Competing for the Crider

I have not decided yet whether to take part in the 2019 Bouchercon (“Denim, Diamonds, and Death”), to be held in Dallas, Texas, from October 31 to November 3. On the one hand, this will be the 50th convention of its kind, and I’d very much like to meet a couple of the guests of honor: Peter Lovesey and Anthony Horowitz. On the other hand, I would be missing out on Halloween at my house, which is always a fun affair, as I try every year to outdo my previous record for the number of trick-or-treat visitors. (The key, I have decided, is to build up a reputation for giving out handfuls of candy.)

As I said, I haven’t made up my mind yet. But another draw is the scheduled debut at this Bouchercon of the Bill Crider Prize for Short Fiction. Honoring the late Alvin, Texas, author of That Old Scoundrel Death and many previous installments in the Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery series, this new award competition invites writers to submit stories of 3,500 to 5,000 words in length, all “relating to Texas, whether locale, characters, history, etc.” and having “an element of mystery or crime.” The deadline for entering is March 1, so if you hope to participate, there’s not much time left to get everything in order. Complete guidelines for taking part in the contest are here.