John Copenhaver
@johncopenhaver.bsky.social
Award-winning author. Educator. GODDESS OF LOVE coming soon! Pre-order link in Linktree. http://linktr.ee/johncope74 (he/him) muckrack: http://bit.ly/3Uxxm9E
I'm thrilled to be donating signed copies of Hall of Mirrors and The Savage Kind to the Crozet Book Fest Silent Auction! Every bid supports local writers and helps grow the Crozet Book Fest. Check out all the offerings here: www.bluebirdcrozet.com/pages/cbfauc...
Hall of Mirrors is #1 on this incredible list (I don’t even know what “#1” even means in a list with Atwood’s masterpiece and many truly outstanding fellow writers—like really?—but I’ll take it 😄). I’d love for you to preorder its follow up: Goddess of Love: johncopenhaver.com/order-goddes... ❤️
Another Writing Across Difference post just dropped on Substack! This one explores how significant details can transform stereotypes into complex, believable characters. If you haven’t read the earlier posts in the series, I recommend having a look! johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/how-detail...
OMG. Delighted to see DOWN A DARK RIVER on this OPRAH DAILY list w/ Atwood's ALIAS GRACE, one of my fave novels ever. (HOW am I on this list?) and with brilliant writer friends @mariahfredericks.bsky.social & @johncopenhaver.bsky.social. #DownADarkRiver @crookedlanebooks.bsky.social bit.ly/4bnuOVZ
12 Historical Mysteries That Make the Past Feel Dangerously Alive
Come for the period detail; stay for the betrayals, disappearances, and bodies.
oprahdaily.com
Wow, what a list! So honored to see HALL OF MIRRORS on this list in Oprah Daily with brilliant writer pals Mariah Fredericks, Karen Odden, and Cheryl Head. And Margaret Atwood?! Being on a list with Alias Grace is insane. That's one of my favorite novels of all time. A masterpiece. bit.ly/4pLN6Gp
12 Historical Mysteries That Make the Past Feel Dangerously Alive
Come for the period detail; stay for the betrayals, disappearances, and bodies.
bit.ly
New post is up: the stock characters we inherit as writers, and what we do with them. From the gay best friend to the final girl. Some of these types are just narrative shorthand. Others carry a lot more baggage than, sometimes, we admit. johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/start-with...
CrimeReads just published our Queer Crime Writers summer reading list! Check out the list and fill up your beach bag. crimereads.com/queer-crime-...
New Substack delivery! Part 3 of Writing Across Difference. Before you write a character from a marginalized group, learn the story the culture already tells about them, so you can complicate and push back on the dominant narrative. Check it out! johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/question-t...
Giving the first talk in a new lecture series at my hometown library, named for my mother. I’ll talk about setting and character — how place shapes who a character can be. Free, Sat July 25, 4-6pm, Marion Public Library. scplva.net/events/2026-...
Part 2 of Writing Across Difference is live. It's about the research that comes before all the rest: looking hard at the stories that shaped you. Give it a read and subscribe—it's free. Sharing is nice too. My mother taught me that. 😜 johncopenhaver.substack.com/p/research-s...
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
Karen Odden - An Artful Dodge | House of Mystery Radio on NBC
#53 - 26 Alan R Warren & John Copenhaver
shows.acast.com
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...
The Art of Pacing: Part 5
Why pacing is a macro and micro problem
open.substack.com
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...
