Award-winning author. Educator. HALL OF MIRRORS out now! Order link in Linktree. http://linktr.ee/johncope74 (he/him) muckrack: http://bit.ly/3Uxxm9Ehttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3ml5v4toqq22nPart 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! https://johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/the-art-of-pacing-part-306 May 2026 04:41 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml5v4toqq22nhttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3mkkwuojles2cThis 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. https://johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/the-art-of-pacing-part-228 Apr 2026 15:51 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkkwuojles2chttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3mjzefivgck2mNew 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! https://johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/the-art-of-pacing-part-121 Apr 2026 16:05 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjzefivgck2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3mj3eleah622cThrilled—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/4t8dfQK09 Apr 2026 17:49 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj3eleah622chttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3miw63cgggc2jI’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! 😊 https://www.facebook.com/events/1557921335270174/?rdid=FP7CXHwNfm8rsAvW#07 Apr 2026 16:09 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3miw63cgggc2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3mijgapykzs2bI’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!02 Apr 2026 14:31 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mijgapykzs2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3mhqy5vpn422hHey, 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.23 Mar 2026 21:15 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhqy5vpn422hhttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3mh77sf4isc25Salem 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.social16 Mar 2026 19:43 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mh77sf4isc25https://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3mh77ekcnas2vRichmond 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.16 Mar 2026 19:36 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mh77ekcnas2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3mgkfrrrlvk2eCrime 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. https://www.forewordreviews.com/awards/finalists/2025/lgbtq/08 Mar 2026 13:05 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgkfrrrlvk2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3mg6hrszkxs2hIt’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! 🔥📚03 Mar 2026 19:08 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mg6hrszkxs2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3mg3pt442x22qOnce 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.02 Mar 2026 16:54 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mg3pt442x22qhttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3mg3po5ldsc2qSuch 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.02 Mar 2026 16:52 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mg3po5ldsc2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3me2aa6i32s25Scenes 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! ➡️ https://open.substack.com/pub/johncopenhaver/p/inside-character-part-iii-the-alchemy?r=650tv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true04 Feb 2026 15:52 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3me2aa6i32s25https://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3me2aa6i32s25Scenes 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! ➡️ https://open.substack.com/pub/johncopenhaver/p/inside-character-part-iii-the-alchemy?r=650tv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true04 Feb 2026 15:52 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3me2aa6i32s25https://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3mdnovbukw22cThe 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.com30 Jan 2026 16:10 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdnovbukw22chttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3mcujns36fk2pNew 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). ➡️ https://johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/inside-the-character-part-ii-interiority20 Jan 2026 16:00 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcujns36fk2phttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3mc6dami7is2hRVA 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 https://withfriends.co/event/26984226/the_red_scare_murders_with_con_lehane11 Jan 2026 20:07 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mc6dami7is2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3mbryayjzoc2rI’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!06 Jan 2026 22:18 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbryayjzoc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3m7xmogkexc2nThrilled 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. 🎄❤️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈14 Dec 2025 17:16 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7xmogkexc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3m7dez2xupc2sRichmond, swing by tonight for a drink and X-mas shopping! Books make great gifts!06 Dec 2025 16:06 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7dez2xupc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3m7atis2mgs2wThis 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! https://crimereads.com/queer-crime-writers-lgbtqia-crime-fiction-fall-2025-reads/05 Dec 2025 15:47 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7atis2mgs2whttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3m6zw7umli22dThis 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. 🎄📚☕️02 Dec 2025 21:47 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6zw7umli22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3m6zup36ejs2rNext 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/3XzdSoa02 Dec 2025 21:20 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6zup36ejs2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/johncopenhaver.bsky.social/post/3m6p5za3ga226Thrilled 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!28 Nov 2025 15:07 +0000at://did:plc:zwazbwtj4v4ulgebor4xocyg/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6p5za3ga226