Stephen Cox

@stephencoxauthor

Novelist. Spooky? THE CROOKED MEDIUM's GUIDE TO MURDER. "A pleasure from start to finish" THE CROOKED MEDIUM'S GUIDE TO TERROR Sept 2026. UK writer - AI is theft.

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Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Jul 7

Where do you get your ideas from? Wrong answers only Eric Proizet, Unsplash (this is why you don't need AI) #writing #inspiration #novel #author #books #brainstorming #timewasting

A cheese shop close up on various artisanal cheese, mostly round and varying from grey-green to almost white. The labels, white on black, are in French and explain which animal's milk was used.

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Jun 28

Hot news! I'm about to send my newsletter subscribers a big book giveaway, a Zoom call to discuss all things writing, and hold the date for launch party. It's always #free, not too often, subscribe any time, Beehiiv not Substack. #books #LGBT+ #crime #CWA #murder #fantasy #reading #indieauthor

The Ballad Singer by David Macklise, 1858. Richly rendered, an attractive woman in a red cloak has a baby on her back and carries a basket of fruit. A rose pinned to her yellow blouse, she is clearly about to do a hard sell on the long thin printed ballad in her hands

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Jun 26

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.

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Jun 26

As I am getting numbers on Net Zero (ending burning coal) and beating children as metaphor, I will mention my "warm, witty and queer-hearted' spooky Victorian mysteries, which comtain burning coal and we assume, beaten children. The second one is out in 14/9 #murder #crime #indie #spooky #books

The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder by Stephen Cox
The book cover is surround by its elements matching Victorian lettering - spooky / Vicious Baronet / Spiritualist Scammers/ Hidden Crimes / older grumpy sapphics / snarky dock-lass/ twisty mystery / Lady in Danger/Queer Found Family

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.

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Jun 16

#IndependentBookshopWeek. All hail @allgoodbookshop.co.uk a coop owned bookshop cum community arts space. The writing group nurtured my getting published. The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder has sold over 50 copies there (they handle my signed copies) #books #reading #bookshop #indieauthors

The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder. Quote: 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.

VISUAL 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.

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Jun 12

Subscriber newsletter out... free forever, not Substack, free short story set in spooky Victorian sheenanigans of the Crooked Medium books. Update on the second book. Unsub any time. #historicalfiction #mystery #spooky #books #Victorian stephens-newsletter-69af79.beehiiv.com/p/the-crooke...

The Greek sorceress Medea in some sort of strop doing spooky stuff with an altar, frog, and fire. She is young beautiful, long black hair and white clothing with red necklass. Ships behind her. Oil painting by Frederick Sandys, v mid Victorian.

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Jun 5

Squeee

One of Norway's football team long blond hair, round shield, sword, looking stern, up to his waist in a fjord being photographed

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Jun 5

Copyedits back. Finding a green moth whose kin have presumably been hanging out in our garden for generations as it is exactly leaf coloured. The Norway football team photo.

The Norway football team dressed as Vikings all looking splendid in front of a dramatic fjord under a cloudy sky and two longboats in the water. Round shields, swords, spears, all looking very serious

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· May 24

Repost with the Russian agent that spies on your posts.

Richard Chamberlin plays Tchaikovsky in Ken Russell's The Music Makers. He is formally dressed, arms up accepting praise, surrounded by a jubilent crowd tossing up hats and coloured streamers, and standing on the sort of plinth a statue stands on. A brilliantly blue sky and brown and white classical building porch behind him links him to the classical tradition. His podsture alone shows glee.

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· May 22

The sequel to The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder is being edited. What questions would you want answered about the two books or if you read the first, what questions about the second? I may reply here or later at more length in my free newsletter and blog #books #reading #indieauthor #murder

Gustav Dore's black and white engraving - very famous - of St Pauls looming over the cramped higgledy-piggledy slums of London. A man walks over a frail bridge between two sides of the road. It's clearly used in scenes in the 40s black and white film of Oliver Twist. Really atmospheric

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· May 13

Coming soon to my free newsletter subscribers the first of two free short stories set in Edinburgh a few years before the Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder. A cynical lawyer meets two grasping siblings frightened that an English medium will get them disinherited. #writing #books #reading #mystery

Cover of the short story - The Ghostmonger and the Will. Picture by Julia Solonia from Unsplash. The Ross Fountain, ornate, blue and gold, Victorian statues and fiddly bits, 1872 but cleans up nicely, with the majestic Edinburgh castle high behind it, golden in the sun with a clear blue sky.

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· May 7

#DogsAtPollingStations ? How about, #DogesAtPollingStations? Tintoretro, via artvee

A Venetian Doge (head of state) in a rich traditional oil painting, his cape of white fur with gold pompom buttons, his robe itself brown. He has the odd tradition red hat and a great beard. This Doge looks a bit peaky, not like the fierce ones.

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Apr 22

I'm in a curious position wondering whether my book is in fact now ready to go to my able copyeditor in three weeks. She will flag up anything the first editor didn't see. I may be procrastinating. My default - muse a week, final read. #amwriting #writing #books (Drawing by WIlliam Henry Walker

A young boy in ? Edwardian clothing - top hat, eton collar - scratches his head as he has created a toy railway crash. It is obvious that the loops of track join up and it was inevitable The phrase 13 yrs is there but I'd say he looks younger. 13 year olds can be dense but not that dense.

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Apr 13

Matt at Inspiral Design. A joy to work with and it has had a lot of love. This self published book sits on tables of trad published and is often the one picked up... #books #Victorian #murdermystery #art #NoAI

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Mar 21

Show somebody who absolutely rocks a hat and isn’t Indiana Jones. Servalan rocks everything.

Servalan in Blakes Seven with a white jacket-dress with mandarin collar and a broad brimmed white hat

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Mar 21

Oddly as World Down Syndrome Day, I happened to be in researchland and found Princess Alexandrine of Prussia, 1915 to 1980, born to a family who had her in all the photos and at events. Royal families tend to hide their different children away... this one wasn't and with love lived a long life.

A monochrome photo of a teenage girl /young woman, seated, from the side in a sleeveless white dress and a big bow in her long hair. The typical signs of Downs Syndrome are not particularly obvious from this angle. (Wikipedia)

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Mar 12

This has been tried.

A large public square full of Chinese people sitting , surrounded by red chinese lettering. It shows the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution.

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Mar 5

For World Book Day I dressed up as an aging scruff. I have three books out and two on the way. Buy my books #reading #writing #SFF #Victorian #murder #mystery #books #booksbooksbooks

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Feb 26

The batshit Telegraph is at it again.

A fake column headline from the ridiculous Allister Heath of the Torygraph denounces the sinister alliance between big business and spooky sapphic Victorian mayhem

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Feb 25

Writers! As the creative carcinoma of #AI art spreads, Unsplash, Library of Congress, Wikicommons, and artvee offer endless free human resources for your newsletters etc. Writing in Victorian times, artvee is well stocked with art from that era and before. #writing #books

Richard Bentson, Unsplash. An old fashioned fairground organ with gilded decoration, an elaborately dressed conductor in green and orange, in front of serried ranks of organ pipes. You can imagine the carousel it is so evocative

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Jan 30

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.

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Jan 10

#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

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Dec 5

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.

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Nov 12

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.

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Oct 31

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.

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Oct 29

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

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Oct 28

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

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Oct 23

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.

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Oct 22

Fortress of Solitude, an cluster of ice spears arising from Antarctic ice. bleak even though sun is shining

Stephen Cox@stephencoxauthor· Oct 21

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...