Tag: friends

Weekend at The Compound

The Brides came by Saturday night and showed us honeymoon in Jamaica photos. They’re so sweet and happy! I’m glad they’re home safe and sound.

Tom read the draft of MOONLIGHT AND ROSES and said lots of good things about the stories. I did word processing magic on it today while Tim was writing his preface–which MADE ME CRY! I love him. I’d written my intro quite a while back, but when I found out what he wanted to write, I tossed mine and started over. Then after I read his today, I had to go back and alter mine a little more. That’s one of those good things about collaborating. Your writing partners make you strive to be better.

We both worked to complete the marketing questionnaire. I made a spreadsheet of all the contributors’ contact information and checked their contracts for the zillionth time.

Then I printed out the final draft, read the entire manuscript again cover to cover (Tim did that last week), did some corrections here and there, printed out change pages and an entire second copy, saved it on a disk, and SHIPPED THAT BABY OUT FROM THE AIRPORT POST OFFICE AT THREE A.M. (I’m yelling that so I can make sure Greg hears it.) It’d better be at the publisher on Wednesday, since that’s the day it’s due.

When I read it, I was awed all over again by the stories that were sent to us. Damn. There are some good writers out there.

Bastards.

Kidding.

I really am kidding. I love good writing, and the more of it I get to read, the happier I am. You guys hang on. We’ll start forcing you to brag about yourselves soon. As soon as we’re told that all this is good to go.


Good Thing

Today Tim and I worked on our not-so-secret project, and I feel so good about it. I’m glad Tim talked about it on his Live Journal because I finally get to say that working with the writers in this anthology has been such a positive experience for me. Not only are they talented, but it’s been a pleasure to get to know them (or know them better) through this process.

I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, because there were some challenges along the way. People who’d hoped to contribute weren’t able to submit in time, or some had really good stories but they weren’t right for this collection. Hopefully, I’ll get to work with them someday in the future.

You’ll be reading lots more about this as we get further along in the process toward publishing. Right now, we’re asking the contributors to hold off on public discussions until every “i” is dotted and “t” is crossed. (You might say we learned something from the time Tim had a story bought and paid for that was inadvertently omitted from a collection.)

I just wanted to take the opportunity to say that I’ve learned so much, met so many good people and excellent writers both in and not in the anthology, and it’s no wonder that today, Tim can turn the world on with his smile.

In the middle of the night


In this photo, Famous Author Greg Herren is:

a. Reacting in horror to the draft of an anthology by Timothy J. Lambert and Becky Cochrane that is almost completed.
b. Trying to find all fifty movies in that damn game that Marika linked to.
c. Looking at the time.


We’re bored. What can we do?


That’s right! We can read. Reading is HOT! And we’re not posing here. We’re really, really reading.


NOW we’re really reading. That Famous Author Rob Byrnes is a good writer.


Or is he?


Kidding, FARB! We love your novels.


At least most of us do.


Help me, FARB, I’m being lured to the pink side!

What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man

Saturday night as we were preparing to leave Rouge, some of the wedding attendants were still there. They wanted to know if they could take the centerpieces, and of course the answer was a resounding, “Yes!” That still left about a half-dozen gorgeous table arrangements and the vase of flowers that was on the cake table. As Tom and Tim loaded gifts and other wedding things into the car, they added the flower arrangements.

On Sunday, Tim–I’m sorry, the Wedding Bitch–had a few more errands to run for The Brides. Today, I went into his apartment to put the carefully sealed top tier of the wedding cake into his freezer (for The Brides to eat on their first anniversary). I noticed something different and asked, “What did you do with the flowers?”

Until then, I hadn’t known that while he was handling Wedding Bitch business on Sunday, he took all the flowers to Omega House, a local residential hospice for people in the late stages of HIV/AIDS.

I’m sure The Brides will appreciate knowing the flowers that made their wedding and reception so lovely were given another opportunity to bring beauty and happiness into people’s lives.

My writing partner… I think I’ll keep him.

Hello darkness, my old friend

I’m so freaking tired but I can’t sleep. My mind won’t get quiet.

I’m sorry for my friends who are affected by the onset of winter. I wonder if I would feel the same dread if I lived in a colder climate.

Lisa and Mark–thank you, thank you, thank you. You don’t know how much your comments on CC have meant to me. I’ll try to be more specific when I get some of these deadlines off of me and can actually write e-mails again. And Lisa–chocolate? Thanks!

