Introducing a New Pen Name: AM Sexton

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Marie Sexton

After a great deal of debate, I’ve decided to publish Release under a slightly different pen name. I did not make this decision lightly. On the contrary, I’m sure I drove a few people absolutely nuts, hashing out the pros and cons again and again.

On one hand, starting over with a brand new pen name sounded daunting. And after all, Release does feature m/m themes. It’s not as if I’ll suddenly be publishing middle-grade graphic novels or upmarket women’s fiction under Marie’s name. And anybody who follows me on Twitter has already heard me talk incessantly about my dark, kinky, semi-cyberpunk. Everybody knows I’ve been working on this book for ages. So why not publish it as Marie?

I almost did. But I could already hear the angry cries of readers who bought Release expecting warm fuzzies and found cold, hard anger, instead. And that’s what really drove this decision. The truth is, Release is unlike anything I’ve ever written. The closest I’ve come is Oestend, or maybe Blind Space, but even those stories were gentle at heart. Even they had a seed of purity in their center. Release, though, is a different beast entirely. It’s dark and sexy, with corruption and a great deal of moral ambiguity at its core. It contains violent and graphic scenes that may be called dub-con. And although the overall arc of the series includes plenty of love, the first novel, Release, could never be called a romance.

In the end, after talking to close to a dozen of my friends about it, it was ZA Maxfield who finally convinced me. The best choice seems to be to somehow split the difference — publish the book under a new name, but one not too far removed from Marie. I decided on AM Sexton. I will continue to be absolutely open about the fact that AM Sexton and Marie Sexton are the same person, but I hope having a new name on the cover will underscore one very important point: THIS ISN’T CODA.

With all that being said, Release may not be a lighthearted romance, but it’s still me. I hope readers who decide to take a chance on this new series will find what they’ve come to expect from my work. I hope they’ll feel I’ve given them complex, emotional, well-developed characters, striving to make the best of a bad situation. I think my fans will see that I’ve poured my heart into this story. The name on the cover doesn’t change that. If you love genre mashups, darkly erotic AU, or extremely damaged heroes, I hope you’ll take a chance on Release.

Release will be published June of 2014. The sequel, Return, will be published in October of 2014.

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Cinder: 2nd Edition Available Now

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Marie Sexton

Cinder is available now* on Smashwords and Amazon. It will appear at other vendors over the next few days.

Cinder_500x750

*Cinder was originally released by Silver Publishing in 2012. This version has been re-edited, but the content is the same.

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Cover Art Extravaganza!

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Marie Sexton

Two new covers in two days! And here they are:

NormalEnoughNormal Enough: A hot and sexy little fetish story, coming from Amber Allure on March 16th. 

And this unbelievably gorgeous cover by LC Chase:

Cinder_500x750

Cinder, a sweet little re-telling of Cinderella.

(Note: Cinder was originally released in 2012 by Silver Publishing, but that contract has expired. I will re-release Cinder on February 18, 2014. If you find the old version lingering somewhere, please don’t buy it. If you’d like to read Cinder, please, please wait until February 18, when you can buy the version with THIS cover. Cinder has been re-edited, but the content is unchanged. If you bought it the first time around, there is no reason to re-purchase.)

 

 

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Guest Blogger: Caitlin Ricci

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Marie Sexton

jackHello! Thank you for stopping by and spending a little time with me, Caitlin Ricci. Today I’d like to talk a little about some of the things I’ve learned since quitting my job and becoming a full-time author.

Since quitting my job to write full-time in October 2012 I’ve learned a bit and made some mistakes. The biggest thing that I did right though was to make writing a priority in my life. It became more than a habit, more than a need. It wasn’t something that I picked up when I had a quiet moment. When I quit writing became, and still is, something that I set aside time for. It is the hardest job I’ve ever had because it takes the most self motivation that I’ve ever pulled from myself.

Continue reading →

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Book Blast: My Heartache Cowboy, by Z.A. Maxfield

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Marie Sexton

Today, I’m featuring ZAM’s latest release, My Heartache Cowboy. Be sure to check below the cut for an excerpt, and a giveaway!

My Heartache Cowboy

(Cowboy Series, Bk #2)

By Z.A. Maxfield

Blurb:

Can love conquer all?

