ANNOUNCING BOUCHERCON 2026 ANTHOLOGY FINALISTS
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We are thrilled to recognize the following short stories as our select Finalists.
We received a total of 176 short stories from around the world. All stories have been read blind by a large committee of committed adjudicators and myself, the Editor. The finalist stories listed below have now been sent to the Guest Editor, Jess Lourey, who is selecting and advising on the final winners. Those winning stories will be published in October 2026 in Bouchercon Calgary’s Anthology, and each winning author will receive $75 US.
A book launch and signing will be held at Bouchercon 2026: Calgary on Thursday, October 22. All winning authors, finalists and judges will be invited, along with all attendees.
Congratulations to each of our Finalists !
2026 FINALISTS
| A Derryman | Cheryl Malone |
| A Fish Tale | Michael Wiley |
| Beyond the Pale | Terri Karsten |
| Bones and Barbed Wire | Thomas A. Burns, Jr. |
| Border Queen | Linda Sanche |
| Borderline | Connie Johnson Hambley |
| Cold Mercy | Rowan James |
| Crossing Lines | Cal Stone |
| Crossing the Line | Vinnie Hansen |
| Deadline | Larry S. Evans II |
| Dragon Meat in Heaven | Charles Philipp Martin |
| Eye of the Storm | Madona Skaff |
| Flutz’ Cluck Truck | Susan Hammerman and Sandra SG Wong |
| Garden Plot | John M. Floyd |
| Gift Horse | Nikolett Popovics |
| Homestay | Huck Kahng |
| Kwibuka 30 | Heather Bonin MacIntosh |
| Liminal Predators | Lily Corbeau |
| Links in the Chain | Brenda Buchanan |
| Murder at the Border Café | Ruth Knafo Setton |
| Neighbourhood Watch | Lisa Harkrader |
| Of Chalk and Bone | Shelly Jones |
| One Good Thing | Raymond J. Brash |
| Ovenbird | donalee Moulton |
| Penalty of the Sack | R.J. Koreto |
| Silenced Wings | Tracey Devlyn |
| Sleeper Plus Class | Brenda Seabrooke |
| Snake in the Grass | BV Lawson |
| The 10th Man | Kathy A. Norris |
| The Double | Tairi Blair |
| The Drive | Pam F. Martin |
| The Fuzzy Border Between Life and Death | Tammy Euliano |
| The Journals of Doc Young | Nancy Pawelek |
| The Last Shaman | Susan Zhao |
| The Ledger of the Lost | Alexandra Burt |
| The Seiche | Kate Michaelson |
| The Widow of Cape Spear | Charles Schipps |
| Thesis of Death | Clay Stafford |
| They Never Knock Twice | Charles Schipps |
| When Pop Crossed the Border | Linda Norlander |
Olyn Fleming Ozbick, Editor
Olyn Fleming Ozbick is a screenwriter, short story writer, novelist and journalist. Her three-time international award-winning screenplay Stumbling into a Chair has been made into a film for release in 2025. As Editor of Bouchercon’s annual Anthology of short mystery stories, she currently works both sides of the editorial desk. These are roles to which she is accustomed, as a multiple international-award-winning editor and publisher. Her short stories are published in literary journals throughout Canada, the US and UK. Her essays and journalism are published extensively. She is the recipient of support from Banff Centre for the Arts, and Canada Council. She has taught Writing at the Alexandra Writers Centre for the past 12 years. Prior to that she taught Feature Writing in the Journalism Department at Mount Royal University. She shares her time between Calgary, AB and Mesa, AZ when she isn’t traveling to meet and understand the vastly differing peoples and experiences that abound on our abundant planet.
