Today my guest is ZAM (aka Z.A. Maxfield) and I ask her: "The trick to forming lasting partnerships?"

Wow, no pressure! I wish there was such a thing as a single trick, but if there is it’s likely to be as unique as the people in the partnership, isn’t it?

When I started The Brothers Grime series I did so with the awareness that it was a series, and that all three partners are gay. Because it’s a business they started together, that seemed to make more sense to me than if the all lived on the same cul-de-sac and discovered each other’s orientation “quite by accident”.

I use egregious coincidence sometimes. I admit My Cowboy Heart has a WAY more-than-statistically-likely number of gay cowboys on the ranch. But actually, I think it likely that three childhood friends -- who formed a bond of loyalty because they were gay high school kids together -- would form a business partnership as well. But their sexuality is really only part of why they’re friends and good business partners.

The Brothers Grime are great partners because they share common interests, similar backgrounds and beliefs, lots of good and bad memories, and personality traits. Jack and Gabe are cousins. Whether we’re talking about fictional characters or real life men and women, those things make forming lasting partnerships easier.

For me the bottom line is the capacity for empathy and the ability to act compassionately when a disagreement occurs. That is the key to a lasting relationship in any part of life.

I think it’s fundamental to have a sense of humor. The Grime boys can laugh with each other and dissolve tension with humor. They laugh at the horror of their job. That makes things easier. They also know when to force a partner to answer questions and when to let him keep silent.

These guys don’t keep much of a distance between their business and personal lives, though, not as much as I would. Their work is pretty heavy, and like a lot of people who do tough jobs, like police officers and soldiers, they get together to wind down and blow off steam.

And they balance between being all up in each other’s business and allowing each other to have space.

The rest is love for one other, loyalty to one other --both at work and at home -- and a simple desire to live a life with as little conflict as possible.

I may not know exactly what I’m talking about, but I have been married to the same guy for thirty years and I’d say I’m happier today than I ever was!




Grime Doesn't Pay (The Brothers Grime, Bk #2) By Z.A. Maxfield
Publisher: Loose Id LLC (November 25, 2013)
Amazon Kindle: Grime Doesn't Pay (The Brothers Grime, Bk #2)

Eddie Vasquez is hot for his niece Lucy’s third grade teacher, B. Andrew (call me Andrew) Daley. Eddie can’t wait to take Andrew dancing to show him his moves. The only problem is, Andrew keeps talking about books Eddie hasn’t read, that he can’t read — at least not in the usual way — because Eddie’s dyslexic.

When the two men find Eddie’s favorite teacher, Mrs. Henderson, wandering the school grounds confused and smelling of human decomposition, they come together to help her. Eddie’s fiercely loyal, and this is the teacher who uncovered Eddie’s learning disability and helped him regain his self-esteem. He’ll do anything, even take on a massive cleaning job pro bono to pay Mrs. Henderson back for the support she’s given him.

Andrew and Eddie come from different worlds, Eddie can’t read, Andrew can’t dance. Andrew’s father is a horrible snob and if all Eddie’s secrets are laid bare, he’ll have plenty to feel superior about. But Eddie and Andrew have taken on a massive project together, and their growing attraction can’t be denied. They learn the trick to forming a lasting partnership in dance and in life might be finding a partner whose weaknesses you can live with and whose strengths make you look good, in Grime Doesn’t Pay.





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.



This journal is friends only. This entry was originally posted at http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org/3941983.html. If you are not friends on this journal, Please comment there using OpenID.