Jimmy Rafferty and Eddie Molina go way back at the J-Bar ranch. They’ve worked together, bunked together, camped out, and drank together. So how has Jimmy failed to notice that Eddie is gay? Eddie has not failed to notice that his friend has a serious drinking problem, and he’s determined to help Jimmy kick the booze cold turkey.

Taking him up to a snowbound cabin to detox, Eddie is confronted with Jimmy’s fierce denial. But the pains of withdrawal are nothing for Jimmy compared with the heartache of denying his true feelings and his deep longing…for the one man who cares for him more than anyone else on earth.

Available for purchase at

Continue reading →

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Colorado Christmas: Stuffed French Toast!

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Marie Sexton

Hello, and welcome to another Colorado Christmas post!

smallOiCChristmas

Years ago, my family decided to do away with the big Christmas dinner. Nobody wanted to cook after we’d spent all morning opening presents. And besides, the meal itself was too much like Thanksgiving. Instead, we started a new tradition: Christmas Brunch. My daughter (the only child in the entire family) gets her Santa gifts first thing in the morning. She plays with those while the adults finish off the cooking (much of it having been completed the night before). Then we stuff ourselves with french toast, eggs, ham, coffee and mimosas. And then, when my kiddo can’t stand waiting another minute, we open the rest of our gifts.

Today, I thought I’d share my recipe for Stuffed French Toast. I know I’ve shared it before, but it’s worth sharing again. I’ve adapted this from a recipe in my favorite cookbook, Colorado Collage.

  • Giant loaf of French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1-2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese (original recipe calls for two, but I rarely use that much)
  • 12 eggs
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 can pie filling (whichever type you prefer), or 1 cup fresh fruit of your choice

Grease 13×9 inch baking pan. Place half of the bread cubes evenly over the bottom of the pan. Spread softened cream cheese over bread (or, cut chilled cream cheese into cubes and scatter over the layer of bread). Top with the can of pie filling (my family prefers blueberry, but we’ve also used cherry and raspberry, and I’m sure it would be fabulous with peach) or fresh fruit. Arrange remaining bread cubes over the top.

In large bowl, combine eggs, milk and maple syrup. Whisk to blend. Pour evenly over bread in the baking dish. Cover with foil and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°. Bake, covered with foil, for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking 30 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve with your favorite syrup.

 

Do you have any favorite holiday recipes? Share one (or just leave a comment) below, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for any ebook from my backlist. Also, be sure to check out the other stops on our tour for a chance to win more prizes. Yesterday’s post was at Carter Quinn’s blog, and tomorrow we’ll be at ML Rhodes’. You can see the entire schedule here. Also, be sure to stop by the Out in Colorado blog on the last day for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to your choice of ARe or Amazon.

Whatever you celebrate this season, I hope its full of joy and laughter.

Happy Holidays!

Posted in Guest Bloggers, Out in Colorado | 12 Comments

Happy Holidays!

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Marie Sexton

Holy cow, how is it mid-December already? I haven’t bought any gifts, I still need to put up my tree, and my house is a friggin’ disaster! In fact, I haven’t even finished unpacking from our Thanksgiving trip yet.

Yeah. I’m a hot mess. Send alcohol, please.

Anyway, I wanted to share just a bit of news, before I get lost under a pile of dirty laundry, scotch tape, and ribbon.

On December 12th, I’ll be visiting the Amber Pax blog.

From December 13-22, I’ll be taking part in the Out in Colorado Christmas Blog Hop. Out in Colorado is a group of Colorado-based authors of GLBT fiction. We’ll have prizes and fun stuff along the way, so please follow along.

On the 17th, I’ll be visiting… a certain author’s blog. I think it’s supposed to be a secret, but if you find me on that day, you could win prizes. :-)

Last, but not least, I wanted to point out that I’ve updated the pages for my 2014 releases. (The ones I know about so far, at any rate.) They are: Normal Enough, Roped In, and Release. Check those pages out for more info. I’ll post cover art and release dates as soon as I have them.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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What’s Up for 2014, Marie?

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Marie Sexton

Shockingly (except not really), I have failed to publish regular blog posts. Sorry about that. Time always seems to get away from me. I don’t have anything fun or witty to say today, but I thought I’d give an update on what you can expect from me next year.

