Between Sinners and Saints

by Marie Sexton

Publisher: Amber Allure
ISBN: 978-1-61124-121-1

Levi Binder is a Miami bartender who cares about only two things: sex and surfing. Ostracized by his Mormon family for his homosexuality, Levi is determined to live his life his own way, but everything changes when he meets massage therapist Jaime Marshall.

Jaime is used to being alone. Haunted by the horrors of his past, his only friend is his faithful dog, Dolly. He has no idea how to handle somebody as gorgeous and vibrant as Levi.

Complete opposites on the surface, Levi and Jaime both long for something they can only find together. Through love and the therapeutic power of touch, they’ll find a way to heal each other, and they’ll learn to live as sinners in a family of saints.

Buy “Between Sinners and Saints” by Marie Sexton: Amber Quill Press

Guest post from Marie:

I’ve been writing now for exactly two years. It’s a very short amount of time. I still feel like a novice in many way, but it’s long enough that I’ve begun to recognize the process I go through as my story goes from conceptualization to completion.

To date, I’ve published my Coda series, which includes three novels, two novellas, and a short story. I’ve also published a short story called One More Soldier, and my latest novel, Between Sinners and Saints. I have a fifth novel called Song of Oestend scheduled for release in August, and a novella about space pirates that is nearing completion. And through them all, I’ve generally followed this exact same pattern. I’m sure every writer has their own versions of these stages. I’d really love to hear how others differ. For myself, it goes something like this:

Stage 1: Conceptualization

The germination of the seed. The spark of life. Lights flickering in my brain. This stage is marked by me staring blindly into space for hours at a time. The TV, my husband, my child, the cat yowling at the door – nothing can break through my daze as I ponder characters and key moments in the story. I’ll go the grocery store and find myself standing in front of the shelves of ketchup, just swaying in the breeze. People look at me sideways and ask if I’m okay. (I’m not.)

This stage generally lasts anywhere from one to four weeks.

Stage 2: Taking the Plunge

This is the hardest stage for me, because it means COMMITMENT. In Stage 1, I can still allow myself to be distracted. I can pretend that maybe I won’t write this story at all. But once I sit down at the computer and start typing, everything changes. To date, I only have one book I’ve started but not finished, and I’m determined not to add to that number, and so I stall on actually starting for as long as I possibly can. Although this stage is huge hurdle for me, it’s short, and then it’s on to Stage 3.

Stage 3: Sex

Okay, it’s not really sex, but it is the FUN PART. If a book is like a baby (and in many ways, it is), then this stage is the lust-driven conception. Scenes come pouring out, frantic and sweaty and heart-poundingly exciting. They’re hot and fresh and sexy and just oozing with potential. They’re so great, I can’t wait to share them, and I find myself emailing bits and pieces to my long-suffering beta readers. This stage is like falling in love: the story is the last thing I think about when I go to sleep, and the first thing I think about the next morning. It’s perfect.

The duration of this stage varies. It generally lasts about as long as it takes me to write the first quarter of the story (however many words that may be).

Stage 4: The Grind

This is when reality sets in. This is when I start to realize how very much I still have to write. It’s also when I start to see the inconsistencies and the plot holes. This is the longest stage, but it’s not all bad. While many of the other stages are either very positive or very negative, this one is actually sort of a middle-ground. It involves more time staring into space. Frantic writing. Barely intelligible emails to writer friends. Many curses. But it’s good, because this is when I actually start to feel everything solidify. Characters start to be strong and true. Underlying themes and subplots begin to emerge and coalesce. I can practically feel the story taking form in my hands. This is the bulk of my novel-writing time, but eventually I emerge into…

Stage 5: OMG, I ROCK!!!

This is my second wind. It comes when the story is 90% complete. Everything’s in place. All that remains is some rounding of corners. Some smoothing of the rough edges. This is when the book is SO CLOSE to being complete I can hardly stand to sit still. It’s going to be great! I can’t wait to send it to my betas. I’m already imagining gushing emails from fans telling me that it’s my best story yet.

