco! 😊 This time: Top of the Mark. What views! Thanks to everyone who came out! ❤️ Also, thanks to Marco Carocari for the photos and the collage.

Such a pleasure to read at the superb The Best Bookstore on Union Square's fog-inspired evening of flash crime short stories with so many remarkable (wow!) writers. What a blast ... and we actually summoned the fog! Thanks to Rob Osler for organizing.

Queer Crime Writer Sightings at @LeftCoastCrime2026 THANK YOU @johncopenhaver.bsky.social @thejennhooker @roboslerwriter.bsky.social for the get-together @ Top of the MarkSF And to Alexa Wejko and Nick Whitney from @sohopress.bsky.social for hanging with the cool kids @bywaterbooks.bsky.social

TONIGHT! Hosted by @elsatouche.bsky.social @johncopenhaver.bsky.social @jamesdfhannah.bsky.social @audreyleeauthor.bsky.social @karenodden.bsky.social @gigipandian.bsky.social @saraparetsky.bsky.social @garyphillips59.bsky.social @fayesnowden.bsky.social At @bestbookstore.bsky.social Union Sq

NEW THIS SUMMER from RHP Press: WAVES OF BURDEN. The new novel from Anthony Award-winning author @curtisippolito.bsky.social. You don't want to miss this one.

Scenes fall apart when they’re all dialogue, all description, or all navel-gazing. In Inside Character, Part III, I break down how to weave action, setting, and interiority into something embodied and alive. The final installment of the series—check it out! ➡️ open.substack.com/pub/johncope...

Scenes fall apart when they’re all dialogue, all description, or all navel-gazing. In Inside Character, Part III, I break down how to weave action, setting, and interiority into something embodied and alive. The final installment of the series—check it out! ➡️ open.substack.com/pub/johncope...

The latest Queer Crime Writers newsletter shares our recent anthology representation report, a thoughtful conversation with Robyn Gigl, and a celebration of Fall 2025 LGBTQIA+ crime fiction. 💜 It’s public—subscribe, read, and share to lift queer crime voices: queercrimewriters.substack.com

New on my Substack: “Inside the Character, Part II.” A practical look at how fiction gets inside a mind—first-person, third-person limited, and how interiority works in fiction. If this kind of craft talk helps you, give it a read (and maybe subscribe). ➡️ johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/inside-the...

RVA friends and readers, I’m chatting with Con Lehane about his fantastic new historical crime novel, The Red Scare Murders at Fountain Bookstore, Inc. this Wednesday, 1/14 at 6:00 PM. Don’t miss it! Free registration below withfriends.co/event/269842...

In case you missed the virtual event with @johncopenhaver.bsky.social, Mysti Berry, and myself, here it is on YouTube. Check it out and let us know what you think.

I’m so excited to be in conversation with Anthony Award–winning author Olivia Blacke about her new mystery, Death at the Door—we’ll be talking all things mystery, hauntings, and ghostly crime solvers. 👻📚 RVA friends, swing by!

Thrilled to see Crime Ink: Iconic on the Los Angeles Blade’s list of Best Books to Give This Holiday Season. This anthology is close to my heart, and I’m grateful for these incredible contributors and their stellar work. 🎄❤️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

Richmond, swing by tonight for a drink and X-mas shopping! Books make great gifts!

This winter round-up from @queercrimefic.bsky.social on @crimereads.bsky.social shows how boldly queer crime writers address issues from anti-LGBTQ+ legislation to the machinery of power. Check them out! crimereads.com/queer-crime-...

This Saturday, 7–9 PM: BrewHoHo at Afterglow Coffee Cooperative! Come grab a drink, browse books, and meet 16 of RVA’s best authors—including me.😉 @shelflifebooksrva.bsky.social will have books for sale, and we’ll be signing. Get a jump on holiday shopping and have some fun. 🎄📚☕️

Next week, join Curtis Ippolito, Mysti Berry, and me for a conversation about editing anthologies that go beyond theme—they’re built to push for change. The event is free and hosted by the MWA NorCal Chapter, but you’ll need to register. See you there! ➡️ bit.ly/3XzdSoa

Thrilled to see Crime Ink: Iconic—the anthology I edited with Salem West—and Every Say a Little Death, edited by Josh Pachter, both featured in Oline Cogdill’s Sun Sentinel best-of column. Grateful to Oline for championing crime fiction, especially short fiction!