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stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Stephen Cox
@stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
2.5K followers 1.2K following 6.8K posts
Novelist+comms. London, bi, Quaker, parent. Spooky? THE CROOKED MEDIUM's GUIDE TO MURDER. "A pleasure from start to finish"

Also Our Child of the Stars/Our Child of Two Worlds.

https://stephencox.co.uk/ https://linktr.ee/stephencoxauthor
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stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
In the middle of all this nonsense, a rollicking good story with three female leads.

A spooky sapphic Victorian mystery with a few things to say about male violence, abuse of power, and the rich poor divide...

#booksky #reading #amwriting #mystery #readers #SFF #LGBT #books
Book cover plus quotes I thoroughly enjoyed this. Highly recommended! Juliet McKenna, fantasy writer witty, atmospheric and queer hearted mystery Annarella, Blogger With the perfect mix of meticulous research, emotional depth and a rollicking good story besides, Stephen Cox delivers surprises to the very end Eris Young, editor The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox A striking book cover with the title and author name dominating. A rich dark blue background, and a touch of mist. The text appears in gold in a gold rectangular frame, the font is old fashioned implying C19th century. The frame has three rondels or cameos each containing a picture. Top right is a golden bee brooch with the body and one wing streaked with red blood. Middle left is foxgloves, spires of small bell flowers in pink, white and purple. Bottom right is a dark brown medicine bottle, with a pale label. The word LAUDANUM is just visible. There are pink highlights on some of the letters. Taken together it is bold, mysterious, and Victorian.
January 30, 2026 at 12:01 PM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Hi my spooky sapphic Victorian Murder Mystery is "absolute perfection" "hugely enjoyable"

Can two female con artists stop an MP murdering his wife?

#WomenSleuths #booksky #indieauthor
A book cover surrounded by the following aspects in matching Victorian lettering - spooky / Vicious Baronet / Spiritualist Scammers/ Hidden Crimes / older grumpy sapphics / snarky dock-lass/ twisty mystery / Lady in Danger/Queer Found Family The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox A striking book cover with the title and author name dominating. A rich dark blue background, and a touch of mist. The text appears in gold in a gold rectangular frame, the font is old fashioned implying C19th century. The frame has three rondels or cameos each containing a picture. Top right is a golden bee brooch with the body and one wing streaked with red blood. Middle left is foxgloves, spires of small bell flowers in pink, white and purple. Bottom right is a dark brown medicine bottle, with a pale label. The word LAUDANUM is just visible. There are pink highlights on some of the letters. Taken together it is bold, mysterious, and Victorian.
January 18, 2026 at 1:19 PM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
#SelfPromoSaturday! My spooky sapphic Victorian #mystery sees two dodgy con artists trying to stop an MP murdering his wife.

"...a gripping mystery with fraudulent medium, immersive locations and sense of time and a twist we never expected."

"absolute perfection"

#indieauthor #WomenSleuths
The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox A striking book cover with the title and author name dominating. A rich dark blue background, and a touch of mist. The text appears in gold in a gold rectangular frame, the font is old fashioned implying C19th century. The frame has three rondels or cameos each containing a picture. Top right is a golden bee brooch with the body and one wing streaked with red blood. Middle left is foxgloves, spires of small bell flowers in pink, white and purple. Bottom right is a dark brown medicine bottle, with a pale label. The word LAUDANUM is just visible. There are pink highlights on some of the letters. Taken together it is bold, mysterious, and Victorian.
January 10, 2026 at 2:20 PM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Working through the WIP, and boy, spotting continuity errors from a book I've done in months on, months off, is wild. I think the current draft needs work but it feels like the shape and tone are there.

It's a sequel to The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder which you should totally buy.

