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Howdy there, Zam! So after all these years, I’m finally
getting you on my blog and at my mercy! So how ‘bout you tell everyone a little
about yourself?
Oh, wow. There’s
not a lot to tell. I’m from sunny
Southern California. Wife and mother of four kids, three boys and a girl. My
youngest are twins. I started writing because they dared me to!
Now it’s no secret how much I love all your books, but I’m
especially enamored with Drawn Together. Would you tell us a little about how
you got the idea for the story and how you developed Amane and Rory?
Actually, Drawn Together has to do with the kids too! I took them to Anime Expo when they had
it in Long Beach, was that 2007? I saw this beautiful young man carrying a
monstrous arrangement of white flowers, roses and stargazer lilies. The line
was super long, it took forever to get in, and the kids and I started
speculating about that young man while we waited. I think I had that entire
book plotted by the time I got to the front of the line!
That's such a cool story! I knew it had to do with the Anime Expo...didn't realize you were there with your kids!
Let’s talk method. When you write, how do you approach the
story? Plot first or characters? Do you outline or do you “pants” the story?
I used to approach every
story rather whimsically. AS though my books were great ships and I was at the
helm, I got up in the morning and said -- like a certain Pirate of the
Caribbean -- “Bring me that horizon”.
As you know, the craft
of writing isn’t some one night stand. It’s a long term love affair. You never
stop learning. You never stop growing. Now that I write for a living I know
deadlines are looming. I have to be more proactive. I plot out major story
points now, but I’m never afraid to change the story if my characters demand
it.
You live in southern California and I notice your writer’s
voice really captures the environment and culture. Is this a deliberate
strategy? How much of your life influences your writing?
This isn’t a deliberate
strategy as much as it’s simply how I talk. I really have a valley girl thing
going sometimes, it was far worse when I was younger. I’m likely to Dude you, I often say like, you know. Tristan
from Crossing Borders talks the most like me of any of my characters.
What’s your favorite TV show? Movie? Song? Book? Celebrity?
Food?
My favorite TV show is
currently Breaking Bad. That show is epic on some Shakespearean
level. I never watched it when it was aired, but started after it was all on
netflix. I have to ration myself, because it’s so hard to watch someone make so
many awful choices. But the writing is first rate, the acting beyond
exceptional. It’s amazing. Movie? Strictly
Ballroom (but that’s just today.
Tomorrow I might think of something else. Local Hero, maybe. They make
to many superhero flicks these days, I miss great dramas. Song, Live Like You’re Dying. Book, The Great Gatsby. Celebrity? I
have a major crush on Daniel Craig. It’s the eyes. (I totally ship him with
the new Q.) Food. Belinda! you must know!!! I like real Barbecue.
Ah! Local Hero! I loved that movie and Bill Forsyth is my favorite director of all time! If you haven't seen Gregory's Girl...its a must!
Is there a genre you’d like to write, but are afraid of “going
there?”
I’ve always wanted to
write mystery. My agent says it’s a tough sell, and I am not very mysterious,
but I’ve always wanted to write a cozy like Agatha Christie’s.
Do you have any guilty secrets?
Sometimes I eat peanut
butter all by itself, but I never stick the spoon back in. On totally stressful
days, you might find more than one dirty spoon in the sink...
How’d it feel to be a pioneer in the M/M romance genre by
signing a contract with Penguin/Intermix? Any more cowboys on the horizon?
I can’t tell you how
scary that was. I have a TON of friends who write m/m, yourself included, who
would have been perfectly excellent choice for that honor. Right place, right
time. It was anxious, because of course I wanted to write the best book, but
you know. You write what you can and you hope people like it.
And funny you should
mention that! I got word they’re interested! Hopefully I’ll be bringing
everyone some more cowboys in 2014!
Yee Haw! You know how much I love your cowboys!!!
Now it seems to me that a series about a cleaning service is
just…unusual. But having read Grime and Punishment, I was blown away. How’d you
come up with such a cool concept for a series?
There was an awesome
speaker at one of the RWA meetings who shared that her Regency was a mixup of
Pride and Prejudice meets The Bachelorette, and I thought. Wow. Dirty Jobs
meets Gay Romance. By the end of the meeting, I had the concept and characters
written on a yellow legal pad, and I remember telling Tara Lain about it on the
way out to the car. I was just breathless with excitement. I know it’s kind of
a grim job, but people have to do grim jobs all the time. Not every romantic
hero has to be in Seal Team Six or a rock band. (Even though two of my favorite
reads recently featured SEALS and Rock stars.)
Tell us a little about the new book/s
Here’s a blurb for you:
Eddie and Andrew have dynamite chemistry. But Eddie’s
profoundly dyslexic, and Andrew lives to read. Andrew’s pathologically
disorganized, and Eddie likes things neat and clutter free.
Andrew’s
ashamed of his hoarder father, and Eddie’s embarrassed by his lack of education
– secrets that could pull them apart even as a friend’s tragedy brings them
together.
When
Andrew’s father devolves and nearly dies because of his compulsion, Eddie and
Andrew must learn compassion begins with loving one’s self in - Grime Doesn’t Pay.
You
can find out more about The Brothers
Grime 2 -- Eddie: Grime Doesn’t Pay HERE
What can we expect from you next? And what are you working on
now?
I have Lost
and Found, a holiday novella available for pre-order at Riptide
Publishing HERE, and another story of the J-Bar cowboys, My
Heartache Cowboy coming in January, which can be preordered HERE.
Thanks so much Belinda, I enjoy spending time with you! I look
forward to the next time we get to see each other, and I hope in the mean time
you stay well and write like the wind!
Thank you for visiting my blog! It was truly a pleasure!
Author’s
Bio:
Z. A. Maxfield started writing in 2007 on a dare from her children and never looked back. Pathologically disorganized, and perennially optimistic, she writes as much as she can, reads as much as she dares, and enjoys her time with family and friends. Three things reverberate throughout all her stories: Unconditional love, redemption, and the belief that miracles happen when we least expect them.
Z. A. Maxfield started writing in 2007 on a dare from her children and never looked back. Pathologically disorganized, and perennially optimistic, she writes as much as she can, reads as much as she dares, and enjoys her time with family and friends. Three things reverberate throughout all her stories: Unconditional love, redemption, and the belief that miracles happen when we least expect them.
If anyone asks her how a wife and mother of
four can find time for a writing career, she’ll answer, “It’s amazing what you
can accomplish if you give up housework.”
Author
Links:
Tumblr: http://zamaxfield.tumblr.com/
Book
Links: NOTE: Book is only available in ebook format
Loose Id: www.loose-id.comwww.loose-id.com
All Romance E-books: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-eddiegrimedoesn039tpay-1360193-149.html
Contest! Be sure to enter the contest HERE!