I feel really, really good about a project Tim and I have been working on. We are almost at the point of releasing details. It’s nothing you can buy soon, but I don’t mind promoting it for the next year because it’s worth it. And I’ve learned so much.

Greg comes through again Monday on his way back to New Orleans and will spend another night. That’ll be good.

Then, Jim, Tim, and I will be wrapping up TJB5 and getting it to the publisher. I’ve been so grateful for the extra time Kensington gave us because all three of us have been dealing with challenges unrelated to our work. I know Jim rarely reads my LJ, but I’m sending lots of positive thoughts his way, and for his friend. Also good thoughts to my SIL who’s in the hospital. I hope she has a speedy recovery.

Maybe my mind won’t be still because I’m reading too many books at once. I just realized today that I’m reading LOVE, BOURBON STREET (ed. by Greg Herren and Paul Willis); OTHER VOICES, OTHER ROOMS (Truman Capote); FROM BOYS TO MEN (ed. by Ted Gideonse and Rob Williams); AMMIE, COME HOME (Barbara Michaels); and WHAT I DID WRONG (John Weir). Maybe if I read these one at a time, so I could remember how to finish things, I wouldn’t have all these writing projects going simultaneously.

I guess I like variety too much.

About the Penguins


The Brides hadn’t planned on a topper for their wedding cake. But Tim, aka the Wedding Bitch, saw these embracing penguins online. Rhonda has a thing for penguins, so he decided to surprise The Brides with this gift. They are heavy, and support was put in the cake for them. Still, they took a nosedive into the frosting during the decorating process, and we feared they might not work.


Solution! Roses up their butts and around their feet gave them extra support. No penguins were harmed during this wedding.

Tim also thought it would be fun to provide a groom’s cake, even though there were no grooms. I think it just had something to do with his chocolate lust. The reason it didn’t look as professional as the wedding cake is because a pro did the wedding cake. I did the groom’s cake. (Both cakes were delicious, however, because that same wedding cake pro taught me secrets for baking good cakes long ago.)


The Wedding Bitch was hoping we could find “cute” penguins for the groom’s cake. Penguins falling down. Penguins skating with each other. Penguins being penguinish. Unfortunately, finding a penguin in Houston at the last minute became more difficult than stalking the Wedding Bitch at the reception. Tom went on a quest and provided these two, and they did the job just fine.

I’m still not sure how The Brides felt about all the penguin surprises, but I hear their mothers loved them. My experience with weddings has taught me that pleasing brides’ mothers is no easy task, so that made me happy. I also overheard lots of compliments on the deliciousness of the cakes.

I kind of don’t ever want to taste cake again.

If you ever need penguin-themed items, The Penguin Place was the source for the cake topper. They got those penguins here FAST and in excellent condition.

Stalking the Wedding Bitch


Hours before the wedding was scheduled to take place, I began to stalk the Wedding Bitch. Here, I’d scoped out where he’d be sitting. Every place card had a wine stopper attached, a gift from The Brides to all their guests.


The centerpiece at the Wedding Bitch’s table. I’m including it because it’s pretty.


His wine glass remained unfilled, but the level in his water glass mysteriously lowered over time. Could it be he was taking a quick drink while my attention was elsewhere?


A salad was placed for the Wedding Bitch. I thought this would draw him out. He likes salad. Rumor has it that he swooped by, picked up the salad, and gave it to a hungry DJ, though.


Mmmmm, chicken. Could he resist?


This looks familiar. I’m sure it’s the hand of the Wedding Bitch. Except… he’s holding his fork in his left hand. The Wedding Bitch is right-handed. Maybe it’s that European thing wherein the knife stays in the right hand and the fork in the left. Maybe it’s not the Wedding Bitch at all.


It was possible that wedding cake would lure him out…


One of them was even chocolate…


CAUGHT! Spotted on a speaker tucked in an out of the way place. I knew the Wedding Bitch could be captured with cake. He chose the cake with the yummy raspberry filling.

The wedding was beautiful and enormously moving. But that story is for others to tell. Except–one of my favorite moments was after The Brides had some time of seclusion following the ceremony, they joined us to the tune of the Snoopy dance. They got a standing ovation. That just sums up Rhonda and Lindsey. Their lives are full of joy, love, and humor.