Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Kimberly A. Cook

Have You Ever Bunked With A Mascot?

By Leave a Comment

by Kimberly A. Cook                    (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Back from a wonderful vacation. Headed over the mountains to Sisters, Oregon with my BFF and had a blast. When I was packing I remembered ABB, or Air Bunny Bear, my mascot. ABB flew with me on all my missions in the Air Force Reserve. He has his own camouflage sleeping bag and a couple  of uniforms, including his blue ABB cape. It seemed like a good idea to reactivate him and take him along.

Air Bunny Bear riding backwards on the road to Suttle Lake, just like sitting backwards in the C141b when we flew with the 40th AES out of McChord Air Force Base.

A seasoned traveler, ABB’s been to the beaches of Florida, sat in snow during Christmas in Alaska and been on the flight deck of a C141b at 37,000 feet; I have the pics to prove it. He hasn’t gotten around much lately, so I’m pretty sure he was jazzed to get out on the road again.

Lots of folks have personal mascots or good luck charms they take with them on journeys both before, during and after military service. It’s these memory tokens or “memory tags” which remind of us of people and places past. There is even a platoon of combat gnomes who have shipped out from Oregon to keep our troops company overseas.

A favorite movie of mine, “Amelie,” follows the adventures of a jet setting gnome too, long before the Travelocity Gnome showed up on the scene. My backyard and desk sport several Travelocity Gnomes, because you never know when you might need a gnome security squad.

Think back about the special mascots you’ve traveled with, sent as pieces of home or maybe even one you received while overseas. Radar of M*A*S*H tv fame had his teddy bear.  Mascots tell us about ourselves and the folks we run into who have their own; all are great inspirati0ns for stories. Got a mascot?

Puppy Power Rules!

By Leave a Comment

by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Its been a great Fourth of July week here in Oregon and it’s hard to know how to entertain my blog buddies after fireworks.  But this fun and furry two-some took Britain by storm and you can see why. While Spec Ops Cat will not consider going through this training, he does endorse doggie exercise and field agilty work. So if you’ve got some time on your hands this weekend, see if you can get your dog to do what Pudsey does. Happy Quirky Friday!

Never Underestimate The Power Of A Rabbit

By 3 Comments

by Kimberly A. Cook        (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Watched a fun movie last night which reminded me about the power of following your artistic dreams. The film, “Miss Potter,” came out in 2006 and profiled the life of Beatrix Potter, the author of “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” and many other children’s books. What she accomplished at a time when “publishing” was considered a common trade and not for women, is astounding.

She started by self-publishing her book and then finding a local publisher after many rejections. Peter Rabbit is still the bestselling children’s book to date. Imagine the power of that one little bunny. Not only did she write the stories, she illustrated them with beautiful drawings capturing the animals with lives and clothes of their own.

My copy of “Pierre Lapin,” Peter Rabbit in French, is a delight. The astounding thing I learned at the end of the film was the author’s commitment to preserving the lands she so loved by buying up neighboring Lake District farm properties with her bunny royalties. At her death, she donated 4,000 acres of land, farms and her sheep to the National Trust. That’s a lot of roaming land for rabbits.

Of course, it is interesting to note the copyright of 1902 was renewed by the publisher in 2002. Also, Peter Rabbit is digital savvy with his own web site at www.PeterRabbit.com and you knew it had to happen, he also has the The Original Tale of Peter Rabbit App!

If one woman’s dream to tell a story about a little rabbit could change the world, imagine how your writing dreams might take flight. We should all be so lucky to find our own special bunny to help us launch our books. Let’s hop to our writing!

Meet A Friend On The Beach?

By Leave a Comment

by Kimberly A. Cook             (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Seems to me that Madeline the dog might have a little Border Collie herding instinct in her bloodline. Or perhaps the crab is actually her trainer. With summer just starting out for us here in the Pacific Northwest, we can all learn from Madeline and her buddy. A walk on the beach is always good and we miss friends when they go off on adventures without us. Happy Quirky Friday!

Time For A Book Harvest?

By Leave a Comment

by Kimberly A. Cook             (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Yesterday I hauled in my largest crop of strawberries and raspberries, an entire colander full. Now the red plastic colander is small, but that still counts in my book. Since all my fruits and veggies grow in containers, a big picking is cause for celebration.

Famous raspberry and strawberry crop from my back 40, aka “the patio.”

Harvesting my berries came to mind when I was picking through the book titles at Costco last night. There always seems to be a hidden book gem at bargain prices which must go home with me.

Turns out there were two; “I Used To Know That – Literature,” by C. Alan Joyce and Sarah Janssen and “Images of America – The Oregon Air National Guard,” by Terrence G. Popravak Jr. and Sean M. Popravak. Gems harvested for my book collection.

Summer is a great time to catch up on reads, both literary and beach, to escape into new worlds and dream the impossible; like will I be able to grow lemon cucumbers this summer. Whether your fancy turns to ebooks or the old-fashioned paper kind, what books are you going to harvest this summer?

Do You Have Summertime Stories?

By 3 Comments

by Kimberly A. Cook                    (Twitter@ Warrior Tales)

Summer is officially here and the possibilities are endless. This time of year leads to thoughts of lazing in my lawn swing or smelling the warm scents of summer. It reminds me of playing make-believe games with my Match Box yellow convertible car and travel trailer in the neighbor’s backyard.

Crawling around in the dirt was a rite of passage for us suburban kids back in the day. There were also big fields with holes we dug which became forts of legend. Then always the popular flashlight monster game played at dusk. Sweet memories. Do you have dirt stories from your childhood?

Remember to play! Happy Quirky Friday!