Clay's Recent Publications
Clay Stafford’s short story “The Hanging On Dumaine Street” was published in the anthology BLOOD ON THE BAYOU (Down & Out Books)
Clay Stafford’s short story “A Short Garsh” was included in the 2025 Anthony Award Winner TALES OF MUSIC, MURDER, AND MAYHEM (Down & Out Books)
Editor and contributor to Killer Nashville’s bestselling and award-winning book Cold-Blooded: Killer Nashville Noir
Screenwriter, producer, director of the award-winning feature documentary One of the Miracles
Music producer of the orchestral soundtrack One of the Miracles
Music producer, songwriter, composer, and arranger for the award-winning and A.M. regional Top 10 collaborative musical album XO with international bestselling author Jeffery Deaver
HOW TO DEAL WITH REJECTION: Guest Post by Clay Stafford
April 27, 2021 • Source: Mystery Fanfare, Janet Rudolph
In-Person Events
Novel Writing Intensive Retreat
November 11, 2025 • Nashville, TN
Guest of Honor with Steven James and Robert Dugoni
Novel Writing Intensive Retreat
November 7, 2025 • Nashville, TN
Guest of Honor with Steven James and Robert Dugoni
Moderator for Andrew Klavan Book Signing
November 1, 2025 • 2:00 p.m. • Barnes & Noble: Cool Springs, Brentwood, TN
Join us as we host international bestselling author and Edgar Award Winner Andrew Klavan in-conversation with Clay Stafford, author and founder/CEO of the annual Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference. Mr. Klavan will also be signing copies of After That, the Dark, the newest entry in the Cameron Winter Mysteries series!
Northeast Georgia Literary Society
October 25, 2025 • Gainesville, GA
“A Dozen Ways to Be a Bestseller” workshop
Sisters in Crime Middle Tennessee’s The Grand Plottery
September 20, 2025 • 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. CST • Donelson Library, Donelson/Nashville, TN
Clay Stafford will join SinC Middle Tennessee’s The Grande Ole Plottery at the Donelson Library, serving as panel leader for Ring of Fire with Jaden Terrell, Lisa Wysocky, and Judith Yates. The event features themed author panels, book sales, and opportunities to meet the writers in the Teen Room (3rd floor, Room B).
Middle Tennessee Sisters in Crime Q & A: Craft of Writing
September 9, 2025
Bouchercon 2025
September 3-7, 2025 • New Orleans, LA
Bouchercon is an annual world mystery convention that brings together fans, authors, editors, publishers, agents, booksellers, and other enthusiasts of mystery and crime fiction.
California Writers Club (San Fernando Valley Branch)
October 5, 2024 • Woodland Hills, California
Discussing “Incorporating Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Romance, and Action Into Any Work”
Memoir Writing Group
September 28, 2024 • Nashville, Tennessee
Discussing “Structuring a Compelling Memoir”
Tewksbury Public Library Writing Group
September 24, 2024 • Tewksbury, Massachusetts
Bouchercon 2024
August 28 – September 1, 2024 • Nashville, Tennessee
Fan Guest of Honor
Clay presents on “The Art of Storytelling” to the regional Sisters in Crime Group, The Smoking Guns
January 27, 2024 • Knoxville, TN
Publishers + Writers of San Diego
February 25, 2023 • San Diego, California
Virtual Events
The Art of Storytelling – Clay Stafford’s presentation to the Diamond Valley Writers’ Guild
April 20, 2024 • Source: Diamond Valley Writers’ Guild
Incorporating Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense, into any Work – Clay Stafford’s presentation to the Diamond Valley Writers’ Guild
June 13, 2023 • Source: Diamond Valley Writers’ Guild
Clay Interviews...
