Stephen Cox's Blog, page 2

LAUNCH, EVENTS, etc

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Secret murder club

With the Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder almost ready for preorder, and coming 1st September, I’m looking for friends to help out.

If you blog, vlog, tiktok or review – and would rather DIE than ask me to pay you – then I’m interested. The contact form is read daily.

The Secret Murder Club is people who want to read a free eBook. The only condition is that I have your email, either by subscribing to my newsletter or otherwise. And you don’t mind me asking if you’d help promote it. You don’t have to do anything, you just need to be OK with being asked.

The CROOKED MEDIUM… IS COMING!

Preorder 18th August Published 1st October

A spooky; sapphic Victorian mystery

London 1881. Two older women, lovers living off their spiritualist scam; a beautiful young Lady lost in grief; and a powerful man concealing a hideous crime. Can this outsider couple stop a murder?

Bookmark this page: all preorder and buying links will be listed here as they are confirmed.

Seances! Murders! Fraud! ….!

The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder has it all. This is true historical fiction, where the Victorian setting is more than just set-dressing; it permeates the very fabric of the story and the wry, understated character voice. With the perfect mix of meticulous research, emotional depth and a rollicking good story besides, Stephen Cox delivers surprises to the very end. If you, like me, love a crook with a heart of gold, then these queer old birds are sure to capture your heart.

A genuine pleasure from start to finish

Eris Young, fiction editor Shores of Infinity

The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder will be available through Amazon eBook worldwide. (More TBC)In print, it will be available from this website – sent direct from the printer – and some other retailers in UK, US and other countries.Signed and dedicated, it will be on sale from the All Good Bookshop including by post.

Review copies

I rely very heavily on other people to get the book known. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch re review copies, if you are a bookseller, or want to help promote it. Contact me if you want to join my “Secret Murder Club”. (Street Team) – we chat about simple fun ways to push it. (The contact form emails are read!)

I am NOT looking for promotional services NOR paid ‘reviews’. Period. For Booksellers, I currently can’t use Gardners, sorry.

I can’t afford audio since I won’t use AI.

The Crooked Medium IS COMING…

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From the website news

The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder

A Spooky Victorian Mystery

London 1881. Two older women, lovers living off their spiritualist scam; a beautiful young Lady lost in grief; and a powerful man concealing a hideous crime. Can this outsider couple stop a murder?

Joyful news. I started notes on this book in 2021 and THE CROOKED MEDIUM’s GUIDE TO MURDER now exists as a final text. I will self-publish in the autumn and this feels massive. And the first advance comments are coming in.

Seances! Murders! Fraud! ….!

The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder has it all. This is true historical fiction, where the Victorian setting is more than just set-dressing; it permeates the very fabric of the story and the wry, understated character voice. With the perfect mix of meticulous research, emotional depth and a rollicking good story besides, Stephen Cox delivers surprises to the very end. If you, like me, love a crook with a heart of gold, then these queer old birds are sure to capture your heart.

A genuine pleasure from start to finish

Eris Young

I am using professional-quality editing, proofing, formatting, and cover design.

I have a dazzling array of practical choices still to make. The book will be on public sale no later than 1st October and available to preorder by 1st September. If I can go sooner I will.

My sister in law Deborah is the first to use the m word “… a wonderful melodrama”

“A bee unknown to science” via artvee.com

Review copies

Some of you review books online

And/or run a newsletter, blog, vlog, or podcast which covers this sort of book. I give good interview.

And/or wouldn’t mind being sent some social media visuals to share (or maybe make some for me!) Last time I produced a book I was asked for these!

Or have another reason for wanting a review copy asap

Drop me a line! I do know some of you, but not all of you. Include what, where you live, web links, etc.

Me supplying you a review copy doesn’t mean you are under an obligation to review it.

we’ll have fun.

Stephen

test newsletter**

The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder

A Spooky Victorian Mystery

London 1881. Two older women, lovers living off their spiritualist scam; a beautiful young Lady lost in grief; and a powerful man concealing a hideous crime. Can this outsider couple stop a murder?

Joyful news. I started notes on this book in 2021 and THE CROOKED MEDIUM’s GUIDE TO MURDER now exists as a final text. I will self-publish in the autumn and this feels massive. And the first advance comments are coming in.

Seances! Murders! Fraud! ….!

The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder has it all. This is true historical fiction, where the Victorian setting is more than just set-dressing; it permeates the very fabric of the story and the wry, understated character voice. With the perfect mix of meticulous research, emotional depth and a rollicking good story besides, Stephen Cox delivers surprises to the very end. If you, like me, love a crook with a heart of gold, then these queer old birds are sure to capture your heart.

A genuine pleasure from start to finish

Eris Young

I am using professional-quality editing, proofing, formatting, and cover design.

I have a dazzling array of practical choices still to make. The book will be on public sale no later than 1st October and available to preorder by 1st September. If I can go sooner I will.

