Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Kimberly A. Cook

A Chef’s Hawaiian Tale in Ashland

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by Kimberly A. Cook                                  (Twitter @WarriorTales)

The best chicken teriyaki I’ve ever tasted turned into a veteran story. I have pretty good Vet-Dar, (Veteran Radar), but even this one surprised me.

The Red Hibiscus Restaurant in Ashland became a fast favorite after eating there last Fall. I almost licked the plate since I loved the teriyaki sauce so much. The family owned Hawaiian Fusion Restaurant was a fabulous surprise tucked away in Ashland. 

Chef Ron Yamaoka, U.S. Army veteran, at the Red Hibiscus Restaurant
When we visited this year, we discovered they were going out of business Sept. 29; another casualty of the recession. I gave the waitress my business card and asked her to PLEASE let me know if they bottled the sauce or sold it online.

Before I knew what happened, owner Ron Yamaoka gave me his recipe. Turns out he was born and raised in Hawaii, trained in culinary arts in California and worked at the prestigious St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, one of my favorite spots.

“When I went in the Army and got picked by General Seitz to be his chef, I asked him why?” Yamaoka said. “He told me, ‘I know you island boys work hard and you worked at the St. Francis.’”

Ron told us about the stars and dignitaries he met in the Army and showed us pictures on the wall from June Allyson to personal snapshots which included Bob Hope and Princess Caroline. Amazing. Ron wanted to make French food for Princess Caroline and she wanted a hamburger!

Chef Yamaoka's favorite pictures hanging in the Red Hibiscus Restaurant

I tried to convince Ron he could write a great cook book. People would love to read his stories and get his recipes. He wasn’t so sure, but I’m hopeful. Ron is in San Francisco now with his wife, Carrie, and I hope his fingers are flying on a computer keyboard.

Veterans and their stories are everywhere.  Every veteran has an important story to tell. So until Ron gets his cookbook out, I have to try and figure out his teriyaki recipe on my own.  I’m on the hunt to secure me some chili paste! Got military recipes? Write them down!

Everybody Needs A Gummy Bear!

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by Kimberly A. Cook                                                  (Twitter @WarriorTales)

Once again it is time for Quirky Fridays! Several years ago my brother-in-law insisted I watch a cute YouTube video about a bear. I was hooked and it became one of my guilty pleasures. Whenever I need to laugh or to get out of an “eat worms in the garden mood,” Gummy Bear does it for me.

What makes you laugh? What guilty pleasures do you have? Enjoy your weekend!

What Do Toby Keith, Netflix and Self Published Authors Have In Common?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                                              (Twitter @ WarriorTales)

Right brain creatives look at the big picture and many times make connections where others see nothing. A real life game of connect the dots. (I loved those drawing books.) This post headline is a case in point.  Let me explain.

Toby Keith in concert Aug. 19, 2011 at the Clark County Fairgrounds, Vancouver, WA. I almost stood on someone to get this photo.

I’ve always been a big Toby Keith fan. Not only does he write songs and sing, he is very committed to the troops. He has made many trips into Iraq and Afghanistan, plus other bases and ships and doesn’t make a big deal out of it.  His dad was a Korean War veteran. Toby worked in the oilfields and played some semi-pro football before trying a music career.

 In 2005 he left his traditional music label and started his Show Dog Records label to produce his own music and promote other artists. “I just started the label so I don’t have to answer to anybody,” Keith said in a Forbes June 3, 2009 article.  
 
Here comes the brainy part. In January 2010, Keith announced a merger to create the Show Dog Nashville label. Why? “Veteran producer and record-label executive Mark Wright brings some of the corporate and political savvy that had not been present at Show Dog in the past,” said Keith, according to theboot.com. 
 
Fast forward to Sept. 22, 2011.  Toby Keith is named the highest paid country star by Forbes Magazine earning $50 million between May 2010 and May 2011. Keith didn’t do it all alone.
 