A Conversation with Charles Todd on Writing History as Living Story (Killer Writers)
November 29, 2025 • Source: Writer’s Digest
A Conversation With Otto Penzler on What Writers Overlook When Crafting Crime Fiction (Killer Writers)
October 30, 2025 • Source: Writer’s Digest
A Conversation with Lauren Myracle on Breaking the Rules and Writing Across Ages and Genres (Killer Writers)
September 27, 2025 • Source: Writer’s Digest
A Conversation With Janelle Brown on Writing and Historical Mystery/Thrillers (Killer Writers)
August 30, 2025 • Source: Writer’s Digest
A Conversation With Paul Karasik on The Graphic Truth: Writing, Pitching, and Publishing Graphic Novels (Killer Writers)
August 2, 2025 • Source: Writer’s Digest
A Conversation with James Comey on Writing Fairly and Making Stories Linger (Killer Writers)
June 28, 2025 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Conversation with David Handler on “How the Character Comes First” (Killer Writers)
May 31, 2025 • Source: Writer’s Digest
A Conversation with Eric LaRocca on Writing Dark, Troubled Protagonists (Killer Writers)
April 26, 2025 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Conversation with Thomas Perry on “Suspense and Leaving What Matters” (Killer Writers)
March 29, 2025 • Source: Writer’s Digest
A Conversation With Andrew Klavan on Incorporating Philosophical Ideas Into Storytelling (Killer Writers)
March 1, 2025 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Clay Stafford talks with Cal Newport on “Building a Meaningful Career”
February 28, 2025 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Conversation with Cal Newport on “Writing Productivity” (Killer Writers)
January 31, 2025 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Clay Stafford talks with Joyce Carol Oates “On Being Her Own Person”
January 31, 2025 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Clay Stafford talks with Callan Wink “On Succeeding as a Part-Time Writer”
January 3, 2025 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Conversation with Joyce Carol Oates on “The 4-Part Formula for Writer Success” (Killer Writers)
December 30, 2024 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Conversation with Callan Wink on “Writing and Selling Personal Essays” (Killer Writers)
December 1, 2024 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Clay Stafford Talks with Heather Graham: “The Business of Writing”
November 29, 2024 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Conversation with Heather Graham on “The Habits of a Prolific Writer” (Killer Writers)
November 8, 2024 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Clay Stafford Talks with Abbott Kahler: “Advice for Writing True Crime”
November 1, 2024 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Conversation with Abbott Kahler on “How to Write Narrative Nonfiction” (Killer Writers)
September 28, 2024 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Clay Stafford Interviews Sara Paretsky: “Making a Difference”
September 27, 2024 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Clay Stafford Interviews Andrews & Wilson: “On Collaborating”
September 3, 2024 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Conversation with Sara Paretsky on the “Writing Process” (Killer Writers)
August 31, 2024 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Clay Stafford Interviews Tom Mead: “Writing Locked Room Mysteries”
August 6, 2024 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Conversation with Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson on “How to Write Action Thrillers” (Killer Writers)
July 28, 2024 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Clay Stafford Interviews Cindy Dees: “You Can Write Espionage”
July 2, 2024 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Conversation with Tom Mead on “The Popularity of Locked Room Mysteries” (Killer Writers)
June 30, 2024 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Clay Stafford Interviews Cindy Dees: “You Can Write Espionage”
June 28, 2024 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Clay Stafford Interviews Reviewer Maureen Corrigan: “I Want Good Books”
May 31, 2024 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Conversation with Cindy Dees on “Tropes and How to Use Them” (Killer Writers)
May 25, 2024 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Clay Stafford Interviews Robert Mangeot: “Short Stories and the Big Honking Moment”
May 3, 2024 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Conversation with Maureen Corrigan on “The Relationship Between Writers and Reviewers and How to Get Your Books Reviewed” (Killer Writers)
April 27, 2024 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Clay Stafford Interviews Dean Koontz: “The Secret of Selling 500 Million Books”
April 2, 2024 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
A Conversation with Robert Mangeot on Writing and Selling Short Stories
March 9, 2024 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Clay Stafford Interviews Bruce Robert Coffin: “Using Your Life to Write a Police Procedural”
March 1, 2024 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Conversation with Dean Koontz on “Giving Yourself Five Years to Make It as a Writer”
(Killer Writers)