Unfortunately, this stage lasts a very short time before it devolves into…

Stage 6: The 3rd Trimester

I once wrote a blog post about the pure misery of this stage (you can read it here: http://julielynnhayes.blogspot.com/2011/02/welcome-guest-blogger-marie-sexton.html). This is the point where I realize that the last 10% of the novel is probably going to kill me. It’s pure hell. I write and write and write, and yet I never get any closer to the end. Every morning when I get up, I say, “I’m going to finish this book today,” and every night when I go to bed, I say, “I’m never going to finish this mother f&*#ing book!” At this point, I’m ready to trash the entire thing. I hate the story. I hate the characters. I hate the entire world. I spend hours asking the universe why I EVER wanted to write a stupid book to begin with. I bitch and moan and gripe and complain, and my friends smile and nod and pat me on the head and push me onward until suddenly…

Stage 7: Ta-da!!!

Sound the trumpets! Break out the champagne! The first draft is complete! I send it off to my first round of beta readers with a mixed sense of pride and dread. And then, just like that, I’m on to…

Stage 8: EON (End of Novel)

EON is a term I stole from Heidi Cullinan, and it’s a really twitchy, neurotic time. First of all, I emerge from my writing cave to discover that my house has been visited by a hurricane in my absence. It’s a bit unnerving to realize the extent to which my writing has impacted my family. Dirty laundry is everywhere. Toys too. Every glass and coffee cup we own is dirty (but not pots, pans or plates, because I haven’t been cooking). My child has possibly not been bathed in a week and looks a bit like Newt when the Colonial Marines pulled her out of her rabbit-hole in Aliens. Unpaid bills are covering the countertop, and the only things left in the fridge are ketchup and styrofoam containers that hold leftovers I don’t remember bringing home.

But that’s not the worst part of EON. The worst part is the TWITCHES. Every few minutes I wander into my office. I sit down at my computer. I stare at it for a bit, waiting for something to happen. And I suddenly realize I have no idea what to do. The book is done. I have to wait for feedback before revising.

I check email. I check Twitter. I check Facebook. I check email again. I stare at the screen a bit more. I wonder what the hell is wrong with me. I check my email one last time, and then I force myself to get up and do SOMETHING. And yet, a few minutes later, I find myself again at my desk, staring blankly at my computer. Luckily, this stage usually lasts less than a week, and in that time, I do manage to get my house back under control.

Stage 9: Editing, Revising, Submitting

Exactly what it sounds like. I love this stage. It’s very low-key, and I find it strangely satisfying. I can revise forever. I do it while watching TV, or between loads of laundry. I often let it drag out longer than I should, simply because I don’t want the journey to be over. But eventually I decide it must be finished. I grind out a blurb and synopsis. I address an email to whichever publisher or editor I’m sending it to. I stall some more. I revise some more. Finally, I take a deep breath and hit “send”.

Stage 10: Reboot

Unlike a lot of other writers I know, I rarely (if ever) have another project lined up. I have to kick back and wait for one to come to me. This stage is a bit like EON, but without the mess. I’m sort of twitchy, but sort of glad to be able to relax to. I watch a lot of TV. I catch up with friends. I spend time with my husband. Then one day, some random thought will snag in my brain, refusing to be swept downstream – a picture or a sentence or an idea. For Between Sinners and Saints, it was getting a massage and wondering if guys ever popped wood on the massage table. For Promises, it was nothing more than an image of two guys together in a hallway. Whatever it is, it piques my imagination. A light bulb goes on…

And then I’m right back where I started.

Buy “Between Sinners and Saints” by Marie Sexton: Amber Quill Press

About Marie Sexton:

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular

young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and

enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along.

Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying

what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

My website/blog: www.MarieSexton.net
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MarieSexton.author
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MarieSexton
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3292500.Marie_Sexton
And be sure to join me for Coffee and Porn in the Morning: http://cupoporn.wordpress.com

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