Recently, this writer attended the Killer Nashville International Mystery Conference just outside of Nashville, Tenn. This conference is, in my opinion, one of the premier writing conferences in the U.S. It’s not huge. It’s not overwhelming. It’s just right. For three days, a group of authors, editors, agents, and writers gather in conversation. Killer Nashville is a craft conference. Everyone attending talks about the craft of writing. Agents and editors come offering their services and to find new clients. Prospective authors can have samples of their work critiqued by the agents or the editors or both.
A plethora of topics is covered. Some of this year’s topics were: “Strategic Blogging for Writers,” “Beyond Writing the End. What Happens Next?” and “Action That Moves: Mastering Pace in Storytelling,” and that’s just Friday. There is an awards dinner on Saturday night where the Silver Falchion award for published authors and the Claymore award for unpublished authors are handed out. Those two awards have opened many, many doors for both published and unpublished authors. This year’s winner of the Silver Falchion was also the winner of the Claymore award in 2022.
There is also the opportunity simply to be around writers, editors, and authors. To find those like you, those who think similarly, who wonder about the most efficient way to move or dispose of a body. This writer has tried to attend Killer Nashville every year since she discovered it in 2008. She has been able to attend six times and never regretted it once. In 2022, the first fifty pages of her manuscript, Ink and Ashes, a paranormal mystery, were a finalist for the Claymore Award. She didn’t win but, as corny as it may sound, it was an honor to be named a finalist. Thousands of entries are received every year. That her story made it through all of those entries and was a finalist was more than she ever expected.
Last year, an agent read a requested section during an agent roundtable at Killer Nashville and asked to see the entire manuscript. This year, another agent read the requested section during another agent roundtable and was quite excited to see a protagonist that she could truly work with. Said manuscript is being edited before being sent out. That is Killer Nashville. An agent takes time out of their very busy schedule and comes to a writing conference. No query letters needed. No hoping that the e-mail gets read and responded to. No days of waiting.
Not just any agent or editor is asked to attend. They have to meet a specific set of high standards before an invitation is extended. Attending an agent/editor roundtable at Killer Nashville isn’t free. There is a fee, and you have to make a reservation, but considering what both the agents/editors and writers receive, the fee is a minor consideration.
There are always one or more guests of honor. In 2026, there were three guests of honor: Reed Farrel Coleman, a New York Times bestselling author; Heather Graham, a New York Times and USA Today author of over 100 novels; and Noelle Ihli, an internationally bestselling Bram Stoker Award nominee. Over the weekend, each guest of honor speaks on topics in mystery writing that resonate with them. Last year, Sarah Paretsky and Kemper Donovan were the guests of honor. On Saturday, Sarah Paretsky sat at this writer’s table for lunch, before she went on stage to be interviewed by Killer Nashville founder, Clay Stafford. This is also Killer Nashville. The famous and unknown come together for a weekend that cannot be equaled anywhere else in the world. Past guests of honor have included Walter Mosley, Joyce Carol Oates, David Morell and Otto Penzler.
How did such an all-encompassing event in the mystery writing world come into being? As Clay Stafford, founder of Killer Nashville, tells it, in 2006, he came home one day and told his wife he was going to start an international mystery, thriller, and suspense conference in Nashville, where he lives with his family. Stafford, no stranger to mystery writing, is a bestselling author and award-winning filmmaker. His works have sold almost four million copies and been translated into 16 languages. He has collaborated with Disney, Warner Bros and Universal as well as ABC, NBC, and CBS. He is also a college-level professor of writing and filmmaking. At the time of Killer Nashville’s creation, he was the president of the Southeast Mystery Writers of America, or SEMWA.
Stafford, for all his work in Hollywood, is an amazingly pleasant and down-to-earth soul. He is married, with two children who have grown up with Killer Nashville. Talking to Stafford is as easy as talking to a friend. He is always happy to see you and will cheerfully stand in the hallway or sit at a table to chat with conference attendees. There couldn’t be a better person to run such a well-regarded conference.
When someone asked why Stafford thought about creating a writing conference in Nashville, he stated, “Teaching is a part of my makeup, as is giving back. As SEMWA president and inspired by the reception of previous endeavors, I saw a need on a larger level beyond that of a countywide gathering. We had the Internet. We had a worldwide community that had not been accessible before. On this, Killer Nashville was founded and has grown.”
Stafford sent his idea to the Executive Vice President of Mystery Writers of America, Reed Farrel Coleman, and the president of Mystery Writers of America (MWA), Janet Evanovich. They both loved it. On a phone-in national board meeting of MWA, Stafford advanced the idea and asked if, if he created the conference, the MWA would sponsor it. They agreed and have ever since. SEMWA has also sponsored Killer Nashville from the beginning. In its first year, 2006, there were 70 attendees, and the conference did presentations at a local Barnes & Noble. Carole Higgins Clark was the guest of honor. A bookstore was added in 2007.
The conference has grown by leaps and bounds. By 2010, people were attending from Canada, Italy, Great Britain, and Asia. Today, people come from all over the world. There is an editor who flies in yearly from New Zealand. This writer has spoken with her and has attended her sessions on editing. This year, for only the second time, the conference hotel sold out. Who knows what will happen next year?
Stafford, of course, has not done all of the work by himself. He couldn’t. He has a dedicated group of volunteers and a handful of full-time staff who work unceasingly during Killer Nashville and year-round. They make sure everything is working and moving in the right direction. The logistics make this writer’s head hurt. Not only are they keeping track of the hundreds of conference attendees, but they are also keeping track of all the invitees. Author J.A. Jance, the guest of honor a few years ago, spoke fondly of how the conference made sure she got to the conference. Jance is advanced in age, so it was gratifying to hear that Killer Nashville made sure she was able to attend.
That attention to detail, that warmth and consideration for both the guests and the attendees, are some of the reasons that Killer Nashville International Mystery Conference was voted No. 1 writers conference in the U.S. by The Writer magazine. This writer can attest to that number one rating. She has been a presenter and speaker at Killer Nashville on multiple occasions. This year, she was also a moderator of two panels as well as being a speaker. At the conference this year, speaking with Stafford and his wife, this writer told him of her plans to write about the conference for the news group for which she works. He was wreathed in smiles. That’s how knowledge of Killer Nashville is spread, by word of mouth.
Killer Nashville isn’t just the conference; there is a website, Killer Nashville University, rated a Writer’s Digest “101 Best Websites for Writers,” and Killer Nashville Magazine, available at online magazine sellers. Some of this writer’s first published articles were in Killer Nashville Magazine. Much of what is out there, Stafford and his company, American Blackguard Productions, have created for the writers in all of us. Everyone interested in writing, and writing mysteries, needs to take advantage of all that knowledge.
How much does the conference cost? It’s not cheap, but it’s also not that expensive. Considering the amount of information at the conference, it’s worth every penny. There are add-ons such as agent/editor roundtables, manuscript critiques, and the awards banquet. There are discounts for seniors, students, teachers, and military personnel. There are payment plans, early bird discounts, and scholarships. This writer was awarded a scholarship ten years ago; without it, she could never have been able to attend.
Killer Nashville holds a very special place in this writer’s heart. It is because of this conference that this writer has been given the confidence to finish her manuscript and send it out into the wide world. Clay Stafford and his people are to be commended for the class act they create every August.
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