#booksky
Quote: a devilish dance through Victorian fakery... a story that's mysterious, driven, and above all grewat fun to read. David, Blue Book Balloon blog. The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox A striking book cover with the title and author name dominating. A rich dark blue background, and a touch of mist. The text appears in gold in a gold rectangular frame, the font is old fashioned implying C19th century. The frame has three rondels or cameos each containing a picture. Top right is a golden bee brooch with the body and one wing streaked with red blood. Middle left is foxgloves, spires of small bell flowers in pink, white and purple. Bottom right is a dark brown medicine bottle, with a pale label. The word LAUDANUM is just visible. There are pink highlights on some of the letters. Taken together it is bold, mysterious, and Victorian.
December 5, 2025 at 8:26 AM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
I'm just a poster, skeeting into the void, saying that maybe you'd like my 'devilish dance through Victorian fakery" #spooky #sapphic murderfest.

#books #booksky #LGBT #London
Text: "A devilish dance through Victorian fakery - a story that's mysterious, driven, and above all, great fun to read." The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox A striking book cover with the title and author name dominating. A rich dark blue background, and a touch of mist. The text appears in gold in a gold rectangular frame, the font is old fashioned implying C19th century. The frame has three rondels or cameos each containing a picture. Top right is a golden bee brooch with the body and one wing streaked with red blood. Middle left is foxgloves, spires of small bell flowers in pink, white and purple. Bottom right is a dark brown medicine bottle, with a pale label. The word LAUDANUM is just visible. There are pink highlights on some of the letters. Taken together it is bold, mysterious, and Victorian.
November 19, 2025 at 5:08 PM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
First sighting of The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder in the @portalbookshop.bsky.social Portal Bookshop York. Queer and nerdy, they are lovely and well worth a visit.

#indiebooks #indiebookshops #Yorkshire #SFF #murder #mystery #books #booksky
The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder face out on a shelf of SFF books. It looks splendid. The two spine out books to its right are Our Child of the Stars and Our Child of Two Worlds, also by me. These two spines are mostly just title and name. All three books are moody blue -two with yellow text and one with dark pink and white text. The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox A striking book cover with the title and author name dominating. A rich dark blue background, and a touch of mist. The text appears in gold in a gold rectangular frame, the font is old fashioned implying C19th century. The frame has three rondels or cameos each containing a picture. Top right is a golden bee brooch with the body and one wing streaked with red blood. Middle left is foxgloves, spires of small bell flowers in pink, white and purple. Bottom right is a dark brown medicine bottle, with a pale label. The word LAUDANUM is just visible. There are pink highlights on some of the letters. Taken together it is bold, mysterious, and Victorian.
November 12, 2025 at 5:08 PM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Sassy older sapphics in 1881 plunged into a spooky Victorian murder mystery. 1st sentence from a scurrilous newspaper

"We would be failing in our duty to our readers if we did not report that the notorious spirit-monger Mrs Ashton has returned to London ... this sham is up to her old games.
Text: a devilish dance through Victorian fakery... a story that's mysterious, driven and above all, great fun to read. (Blue Balloon Blog) Cover The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox A striking book cover with the title and author name dominating. A rich dark blue background, and a touch of mist. The text appears in gold in a gold rectangular frame, the font is old fashioned implying C19th century. The frame has three rondels or cameos each containing a picture. Top right is a golden bee brooch with the body and one wing streaked with red blood. Middle left is foxgloves, spires of small bell flowers in pink, white and purple. Bottom right is a dark brown medicine bottle, with a pale label. The word LAUDANUM is just visible. There are pink highlights on some of the letters. Taken together it is bold, mysterious, and Victorian.
November 11, 2025 at 12:48 PM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Shout out to @portalbookshop.bsky.social - dispatched five copies of The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder north to York