February 10, 2024 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Clay Stafford Interviews Susan Isaacs: “A Casual Conversation with Susan Isaacs”
February 2, 2024 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Clay Stafford Interviews Amulya Malladi: “Research: Doing It, Loving It, Using It, and Leaving It Out”
January 2, 2024 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Conversation with Matt Mason on “Writing Genre Poetry, Part 2”
(Killer Writers)
December 28, 2023 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Clay Stafford Interviews Chris Grabenstein: “Switching Genres and James Patterson’s Advice on How to Make a Million Dollars”
December 5, 2023 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Conversation with Matt Mason on “Writing Genre Poetry, Part 1”
(Killer Writers)
November 30, 2023 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Clay Stafford Interviews David Baldacci: “Developing Characters”
November 3, 2023 • Source: Killer Nashville Magazine
Conversation with Bruce Robert Coffin on “Never Letting the Dream Die”
(Killer Writers)
October 28, 2023 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Conversation with Susan Isaacs on Description (Killer Writers)
October 4, 2023 • Source: Writer’s Digest
A Conversation with Robyn Harding on the Importance of Conflict in Page-Turning Thriller Novels (Killer Writers)
August 12, 2023 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Conversation With Amulya Malladi on the Research Before Your Research (Killer Writers)
July 6, 2023 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Conversation with David Baldacci on Writing a Standalone Novel Versus a Series (Killer Writers)
April 10, 2023 • Source: Writer’s Digest
A Conversation with Chris Grabenstein on Writing for Kids (Killer Writers)
February 19, 2023 • Source: Writer’s Digest
A Conversation with Alexia Gordon on Making Time to Write in Unconventional Ways (Killer Writers)
October 7, 2022 • Source: Writer’s Digest
A Conversation with Jaden Terrell on Writer Expectations, Part 3 (Killer Writers)
September 3, 2022 • Source: Writer’s Digest
A Conversation with Jaden Terrell on Writer Expectations, Part 2 (Killer Writers)
August 4, 2022 • Source: Writer’s Digest
A Conversation with Jaden Terrell on Writer Expectations, Part 1 (Killer Writers)
June 30, 2022 • Source: Writer’s Digest
A Conversation with Baron R. Birtcher on Social Media: Bestseller. No Website. No Me. (Killer Writers)
May 28, 2022 • Source: Writer’s Digest
A Conversation with J.T. Ellison on Voice: Hamburgers or Coq au Vin (Killer Writers)
April 24, 2022 • Source: Writer’s Digest
Podcasts
Sisters in Crime Podcast: Interview with Clay Stafford
July 29, 2025
Clay Stafford is featured on the Author2Author Podcast
May 2, 2025
Clay Stafford is featured on the Good Rascals Podcast
April 17, 2025
Clay Stafford is featured on The Story Will Save You Podcast
April 2, 2025
Clay Stafford is featured on the Crime Wave Podcast
February 25, 2025
Clay Stafford is featured on the Cops and Writers Podcast
February 11, 2025
Conversation about Killer Nashville and Breaking into the Industry
July 18, 2024
Clay Stafford speaks with Debbi Mack on the Crime Cafe
June 30, 2024
Clay Stafford speaks with Dr. Katherine Hutchinson Hayes on Murder, Mystery & Mayhem Laced with Morality
May 19, 2024
Clay Stafford speaks with Rich Ehisen on The Open Mic
April 30, 2024
National Public Radio (NPR) says, “since 2006, Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference has helped writers from all over the world build their careers.”
August 17, 2023
Clay converses with New York Times Bestseller Debbi Mack about writing, filmmaking, and Killer Nashville
June 28, 2023
Clay converses with Dean Rotbart, an award-winning business journalist and educator on Monday Morning Radio
April 24, 2023
“Given his many talents and occupations, any conversation with Clay would not be complete if we didn’t stray from the central topic,” Dean says. “So this week, he and I will also discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on authors and publishers; the state of the publishing market; the 12 habits of successful writers; and the one subject Nobel laureate William Faulkner — author of “The Sound and the Fury” — didn’t want to talk about.”
Clay chats with Kathleen Foxx on the #badasswriters podcast up-north in Canada.
April 14, 2023
Topics covered include the plethora of things he’s involved in (writing, publishing, education, music industry, etc.), various forms of storytelling, how Killer Nashville began, what comprises ‘mystery, suspense, and thriller,’ why he loves doing what he does, diversity in books and in the conference, everything the conference offers, the awards and scholarships at available at KN, the generosity and Pay-it-Forward mentality of KN, volunteers, and the importance of networking.
Clay chats with Dean Rotbart on The Monday Morning Memo
March 15, 2023
Great quote: “If Clay Stafford were to put all of his titles on a single business card, that card would be the size of a movie poster.”
Clay Stafford is featured on the Scenic Roots Podcast
August 11, 2021
Clay talks with Ric Bratton (This Week In America) on 130 radio stations across the U.S. about his passion for educating the writers of tomorrow.
April 28, 2021
Also available as a podcast on Amazon, Audible, Spotify, iTunes, Tunein, iHeart, Player, Google Podcasts, Deezer, Podomatic, and others.
