Stephen Cox
banner
stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
Stephen Cox
@stephencoxauthor.bsky.social
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
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
January 30, 2026 at 12:01 PM
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
January 18, 2026 at 1:19 PM
#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
January 10, 2026 at 2:20 PM
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
December 5, 2025 at 8:26 AM
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
November 19, 2025 at 5:08 PM
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
November 12, 2025 at 5:08 PM
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.
November 11, 2025 at 12:48 PM
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)
November 4, 2025 at 11:10 AM
@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
November 1, 2025 at 5:56 PM
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
October 31, 2025 at 10:58 AM
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
October 29, 2025 at 11:12 AM
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
October 29, 2025 at 8:42 AM
Adverts should be representative of traditional British families
October 28, 2025 at 12:58 PM
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
October 23, 2025 at 8:48 AM
October 22, 2025 at 9:25 AM
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...
October 21, 2025 at 1:10 PM
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
October 17, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Here's murder, more than halved since the 00s
October 15, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Fraser Nelson, a well-right of centre journalist, is defending the honour of London on crime.

Here's knife attacks, lower than 2014
October 15, 2025 at 11:31 AM
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
October 13, 2025 at 5:01 PM
@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)
October 12, 2025 at 3:07 PM
[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
October 12, 2025 at 2:58 PM
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
October 12, 2025 at 8:54 AM
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.
October 12, 2025 at 6:11 AM
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...
October 10, 2025 at 6:48 AM