Check out this "astonishing feat" "absolute perfection" "fun read" of a novel

#books #booksky #bookshop #crime #LGBT+ #queer
(nb their Bookshop dot org can't stock it)
A book cover surrounded by the following aspects in matching Victorian lettering - spooky / Vicious Baronet / Spiritualist Scammers/ Hidden Crimes / older grumpy sapphics / snarky dock-lass/ twisty mystery / Lady in Danger/Queer Found Family The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox A striking book cover with the title and author name dominating. A rich dark blue background, and a touch of mist. The text appears in gold in a gold rectangular frame, the font is old fashioned implying C19th century. The frame has three rondels or cameos each containing a picture. Top right is a golden bee brooch with the body and one wing streaked with red blood. Middle left is foxgloves, spires of small bell flowers in pink, white and purple. Bottom right is a dark brown medicine bottle, with a pale label. The word LAUDANUM is just visible. There are pink highlights on some of the letters. Taken together it is bold, mysterious, and Victorian.
November 4, 2025 at 11:10 AM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
@portalbookshop.bsky.social

"dark and true and tender is the North"

the queer bookshop in York is stocking my book, which makes bricks and mortar shop #3 HUZZAH

#SFF #booksky #indieauthor #indiebookshop #Victorian #murder #mystery #womensleuths
Text "a devilish dance through Victorian fakery... a story that's mysterious, driven, and above all, great fun to read" (Blue Book Balloon Blog)
November 1, 2025 at 5:56 PM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Attention @worldfantasy2025.bsky.social #worldfantasy25 #books #queer #sapphic #booksky

The lovely Lali at Portal Books in the Dealers' room is stocking all three of my books! @portalbookshop.bsky.social

Always happy to hear from booksellers who don't insist on Gardiners. stephencox.co.uk
Our Child of the Stars and Our Child of Two Worlds, beautiful book covers. Both show a boy silhouetted against a mysterious sky. Our Child of the Stars shows a misty night, but many bright stars. Our Child of Worlds shows dawn breaking pink and blue, with yellow birds rising and a mysterious planet. The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox A striking book cover with the title and author name dominating. A rich dark blue background, and a touch of mist. The text appears in gold in a gold rectangular frame, the font is old fashioned implying C19th century. The frame has three rondels or cameos each containing a picture. Top right is a golden bee brooch with the body and one wing streaked with red blood. Middle left is foxgloves, spires of small bell flowers in pink, white and purple. Bottom right is a dark brown medicine bottle, with a pale label. The word LAUDANUM is just visible. There are pink highlights on some of the letters. Taken together it is bold, mysterious, and Victorian.
October 31, 2025 at 10:58 AM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
A story for Halloween. A mother, in a small New York town, sews her son's Halloween costume against the clock. Far off, men are dying in Vietnam. Something is awry, a loving couple who hide their son from a few close friends. How can they keep him safe unless they keep him a secret?

#booksky

1/n
Our Child of the Stars and Our Child of Two Worlds, beautiful book covers. Both show a boy silhouetted against a mysterious sky. Our Child of the Stars shows a misty night, but many bright stars. Our Child of Worlds shows dawn breaking pink and blue, with yellow birds rising and a mysterious planet. The books are on a maroon table with a purple hyacinth.
October 29, 2025 at 11:12 AM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Carless me bringing copies of The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder, for signing at @worldfantasy2025.bsky.social (not at big session). Stop me and buy one for all your sapphic spiritualist skullduggery.

Or it can be delivered signed to your home, or via eBook. Details on my website. #booksky
A book cover surrounded by the following aspects in matching Victorian lettering - spooky / Vicious Baronet / Spiritualist Scammers/ Hidden Crimes / older grumpy sapphics / snarky dock-lass/ twisty mystery / Lady in Danger/Queer Found Family The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox A striking book cover with the title and author name dominating. A rich dark blue background, and a touch of mist. The text appears in gold in a gold rectangular frame, the font is old fashioned implying C19th century. The frame has three rondels or cameos each containing a picture. Top right is a golden bee brooch with the body and one wing streaked with red blood. Middle left is foxgloves, spires of small bell flowers in pink, white and purple. Bottom right is a dark brown medicine bottle, with a pale label. The word LAUDANUM is just visible. There are pink highlights on some of the letters. Taken together it is bold, mysterious, and Victorian.
October 29, 2025 at 8:42 AM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Adverts should be representative of traditional British families
The characters in the BBC series Ghosts primarily showing the ghost characters Thomas, Mary, Pat, Robin, Kitty, Mrs Button and the one without trousers
October 28, 2025 at 12:58 PM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Hi new followers. I wrote two warm, heartfelt smart SF books, which are about a childless couple who adopt an alien boy in the 1960s. And the Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder which is about a crooked medium who has to solve some murders. I'm really on here to talk books and stuff.

