Hi guys! Today I am super excited to welcome back one of my favorite authors, the fabulous Marie Sexton. Marie is here to talk to us about Never a Hero, the latest book in the Tucker Springs series. I totally loved this book and reviewed it here earlier today. Marie has also brought a great giveaway with her. So please join me in giving her a big welcome!
Hi there and welcome! I’m Marie Sexton, and I’m thrilled to be able to share my excitement over my latest release with Riptide Publishing, Never A Hero. Never A Hero is available now, and today I’m going to share a little bit about how this latest Tucker Springs novel came to be. Follow me on the virtual book tour for Never A Hero all week for more exclusive details about the book, the Tucker Springs series, and more.
Plus, leave a comment below with your name and email address, and you could be one of three lucky winners to receive a $5 gift card to Riptide. Simply leave your comment by 5/17 at 11:59pm to enter.
Why ABS?
The idea behind Never a Hero began with one of my best friends, who I’ll call K, and her daughter Z. Just like Owen in Never a Hero, Z was born with her left arm amputated just below her elbow, a result of Amniotic Band Syndrome.
Amniotic Band Syndrom, or ABS, is a congenital disorder wherein the blood flow to fetal parts (usually a limb or digits) is cut off by fibrous amniotic bands while in utero, causing the limb to be amputated. In the case of my friend, the missing limb wasn’t caught on ultrasound, and so it was a shock when Z was born.
From the beginning, K and her husband vowed that Z’s missing arm would not define her, and Z herself is a power to be reckoned with. She’s only eight, but if you aged her ten years, then turned her personality amp all the way to eleven, you’d get June, Nick’s sister in Never a Hero. There’s a bit in Never a Hero about June playing Captain Hook when she was a child, and that story came directly from Z. Although Z’s parents encourage her to be honest when asked (usually by a child) what happened to her arm, K told me once that her husband will sometimes get annoyed at adults who stare too much. In those cases, he’s been known to say, utterly deadpan, “Lost it to a shark,” just to watch them panic and scurry away. But Z is still a child – younger than my daughter – and so any information I get comes from her mother. Although I can see her living a happy, normal life, I can’t ask her how she feels about her missing limb.
About two years ago, my daughter started soccer. The first day of practice, another mom plopped down on the grass next to me. I noticed her left arm was also amputated below the elbow. I don’t know what compelled me to ask – whether it was talking to K about her experiences with Z or whether I was just feeling brave – but I asked her, “Was it ABS?” To my surprise, she seemed pleased by my question. Yes, it was caused by ABS, but she went on to tell me how refreshing it was to have somebody address it directly. She talked about how so many people ignore it, or they stare, or they stammer, and while she understood all these things, she actually appreciated not having to do that dance.
That day, Never a Hero was born.
Never a Hero is available now from Riptide, Amazon, and all major book outlets. Never a Hero is part of the Tucker Springs universe, but can be read as a stand-alone novel. For more information about Tucker Springs, visit www.TuckerSprings.com.
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.
Find out more at http://MarieSexton.net, or download the Marie Sexton app, available free for Android or iPhone.
Hi Marie I absolutely love this series . Will there be more books set in Tucker Springs?
Dannyfiredragon@aol.com
Hi Danny! There will definitely be more books in the series. The next one is LA Witt’s After the Fall, which will come out in October. We also have a couple lines up for 2014.
I love this series and would like to win this book
kimandpete [at] me [dot] com
Thanks, Kim!
I’m really excited to read this book! And thank you for addressing ABS. I know someone who was born with out the lower part of her arm and I know it’s been a struggle for her to address it with both adults and children and vice versa.
I’m so glad you’re excited, and I hope the part about ABS rings true for you.
I LOVE this writer! And she is a wonderful person too. Count me in! kcrisenphoenix@aol.com
Aww, you’re so sweet! ((hugs)) 🙂
Oh and my email is acvalentineauthor at gmail dot com. Love the Tucker Springs series!
Marie Sexton writes with so much passion it pulls you into her stories along with the characters. This book sounds especially sweet. I’d love to participate in the giveaway! Thank You!!
~Rush~
Thanks, Rush! And thanks for stopping by. 🙂
I really adore Marie’s writing. Thanks for giving us insight to your inspiration for the book and how to better react to someone who may have ABS.
Thanks, Jess1. I certainly can’t claim to speak everybody who’s suffered from ABS, but I hope it at least rings true for some. 🙂
Looks like another great addition to the Tucker Springs series. Love your writing Marie, so heartfelt <3 rachmaybury@hotmail.com
Thank you, Rach!
I added this to my TBR list awhile ago, looking forward to reading it.
Thanks Allison! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
Marie that are wonderful news, i Love the whole idea behind the series and the author team is great’
Thanks, Danny. We have a lot of fun playing with each other’s characters. 🙂
Ooh, adding this to my TBR! Thanks for sharing with us, Marie. I love stories that show us glimpses of things that just aren’t “PC” to talk about… which seems sad, really.
Of course I always worry that somebody will feel I did it “wrong,” but I was as true as possible to the feelings of the people I kew. Hopefully it works. 🙂
I definitely need to read this! It sounds like a really great story.
I really enjoy Marie’s books. So looking forward to reading this one.
Please count me in. Thanks!!!
Thanks so much for sharing your inspiration for this book. I’m really looking forward to reading it! And thanks as well for the giveaway.
Just love hearing where you authorly types get your inspiration, thanks. Count me in as I am itching to get my hands on this one too.
This one is definitely on my TBR list 🙂 Important topic that is often neglected in romance books – there are too few books portraying disabled characters! Thank you for sharing your inspiration!
stormymonday AT gmx DOT net
I’m nosy, and I’m interested in the how and why of people’s physical differences. I wish I knew a tactful way to ask, but its good to know that honest curiosity is not necessarily a bad thing. Thanks for a great post!
Urb
brendurbanist at gmail dot com
The people I’ve talked to about it — admittedly a very limited sample — all said they’d rather be asked than feel like the person was trying to AVOID asking or noticing. One of them said, “This is something that makes me different, and that doesn’t mean it’s bad!” (Although again, I certainly don’t claim to speak for everybody affected by ABS!)
Marie’s books always give such food for thought–please count me in!
vitajex(at)aol(dot)com
I am always looking for a new series. Thanks so much.
debby236 at gmail dot com
I am desperately dying for this book (& had to pass on buying it because we had to buy a new fridge last week.) Please count me in!
tracykitnATyahooDOTcom
I have enjoyed every book in the series…
Am enjoying the series so wouldn’t mind winning this one
This sounds an interesting theme, I’m really looking forward to reading it.
Count me in please 🙂
I wasn’t aware of ABS and I thank you for bringing it to attention and for sharing how “Never a Hero” came to be written.
I’ve read other books by Marie Sexton and I think she’s great!
Hi Marie, I have read so many of your books and do so enjoy them. Thank you.