Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Kimberly A. Cook

Overwhelmed? Escape To A Used Bookstore

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

When our smart phone crashes, the ebook reader’s battery dies, the laptop gets a virus and desktop computer files become corrupted, what can a writer do? Grab a pen and paper and sprint for a used bookstore. Sometimes the gadgets go voodoo and we need to reboot our writer selves.

Smedley, official greeter at Cover to Cover books in Vancouver, WA

While ebooks are growing, they don’t carry all book titles and will never have some treasured books. Go old school and hunt down actual physical books. Refresh our inner bibliophile with the smell and tactile pleasures of caressing an actual ink on paper oldie but goodie. Saturday I had the chance to visit Cover to Cover, a used bookstore in Vancouver, Washington. They’ve been on my radar for a while and I finally made the trek.

Greeted by Smedley, the famous host, the calm and organized atmosphere set my nerves to serene and the cup of hot chocolate from the espresso bar helped. Bookseller Mel Sanders has created an inviting home for readers and searchers. Several customers came in during my stay looking for those books the “big retailers don’t carry anymore.” The helpful and friendly staff were happy to assist folks on a treasure hunt.

Smedley is more interested in crinkly packages that might contain cat treats and purses. Seems he has one devoted fan who brings hidden treats, so he acts like a TSA agent whenever a purse gets close. Sir Smedley leaves no bag behind.

Wandering the well-organized aisles I managed to find seven books which had to go home with me. Where else can you find everything from a French and English Dictionary to Sun Signs For Writers?

 We writers can get geeked out with the new, latest, bright shiny thing and forget the days when Shakespeare used nib, ink and parchment. One of the many great things about being a writer is all our manufacturing equipment is with us at all times, grey matter engaged.

When the voodoo crazies hit your creative equipment or you need to unplug from your desk chair, find a local haunt with used books and explore. If in Vancouver, Washington, stop by Cover to Cover Books & Espresso at 6300 NE St. James, Road, Suite 104-B from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Give Smedley a salute; he is named after a General. Or visit his staff web page at www.covertocoverbooks.net

So take a clue from Smedley, find a used bookstore, acquire a comfy chair and cuddle up with a book. Smedley has staff the rest of us can only dream of having and he stays off the computer. Smart cat!

Pig and Kittens Oh My!

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by Kimberly A. Cook             (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

There is nothing quite as cute as kittens. Combine kittens with an open floor plan and you never know what they’re going to find. On this Quirky Friday let’s take time to savor cute kittens, a guinea pig and a very motivated mouse. Remember to play. Happy Quirky Friday!

Who Says e-Books Are For Kids?

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By Kimberly A. Cook        (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

It’s been a wild and wooly week for e-books and it’s barely Tuesday. The Digital Book Mobile was in Gresham yesterday and Portland, Oregon today, promoting getting e-books from the library.

Then I stumbled upon this video about the challenge libraries are having with traditional publishers to get e-books into the libraries. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=8619132&pid=8619131

Yesterday Microsoft pumped $300 million into Barnes & Noble for a 17.6% share of the Nook, making B&N’s shares rise 85%.  Can’t wait for what happens today.

Next came this CNN Money article quoting Alan Krueger, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers citing a study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Speaking at Columbia University he said,

“The United States has the ‘best educated 60-year-olds’ in the world’ but is in the middle of the pack when it comes to its 30-year-olds.”

What else does that mean for e-books? Ladies and gentlemen I give you the Baby Boomers. Our eyes are shot, we’re trying to downsize our stuff and save money for retirement. E-books were made for the “best educated 60-year-olds in the world” because we like to read and we can’t do mixed martial arts cage fighting anymore, our knees can’t take it.

My Mom has two boomer daughters and she is hunting Wi-Fi hot spots when she’s not using her home Wi-Fi with her Kindle Fire. Ease, portability and low-cost rule with e-books. There is a huge future e-book market with Baby Boomers, besides the digital natives growing up on integrated media. If you’re a Baby Boomer writer, e-books are our future.

For us Baby Boomer aspiring romance authors, the future of e-books is astronomical. Check out the latest stats from the Romance Writers of America about the romance industry http://www.rwa.org/cs/the_romance_genre/romance_literature_statistics Then realize romance readers are early adopters of technology and we have been snapping up e-books like free cupcakes.  Check out buying and pricing habits here http://www.rwa.org/cs/readership_stats

In the meantime, we better get our hands on those 30-year-olds. They need to read and get college degrees. I’d like to retire from the day job before I turn 90!

Been To Paris Lately?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

It’s been a weird week. Whenever I need a boost, I go back to my favorite movies for a pick me up. This is one of my all time favorite movies; a romantic comedy! It has Paris, France and Harrison Ford so how can one go wrong?

Rent this movie, curl up with your remote control and give this one a whirl. It’s a crack up and pretty profound too. Happy Quirky Friday. Enjoy!

Thanks For The Memories?

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by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Of the many memories I carry from my time in the military, perhaps the uncomfortable ones are the biggest help to me now.  Whenever I get grumpy in civilian life, I can always remember a worse time in the military and it cheers me up. Kind of a reverse psychology.

A convoy of Seabees approach a dust storm heading back to camp in Helmand Province, Afghanistan after work on a road construction project April 19, 2012. NMCB-11 is homeported in Gulfport, Mississippi. (Navy Photo by MCS Jonathan Carmichael)

Long line at the DMV? At least I’m not getting shots in both arms at the end of it. Power goes out for a few hours at home? I’m not living without power for days on end, in a tent, in the pouring rain and have to fill the generator every few hours. Can’t find my favorite fresh apples at the grocery store? I don’t have to look at my MREs and really wish I hadn’t gotten beans. Again.

When we get upset at slow Internet speeds, traffic jams and political hijinks on the national scale, we need to step back and breathe. We need to remember we could be someplace else in a much worse situation. Many people in the world are, including right here in the USA.

This past weekend we had record-breaking fabulous spring weather here in the Pacific Northwest. Back East they are getting dumped on by a snow storm. Times like these I am thankful for my freedom, my country and the women and men who are serving in our military right now around the world.

When we look at the Seabees in the Navy photo above, heading into a dust storm in Afghanistan after work or think about The Old Guard who honor the Tomb of the Unknowns in the snow, sleet and wind 24 hours a day, the rest of us are in a pretty good place. Sometimes we just need to stop and be grateful for the way things are right now.

So the next time we are upset about what an agent says about our manuscript, we run out of ink in our printer without a backup cartridge, or the critique group doesn’t like our story; remember, we could be in a tent, in a snowstorm, with someone shooting at us. Checking perspective is a very good thing for writers.

Time To Get In Shape?

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by Kimberly A. Cook       (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Remember those ropes that hung from the ceiling during phys ed in grade school? We were supposed to get up the damn things. With a growth spurt and weenie biceps, those ropes were my enemy. My technique was to jump as high as I could, try not to slip down the rope too quickly, then just hang there like a stuck monkey.

Army basic training years later taught me to do push ups and I found my biceps. However, if we don’t use them, they turn to mush. Was trolling on YouTube and happened to stumble upon this obstacle course double-cam video following a Naval Special Warfare Instructor through the SWCC obstacle course. The SWCC (“swick”), Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman, are the guys who get the Navy SEALs in and out and they have the coolest toys, er boats. Check this out and try not to get exhausted watching. No more whining for the rest of us on the treadmill! Happy Quirky Friday!