#books #fiction
Text reads 5.0 out of 5 stars Heart warming historical crime caper A romp of a Victorian murder mystery. Good characters, pacy plot, all the twists and turns you could ask for, a foul mouthed parrot, a satisfyingly menacing villain, a mismatched but loyally loving pair of sapphic sleuths and a superbly written street urchin. Loved it, hoping for more adventures from this intrepid crime solving trio. The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox A striking book cover with the title and author name dominating. A rich dark blue background, and a touch of mist. The text appears in gold in a gold rectangular frame, the font is old fashioned implying C19th century. The frame has three rondels or cameos each containing a picture. Top right is a golden bee brooch with the body and one wing streaked with red blood. Middle left is foxgloves, spires of small bell flowers in pink, white and purple. Bottom right is a dark brown medicine bottle, with a pale label. The word LAUDANUM is just visible. There are pink highlights on some of the letters. Taken together it is bold, mysterious, and Victorian.
October 23, 2025 at 8:48 AM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Fortress of Solitude, an cluster of ice spears arising from Antarctic ice. bleak even though sun is shining
October 22, 2025 at 9:25 AM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Packed newsletter - 50 days of the Crooked Medium, con apperances, A City on Mars review, and some giveaways.

#TheCrookedMedium #reading #writing #books #SFF #murder #Victorian #indieauthor

stephencox.substack.com/p/50-days-of...
Stephen Cox, grey hair and beard, looking perplexed with finger to cheek, side-eying the camera. City street viewable through cafe window.
October 21, 2025 at 1:10 PM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
What lively question about The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder needs an answer? I want to spice up my newsletter.

I was asked whether I thought novice writers would find AI helpful and I describe my answer as "unleashing the Kraken, politely)"

Cute lil Kraken #books #questions #SFF #murder #indie
Lovely old Japanese print of a seaside with a wooden ship, a rock, and birds in a grey sky red at the horizon. A woman in traditional Japanese dress is running and her hand is out as if to snatch a cute little pink octopus looking quizzically at her, the face a little too human to be accurate. Her expression is more likely to be awww, cute little octobaby than lunch! But either is possible. "Woman with an Octopus; from the series Five Pictures of Low Tide (late 1820s) Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese, 1797-1861)" Artvee website
October 17, 2025 at 11:32 AM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Here's murder, more than halved since the 00s
A graph of the rolling twelve month murder rate halves from Jan 05 to Jan 15, rises somewhat but starts to decline afterc 2022 and is, Jan 2025, at 89 deaths, the lowest rate on record.
October 15, 2025 at 11:36 AM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Fraser Nelson, a well-right of centre journalist, is defending the honour of London on crime.

Here's knife attacks, lower than 2014
A graph of knife assaults recorded by the NHS, a reasonable indicator of knife crime. In summary it shows a rise by a third 2014 to 2018 but is now 100 cases lower than 2014. (longer description a low of 900 episodes in 2014 rises to 1200 2019-2020, there is no data in the pandemic, starts froma lower point rises to 900 then falls to 800.
October 15, 2025 at 11:31 AM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Those crazy people on the Red Rabbit Podcast asked me to ad-lib for ten minutes. You'll need sound up to full.

