Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cody Sexton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Cody, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

My old man, he was a hard-drinking bastard, but he had this stubborn streak, like a mule on payday. And my mother, well, she had a mouth like a sailor and a heart bigger than the bar tabs he’d rack up. They didn’t do much right by the book, but they taught me grit, the kind that chews glass and spits nails.

See, they never sugarcoated life for me. No silver spoons or rose-tinted glasses. They showed me the raw, ugly truth of it all. Dad, with his busted knuckles and beer-stained breath, always said, “Life ain’t fair, kid. You gotta grab it by the throat and make it your own.” And Mom, bless her soul, she’d nod, lighting up another cigarette, and say, “Nobody’s gonna hand you a damn thing. You gotta earn it, every drop of sweat and every broken dream.”

Their lessons, they weren’t gentle or pretty, but they were real. They taught me resilience, tenacity, the kind of backbone that holds you up when the world’s trying to tear you down. And yeah, maybe I curse a little too much and drink a little too often, but I wouldn’t trade their rough-edged wisdom for all the silver spoons in the world. They made me who I am, flaws and all.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Well, let me tell ya about Anxiety Press. We ain’t your typical big-shot publishing house with fancy suits and shiny offices. Nah, we’re the underdogs, the misfits, the ones who ain’t afraid to get our hands dirty in the grit and grime of the literary world.

I stumbled into this gig like a drunkard stumbling into a dive bar at midnight. It was a mix of desperation and a stubborn belief that there’s beauty in the broken, stories that need to be told even if they make your skin crawl or your heart ache. So I scraped together what little cash I had, rented a dingy office space, and slapped a sign on the door that read “Anxiety Press.”

Now, we ain’t in it for the money, that’s for damn sure. We’re in it for the voices that don’t fit neatly into society’s little boxes, the ones that scream in the silence, begging to be heard. We publish the raw, the unfiltered, the kind of stuff that makes you squirm in your seat but leaves a mark on your soul.

Our catalog ain’t pretty, but it’s honest. We churn out poetry that bleeds ink onto the page, novels that rip your heart out and stomp on it, and essays that strip away the facade of everyday life. We don’t solve problems for our clients; we give ’em a voice, a platform, a chance to scream into the void and know that someone out there is listening.

What sets us apart? Well, we ain’t afraid to get messy. We dive headfirst into the darkness, armed with nothing but a pen and a bottle of whiskey, and we come out swinging. We’re proud of the scars we’ve earned, the battles we’ve fought, and the stories we’ve shared.

So if you’re looking for polished prose and cookie-cutter narratives, you ain’t gonna find ’em here. But if you’re craving something real, something raw, something that’ll haunt you long after you turn the last page, then welcome to Anxiety Press. We may not be pretty, but we sure as hell leave a mark.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Our reputation? Ha! It ain’t built on fancy marketing schemes or high-profile endorsements. Nah, our reputation’s forged in the trenches, where blood, sweat, and ink mingle in the darkness.

See, we built our name on the backs of the outcasts, the rebels, the ones who dare to speak when everyone else is whispering. We don’t cater to the mainstream; we spit in its face. And somehow, that authenticity resonates with folks who are tired of the same old song and dance.

Sure, we’ve had our fair share of critics. They call us vulgar, unrefined, a blight on the literary landscape. But we wear those insults like badges of honor. ‘Cause at the end of the day, we’re not in this for the accolades or the applause. We’re in it for the stories, the ones that claw their way out of the darkness and into the light.

So what helped us build our reputation? Simple. We stayed true to ourselves, to our vision, to the voices that society would rather keep hidden away. And in a world full of phonies and fakes, that kind of honesty is a rare commodity indeed.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

We ain’t big on fancy newsletters or glossy marketing campaigns. Nah, we keep it old school at Anxiety Press. We stay in touch with our clients the same way we’ve always done: over a bottle of whiskey and a pack of smokes.

See, we believe in building relationships, not mailing lists. So we make it a point to sit down with our authors, face to face, and shoot the breeze. We talk about life, about love, about the demons that keep ’em up at night. And somewhere in between the laughter and the tears, we forge a bond that’s thicker than blood.

But it ain’t just about the booze and the banter. We also make sure to show our clients some love, whether it’s shouting ’em out on social media or sending ’em a care package when they’re knee-deep in writer’s block. We want ’em to know that we’re in their corner, no matter what.

And you know what? It works. ‘Cause when you treat people like family, they tend to stick around. So while other publishers are busy chasing trends and chasing dollars, we’ll be right here, raising a glass to the ones who made us who we are.

Contact Info:

• Website: athinsliceofanxiety.com
• Instagram: @athinsliceofanxiety
• Twitter: @slicesofanxiety