Interview with Larry Matthews
April 12, 2021
WSIU NPR Public Broadcasting
October 27, 2015
Face to Face in a Virtual World: How to Take Your Career to a Whole Other Realm
Media Interviews
Top U.S. Writer’s Conference “Killer Nashville” Begins Thursday
August 19, 2025 • Source: WSMV 4
The Open Mic: Writers in Their Own Words with Clay Stafford
July 15, 2025 • Source: Rich Ehisen’s The Open Mic
Bringing Life to Characters: Episode 38
June 30, 2025 • Source: R. Weir’s Bringing Life to Characters
Daring to Dream Creatively: Beyond Arbitrary Boundaries
April 21, 2025 • Source: The Good Rascals Podcast
Insider Tips from Writing Contest Judges with Clay Stafford
March 25, 2025 • Source: The Indy Author Podcast
Clay Stafford on the Cops and Writers Podcast
August 18, 2024 • Source: Cops and Writers Podcast
Clay Stafford speaks with Debbi Mack on the Crime Cafe
June 26, 2024 • Source: Debbi Mack & Crime Cafe Podcast
The Open Mic: Writers in Their Own Words with Clay Stafford
April 29, 2024 • Source: Rich Ehisen’s The Open Mic
Clay talks with John Valeri on Central Booking
November 30, 2022 • Source: Central Booking
Print Interviews
Bestselling Author Clay Stafford Bringing Writers’ Workshop to UNG
October 17, 2025 • Source: The Gainesville Times
Killer Nashville Is a One-Stop Shop for Authors of All Kinds
August 19, 2025 • Source: Nashville Scene
The Tennessean: WHACK! Crime, mystery, thriller authors gather in Franklin for Killer Nashville conference
August 17, 2025 • Source: The Tennessean
Feats of Clay, PW Talks to Clay Stafford
August 15, 2025 • Source: Publishers Weekly
Clay Stafford in profiled in “Rising Stars: Meet Clay Stafford”
January 27, 2025 • Source: Nashville Voyager
Justin Cox talked with Clay Stafford about Clay’s background, where and when he writes, and overcoming writer’s block
February 14, 2024 • Source: The Writing Cooperative
In Miss Demeanors, Marni Graff interviews Clay Stafford on writing and Killer Nashville
December 11, 2023 • Source: Miss Demeanors
Canvas Rebel Magazine profiles Clay Stafford
September 28, 2023 • Source: Canvas Rebel Magazine
Indie Crime Scene’s interview with Clay Stafford, founder of the Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference
September 13, 2023 • Source: Indie Crime Scene
What has helped Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference grow over the years? Clay answers that and more in his interview with Vanessa A. Ryan
June 6, 2022 • Source: Vanessa A. Ryan
AUTHORITY MAGAZINE’S Savio P. Clemente interviews Clay on “Becoming Free from the Fear of Failure”
April 29, 2022 • Source: AUTHORITY MAGAZINE
Cajun Momma Tie Interviews Clay Stafford ON THE ROAD WITH THE GOOD WIVES
April 7, 2022 • Source: On the Road With the Good Wives
Reporter John McBryde talks with Clay Stafford and three students about Clay’s Writer-in-Residence activities at Battle Ground Academy
April 4, 2022 • Source: Williamson Scene
Behind the story of Killer Nashville
May 18, 2021 • Source: Terry Ambrose
Clay talks with Mindy McGinnis about the background of the Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference
April 19, 2021 • Source: Mindy McGinnis
Clay Stafford talks about how he started Killer Nashville with Nancy Sartor of Mystery Writers of America.
Media Coverage
Image of the Day: Killer Nashville’s 20th Anniversary Conference & Award Winners
August 29, 2025 • Source: Shelf Awareness
2025 Killer Nashville Award Winners Announced
August 29, 2025 • Source: Publishers Weekly
Clay Stafford was awarded the Old Glory Chapter Media Award by the Daughters of the American Revolution for his work supporting historic preservation, education, and patriotism
March 19, 2024 • Source: Daughters of the American Revolution
Clay Stafford inks bestselling authors Cindy Dees and Kathryn Lasky as 2023 Killer Nashville Guests of Honor.
January 25, 2023 • Source: Killer Nashville
Paid in Spades by Richard Helms (published and senior edited by Clay Stafford and released through Clay Stafford Books) is nominated for a Shamus award.
June 3, 2020 • Source: American Blackguard/Clay Stafford Books