Military Romance Author
by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)
Heard about this video going viral this week so had to check it out. This spirited takeoff by the Navy Cadets is great. If anyone wonders if our future men and women warriors can handle the military needs of our nation, they need look no further than this demonstration of teamwork, creativity and fitness. Our tax dollars at work. Bravo Zulu! (That’s a Navy term I’ve learned – means good job – I think.)
Happy Quirky Friday!
http://youtu.be/xhHufV9g4k4
by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)
Back in the dark ages when I went in the Army – 1975 – women were beginning the ramp up to increase our percentages in the ranks. The Vietnam War had taken a toll on recruiting and women were seen as a viable new soldier labor pool.
There were some things we noticed right away about being in a man’s world. Our barracks bathroom had urinals. Now, we figured if we had to clean the damn things we might as well use them; to wash off our combat boots. Worked for us.
Fort McClellan, Alabama was home to the Women’s Army Corps then, so there weren’t that many things out-of-place. The firing range was interesting. Using an acronym the Romans must have come up with for fighting – BRAS – Breathe, Relax, Aim and Squeeze – was a reminder for us as well as the Military Police School students stationed there on how to fire our M-16s. This early introduction to being in a man’s world seemed natural. One adapted.
Perhaps this is why when I read the article yesterday about the Army getting around to testing women’s body armor, I paused. Women have been in the Army a LONG TIME. Took them this long to figure out different body armor was needed? During Desert Storm we pulled flak vests from Air Force Reserve troops in Alaska to outfit our flight nurses, med techs, ops officers and admin staff in my Squadron when we deployed them overseas.
But even back then in the Air Force Reserve in 1989 I had been issued men’s fireproof (?) long underwear for under my flightsuit. And don’t get me started on who flightsuits were designed for in the first place. Unless you are thin and skinny, us women with curves had challenges getting the darn things to fit. Then add the extra bulk of the long underwear front slot where I didn’t need it. Imagine. Looked like a badger was having a fight inside my flightsuit at times.
I’m glad the Army is getting around to covering my warrior sisters with proper fitting body armor. About time. Hope they cancelled the makeup class I had to attend in basic training. Just saying….
Read the article here http://www.stripes.com/news/army-testing-body-armor-made-for-women-1.189212
by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)
With weeks like this sometimes a diversion is a great thing. Here is a scene from a favorite movie of mine with one of my all-time favorite singers. I do not apologize for being an Elvis fan, I revel in it. Take a break and enjoy a little dancing and singing. Happy Quirky Friday!
by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)
Today is Patriot Day, a day to remember what we lost on September 11, 2001. In life how we go forward from a tragedy many times says more about us as a nation and as individuals than the immediate aftermath. This was true after Pearl Harbor, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan, the attack on the USS Cole and the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut.
How we move forward in action shows who we really are not only to ourselves, but to the world. On this 11th Anniversary of 9/11, give to others for those who can no longer give and for those who fought and tried on 9/11/01 to save us all. #military #911Day
by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)
We’ve gotten past Labor Day so now the relentless march to the holidays begins. Being a sun lover here in Oregon, the only thing that gets me through this light-challenged time of year is hope for a long summer into October and future holiday food. My feelings can best be summed up by these cute little orphan owls. My eyes are about the same size as theirs when I realize here come the holidays!
Happy Quirky Friday!
by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)
My web site needs to be updated. The design is old school and it has too much stuff on it. Seems I am purging stuff in all areas of my life these days, getting down to fighting weight. In my quest for a new design I unscientifically compared my favorite author’s web sites for romance fiction.
There is a wide variety of styles. It’s always easiest to compare something you can see than start from scratch. Just like writing. When all the design the possibilities overwhelmed me, I checked out Romance Writers of America’s statistics on what reader’s look for when buying a book. These were 2010 stats, but still good to know.
How do readers decide whether to buy an author’s book? The number four item for online purchase decisions was the author’s web site. Fabulous report, RWA always knows the fiction business. Read here http://www.rwa.org/cs/readership_stats One needs to be a member to get the latest stats.
Since RWA does the survey every year, I can’t wait for the next results. With things moving so fast in the publishing biz these days, six months is eons. But it reinforces the importance of not only having, but liking your author website.
My web site went online in 1997. I’ve changed it over the years from writing code to now having a wordpress.com blog I want to incorporate into my site. I need easy and quick. In order to incorporate my blog, I had to switch to a Unix platform; that is about as much as I know about it or even want to discuss computer tech.
So this past weekend I copied all my code and content in preparation for this next project. I’ve got my new web site themes narrowed down to a few, so all I have to figure out is what is going back on the site and what is cut. Somehow it always comes back to editing. There will be some glitches along the way too, I’m sure.
Since I have both non-fiction writing books and fiction romantic suspense books in development, a single web site gets complicated. Nora Roberts uses two names and two web sites, but I don’t quite have her income, so one web site for me.
In the end I want an easy, fun, entertaining and classy site. Like Audrey Hepburn. Figure this will only take about 10 years to accomplish. Stay tuned…..
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