C.S. Poe's Blog, page 5

Reads: March, 2024

I was all over the place with research books in March, so unfortunately I only had time to write one review. That being said, it's a fantastic read!

18 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics by Bruce Goldfarb

My reviews are always posted at both Goodreads and BookBub—please give a follow!

Movies: March, 2024

I'm starting a new monthly roundup! Along with my book reviews, I'll now be sharing movie reviews posted at Letterboxd—basically the Goodreads of the movie world. For those who might not know, I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honors in film production. But like so many often do after attending art school, I burned out on my interest and passion in movie making. I promised myself that 2024 would be about rediscovering that joy and watching the types of films I love—to heck with the opinions of...

Reads: February, 2024

February continues my streak of great reads with new research books and a review for an old favorite! All highly recommended for those interested in these topics/genre.

Clay and Bones: My Life as an FBI Forensic Artist by Lisa Bailey

In Death Lamented: The Tradition of Anglo-American Mourning Jewelry by Sarah Nehama

Still Life with Bones: Genocide, Forensics, and What Remains by Alexa Hagerty 

Among the Living (Psycop: Book One) by Jordan Castillo Price

My reviews are linked to Goodreads, but I cross...

Translation: À la recherche du Docteur

The French edition of The Doctor (Magic & Steam: Book Three) is now available with Editions Bookmark and entitled, À la recherche du Docteur !

Blurb: 1882. Autrefois agent respecté du Bureau fédéral de la Magie et de la Vapeur, Gillian Hamilton se retrouve désormais sans titre, sans badge et derrière les barreaux. La révélation de son identité et de ses pouvoirs l’a fait tomber en disgrâce. Pour ne rien arranger, Gunner le Mortel a disparu dans les contrées sauvages de l’Ouest sans laisser de trac...

Translation: Il mistero delle curiosità

The Italian release of The Mystery of the Curiosities (Snow & Winter: Book Two) is now available and entitled, Il mistero delle curiosità !

Blurb: Sebastian Snow è felice. L’Emporium va a gonfie vele e la sua relazione con il detective della Omicidi Calvin Winter è tutto ciò che ha sempre desiderato. Con San Valentino alle porte, la sua unica preoccupazione è decidere se invitare Calvin fuori per una cena romantica. Ma quando uno sconosciuto sfonda la vetrina dell’Emporium con un mattone lasciando...

Release: Curio

Today is the pseudo-surprise release of my newest short story: Curio! A gay romcom palate cleanser perfect to read in between larger books, with lots of laughs and low angst to put a smile on your face.

Blurb: Llewellyn Cooper and his aunt Julia run Curio Cabinet in New York City’s West Village, where the clientele is as strange as the junk being amassed in their secondhand shop. Llewellyn and Julia have been as thick as thieves his entire life, and Llewellyn can’t imagine being anywhere else six...

Reads: January, 2024

January has been great in the reading department! I'm one of those readers who, once I begin a book, even if it's not for me, I read in its entirety. But I decided this month that a research book—riddled with historical inconsistencies, errors, and general lack of citations—wasn't worth my time. So instead, I enjoyed some new titles, reviewed some old, and it was a joy!

Grave Danger (Critter Catchers: Level Up: Book One) by Hank Edwards

Gentleman Bandit: The True Story of Black Bart, the Old West'...

Winner: Goodreads M/M Romance Members' Choice Awards 2023

Thank you to readers for your incredible support during the annual Goodreads M/M Romance Members' Choice Awards in December, 2023! Because of you, the Memento Mori series got some incredible recognition:

Best Mystery/Whodunit
2nd place, Broadway Butchery

Best Law Enforcement
2nd place, Broadway Butchery

Best Main Character in a Series
2nd place, Everett Larkin

I'm especially humbled by your choosing of Everett Larkin as one of the best leading characters of all 2023 releases, and can honestly say I was...

Status Update: The Councilman

I've been creatively burned out since mid-2022, which if you hadn’t seen me mention on various social media platforms, or heard me talk about in-person at book events, you might have simply noticed a decline in my production—from a cornucopia in 2021 to two books in 2022 to only one in 2023. While I feel like I’ve finally broken free of that rut, am writing consistently again, and at a level of quality I feel to be on par with previously published titles, it’s been slow-going. Writing is like a ...

End of 2023

2023 was a year... right?

I feel like a broken record lamenting the woes of creative burnout, but when it strikes, it really can take months, even years, to get over. There's no trick or shortcut, either—it's just something to work through, a time to remember to be kind to yourself, and to take creative pleasures where you can find them! Thankfully, I've been discovering my mojo again in the month of December and I'm confident it'll carry me through 2024.

And I can't wait to show you all what's be...