#death #Victorian Mourning, spiritualism, bankrupted by funerals, social etiquette, death photographs true or false, the Opium Wars, poisoning and inquests. #books #TheCrookedMedium
In Mourning by Anders Zorn. A young dark haired woman, in mourning black, and with a translucent veil - many mourning veils were much thicker than this, particularly for widows and hard to see through. sourced from artvee website
October 13, 2025 at 5:01 PM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
@bristolcon.bsky.social #BristolCon

Sat
Noon - moderating on fat is fab in fantasy (see picture)

3pm talking ROGUES* and 5pm easy workshop on being more confident talking about your book

Sun
1150 reading from The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder*
12 a panel on THIEVES* (is theme emerging)
Stephen stands against white wall background - genial, smiling, grey hair and beard, glasses - patterned jumper, handknitted scarf - very autumnal
October 12, 2025 at 3:07 PM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
[email protected] #worldfantasy25

I am delving into Occult and Supernatural - 3pm Friday Panel 2

I am reading with two other authors (3 in an hour so I assume a lot of Q+A. Reading Group 3pm Saturday

Otherwise talking my Victorian spookiness, AI

May wear this Who adjacent scarf
Stephen stands against white wall background - genial, smiling, grey hair and beard, glasses - patterned jumper, handknitted scarf - very autumnal
October 12, 2025 at 2:58 PM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
My local bookshop @allgoodbookshop.co.uk has sold 35 copies of The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder - crikey!! They sell my signed copies. It's also in the Quaker Book Centre, Euston Rd, London.

Check out this "astonishing feat" "absolute perfection" "fun read" of a novel

#books #bookshop #crime
A book cover surrounded by the following aspects in matching Victorian lettering - spooky / Vicious Baronet / Spiritualist Scammers/ Hidden Crimes / older grumpy sapphics / snarky dock-lass/ twisty mystery / Lady in Danger/Queer Found Family The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox A striking book cover with the title and author name dominating. A rich dark blue background, and a touch of mist. The text appears in gold in a gold rectangular frame, the font is old fashioned implying C19th century. The frame has three rondels or cameos each containing a picture. Top right is a golden bee brooch with the body and one wing streaked with red blood. Middle left is foxgloves, spires of small bell flowers in pink, white and purple. Bottom right is a dark brown medicine bottle, with a pale label. The word LAUDANUM is just visible. There are pink highlights on some of the letters. Taken together it is bold, mysterious, and Victorian.
October 12, 2025 at 8:54 AM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Counting your blessings. My brothers. Just worked through the final stuff so my parents house can be cleared and sold. V complex. Yet no rows. An amazing team. No notes.

Supported by three amazing women.
Cheerful picture of three boys in seventies clothes on an outdoor staircase, arranged with oldest/tallest on the lower steps and youngest on the higher. Looking at camera. big lapels, extraordinary flares, long hair the lot. Biggest boy is in shadeds of purples, the middle boy is red with a white short, the smallest in blues. A tribute to seventies fashion
October 12, 2025 at 6:11 AM
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder is a spooky sapphic Victorian Murder Mystery.

It puzzled the industry a bit but readers have no difficulty with that genre description.

Steady 4.5 ⭐on Amazon.

stephencox.co.uk/books/upcomi...
ALT: A book cover - dark blue and gold - surrounded by the following aspects in matching Victorian lettering - spooky / Vicious Baronet / Spiritualist Scammers/ Hidden Crimes / older grumpy sapphics / snarky dock-lass/ twisty mystery / Lady in Danger/Queer Found Family Cover The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox A striking book cover with the title and author name dominating. A rich dark blue background, and a touch of mist. The text appears in gold in a gold rectangular frame, the font is old fashioned implying C19th century. The frame has three rondels or cameos each containing a picture. Top right is a golden bee brooch with the body and one wing streaked with red blood. Middle left is foxgloves, spires of small bell flowers in pink, white and purple. Bottom right is a dark brown medicine bottle, with a pale label. The word LAUDANUM is just visible. There are pink highlights on some of the letters. Taken together it is bold, mysterious, and Victorian
October 10, 2025 at 6:48 AM