Netflix. I’m a customer and this whole Qwikster mess was annoying.  A Sept. 27 article in Fortune by Kevin Kelleher asked, “Is Netflix losing its soul?” Kelleher proposes that by Netflix focusing on the big blockbuster movies and letting the classic and independent films go to Hulu Plus, they might be cutting off the business model that built their company, “their roots.”
 
See any comparisons to traditional New York Publishing? Going after only the blockbusters? The impact of ignoring ebooks and the digital publishing revolution as no big deal by the New York publishers?  
 
So what can self published authors learn from these business examples?
 
1. You can’t do it all alone.
2. Writing is a business and an art. Know the difference, know your weaknesses and build a skilled support team.
3. Always remember; it’s the author’s stories connecting with the reader.  Readers don’t care who produced it as long as it’s quality writing. Readers rule!  

May The Farce Be With You!

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by Kimberly A. Cook        (Twitter @WarriorTales)

Star Wars is one of my all-time favorite movies. Not only for a young Hans Solo, but because of the classic hero’s journey story arc it portrays. Chris Vogler’s book, The Writer’s Journey, is one of my number one research sources for structure. In the first edition he did a detailed breakdown of Star Wars.

Chris gave me permission to quote his stages of the hero’s journey in my first book. I am forever grateful. In return, I sent him this link to an amazing video. He got a kick out of it.

His next book is out now, Memo From The Story Department. My copy is on its way to me. In the meantime, take a look for yourself at this movie epic below.  You’ll never look at a grocery store the same way. Once again it’s Quirky Friday. May the veggies be with you!

Of Shakespeare and Pirates!

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by Kimberly A. Cook              (Twitter @WarriorTales) 

Everyone needs a vacation and writers are no exception. While writers are “on” all the time observing, watching life and dreaming things in the space between our ears, we do need to refill our creative cup. One of my favorite places to go is the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon. www.osfashland.org

Me doing a fine job of holding down this sign. Notice the "first" part about the Elizabethan Theatre.

I recently returned from five days in this fabulous town and had a blast on the backstage tour and seeing Love’s Labor’s Lost and The Pirates of Penzance. See, I told you there were pirates involved.

This is the 76th season of the Tony Award winning regional theatre and they have 10 plays in repertory this year. The three theatres, the Elizabethan Stage, the Angus Bowmer and the New Theatre offer four different plays each day, which then rotate the next day. Mondays they all take a day off. Well earned.

This year an additional challenge occurred when the main supporting beam in the Angus Bowmer Theatre cracked and they had to move plays immediately. The technical crew and actors did an amazing job to deal with and recover from “Beamageddon” while still putting the plays on in alternate venues. It took six weeks for the beam to be repaired. We heard the inside scoop from our backstage tour host actor Jeffrey King who shared his love of acting and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. 

Inside the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Elizabethan Stage in Ashland, Oregon on the backstage tour.

Being around artists of all kinds rewards and energizes the creative muse and lets the imagination dance.  I asked King what his thoughts were about the movie soon to be out, Anonymous, which tries to make folks believe Shakespeare didn’t actually write the plays and sonnets.

“To an actor, what really matters is the story,” he replied. “I believe Shakespeare wrote the plays, but for an actor, it doesn’t really matter who wrote it. It’s all about the story.”

Which brings us back to the true lesson in being a storyteller and writer.  It’s the story, stupid! Make it the best it can be. Sounds like an old Army ad, imagine that.

Are They Really Apples Or Computers?

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by Kimberly A. Cook              (Twitter @WarriorTales)

Quirky Friday is here again and I am being overwhelmed by techno gadgets. Some gadgets work, some gadgets torture.  To demonstrate my true feelings about technology gone bad, check out this cute video.

Imagine the old school apples are computer gadgets and I am the kitten. Got any computer horror stories? May the fur be with you! Have a great weekend!