As I’ve said on other occasions, 2013 was a terrible writing year for me. I had several releases (Family Man, Flowers for Him, Never a Hero, and Fear, Hope, and Bread Pudding), but they were all written in 2012. Up until recently, the only thing I’d completed this year was To Feel the Sun, which is itty-bitty and hardly counts. Partly it’s been lack of motivation. Partly it’s that I traveled too much (I haven’t been home for more than three weeks straight since May). And partly, it’s that I just didn’t feel like doing it, and I didn’t feel like forcing myself to do it, either. But, I’m happy to report that I’m finally back in the saddle and writing again, and I definitely will have some releases in 2014, although I don’t have any exact dates yet.

Normal Enough: This is a fun and sexy little novella about a car mechanic with an unusual fetish. It’s part of the Tales from a Garage Pax, coming in early 2014 from Amber Allure.

Roped In: Another fun and sexy novella, this one co-written with LA Witt. It’ll be part of Amber’s Viva la Difference Pax, also to be released in 2014.

Release: Yes, I’m finally going to finish the dark, kinky, semi-cyberpunk I’ve been wrestling with for a year and a half. It’s not done yet, but it’s damn close. There will also be a sequel or two, although I don’t know if the sequel(s) will be out in 2014 or 2015. I’m so excited about this book. There are parts of it I adore so much, I had to keep fighting to finish, even when it looked impossible. I’m absolutely giddy now that the end is in sight. I’m not kidding though when I say, it’s really fucking dark, so much so that some of my betas have suggested I publish it under a different pen name. I debated that option, but I’ve decided against it. Hopefully, my readers have learned by now that my muse sometimes goes in unexpected directions, and I like to follow. If you loved Blind Space, and/or the Oestend series, or if you adore totally broken heroes, this book is for you. I hope you’ll give it a shot. Exact release date TBD. (It will depend a lot on when Amber releases those two Pax novellas.)

So, that’s what I have lined up for 2014. Please note, there may be more than that (I still hope to finish up another Tucker Springs novel), but there at least won’t be less. Also, there will be two or three re-releases of books that are already available, but they’ll be leaving their current publishing house and moving elsewhere. I’ll deal with those when the time is right.

Thanks to all of you for your ongoing support. It means more to me than you’ll ever know. :-)

Posted in News, Normal Enough, random blathering, Release, Roped In, Tucker Springs | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Debunking the “Security” offered by the NFL’s New Bag Policy

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Marie Sexton

Let me just start this post by saying that I’m not the type to instantly argue with authority. When I first heard about the new NFL bag policy, I sort of shrugged and said, “Okay.” But now, I’m pissed.

Let me back up. Some of you may be unaware of this new policy. It limits the number of bags that can be brought in, and dictates that all bags used must be made of clear plastic. Here’s the exact verbage, from NFL.com:

  • Bags that are clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and do not exceed 12” x 6” x 12.” (Official NFL team logo clear plastic tote bags will be available through club merchandise outlets or at nflshop.com/allclear), or
  • One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Ziploc bag or similar).
  • Small clutch bags, approximately the size of a hand, with or without a handle or strap can be taken into the stadium with one of the clear plastic bags.
  •  An exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection at a gate designated for this purpose.
  • Prohibited items include, but are not limited to: purses larger than a clutch bag, coolers, briefcases, backpacks, fanny packs, cinch bags, non-approved seat cushions*, luggage of any kind, computer bags and camera bags or any bag larger than the permissible size.

Now, how convenient is it that the NFL has a made a rule that you can only use a specific type of bag, and they JUST HAPPEN to sell that EXACT style of bag? The NFL tried to calm people down by saying that all season ticket holders would receive a free bag. True. However, what they didn’t tell you was it was one bag per ticket holder, not one bag per seat. So, if you own six seats, too bad for you. Here’s your one free bag. Good luck fitting everything your family needs for several hours into it. And yes, ladies, unless you can fit all of your sanitary supplies into your pocket (and we all know how well tampons do when crammed into our jean pockets), or into a tiny clutch (tampons, maybe, but no way will pads for heavy flow, or pads used for urinary incontinence fit), you’ll have to display them for all to see in a clear plastic bag. Nice, huh? Really inspires camaraderie among fans when you can sit and discuss your dependence on Depends. Continue reading →

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