My sister in law Deborah is the first to use the m word “… a wonderful melodrama”

“A bee unknown to science” via artvee.com

Review copies

Some of you review books online

And/or run a newsletter, blog, vlog, or podcast which covers this sort of book. I give good interview.

And/or wouldn’t mind being sent some social media visuals to share (or maybe make some for me!) Last time I produced a book I was asked for these!

Or have another reason for wanting a review copy asap

Drop me a line! I do know some of you, but not all of you. Include what, where you live, web links, etc.

Me supplying you a review copy doesn’t mean you are under an obligation to review it.

we’ll have fun.

Stephen

MIDsummer madness book sale

With THE CROOKED MEDIUM’s GUIDE TO MURDER coming soon, I need to reclaim the dining room for the physical copies.

I’m selling the acclaimed Our Child of the Stars and Our Child of Two Worlds, – save 20-40% post free (UK) signed and dedicated if wanted. BUY HERE!

“Riveting, compelling, and emotionally charged – a page-turner I loved”

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.

#SFF #books

Two for JOY?

The Naming and Timing of Two of My Books

Proinsias-mac-an-bheatha via Unsplash

We have two magpies nesting in our garden, which is marvellous. Two For Joy! Probably not so marvellous for our cloud of sparrows who live in the brambles over the shed. We’re so wedded to the black and white motif, it’s always a surprise to see shimmering blue if the light catches a magpie just so. (Why no photo of two? Welcome to free stock photography. There’s a lovely painting on artvee of four eating a dead bird. I must write a wish-list and buy a Dreamtime splurge of photos during their sale.)

With the clematis out, and the sun shining, 2025 seems to offer some good news. Also bad. I used to belong to Westminster Quaker Meeting whose door was kicked down this week, by 20 armed police to arrest six possible climate protestors.

Two books out next 12 months!?*

The Spooky Victorian Murder Mystery has been bouncing off agents and publishers for over a year. Feedback has been good and I think the world deserves it. So, decision!

I am planning to self-publish this, although I’m still open to the right traditional deal if one pops up suddenly. It’s with an editor and I’m exploring the glory of COVERS.

The novella, Top Tips for Loving a Lizard is with my editor at Arcadia. That has other markets I can try. It is a darling little love of a book and the world deserves it.

The third novella is also on submission but that’s behind the other two in urgency and time.

*I hope

The Naming of Books is a Serious Thing

I’ve known for well over a year that DEAR HEART needed to be called something else. NUMBER ONE VICTORIAN SPOOKY MURDER MYSTERY is OK but doesn’t quite trip off the tongue.

Names are a funny business. Some people claim the name is the biggest marketing call a publisher makes. (As opposed to the cover?) The name is something which makes people pick up the book or click to find more.

Ideally the name gives vibe, genre, and setting. Although one immediately thinks of famous books whose titles do very little of that. Catcher in the Rye, anyone?

My first book used to be called A SONG FOR CORY which is the kind of poetic title which only makes sense once you read the book. Unlike OUR CHILD OF THE STARS which tells you something about the book before you read it.

DEAR HEART doesn’t do that other than radiating a vague old-fashioned camp. The cross-class sapphic relationship between Mrs Ashton and Braddie is one thread of the book, but that name doesn’t even hint at that lovely, grumpy couple.

I have a new title – six words. I tested the new name on a few people and they guessed genre, protagonist, vibe, ‘possible a bit tongue in cheek’, and that it wasn’t set in the modern day. My editor loves it (but not enough to take the book.)

A CROOKED MEDIUM’S GUIDE TO MURDER

Good, innit? The cover add to what the title can’t.

In public I may call this CODENAME CROOKED for a bit. If the book turns into a series – and it was designed to be – I may call them the Dear Heart Mysteries.

Anyone who responds to this newsletter – sharing, boosting, liking, commenting, sending me a private note – goes on into a raffle for a free copy.

What’s your favourite title which really doesn’t explain the content?

An autumn of conventions

I am at EdgeLit in Derby, 7th Sept,

BristolCon, Oct 25-26,

World Fantasy Con in Brighton, Oct 30-2 Nov.

Come and say hi.

If all goes according to plan, I will either have

copies of A CROOKED MEDIUM’S GUIDE TO MURDERor a means to order them.Review copies

I’m collating a request list for review copies which will prioritise

Established bloggers and reviewers, particularly those I already know like my stuff.Suitable figures strong in the new genreBeta readers and others who have helped me work on the text

I can’t promise to send a free copy to everyone, particularly not print copies.

Use the contact form to send name, blog/podcast/other forum, what format you prefer and what you would tolerate (eBook, PDF, print.)

THE SECRET MURDER CLUB

There’s a handshake and a clubhouse and everything. More next time.

Quick point about self-publishing.

Self-publishing evangelists preach its superiority in every way. Traditional publishing snobs dismiss it. I’m pragmatic and in the middle.

Things are happening, more next month

PS, I’m coping with ‘everything’ by trying to doing ‘something’ every week.

GOOD WRITING IN BAD TIMES

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HOW GOOD IS THE BOOK?

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