Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Kimberly A. Cook

Which Cat Food/Book Publishing Option Is For You?

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by Kimberly A. Cook             (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Sometimes there are just too many choices. Last month when my family life was crazy, Spec Ops Cat decided to get in on the act and he got very sick. Long story short he is much better, but not before I opened 22 cans of cat food, baby food, tuna and spent big bucks at the veterinarian on my favorite pussy cat.

Cat food refrigerator chaos!
Cat food refrigerator chaos!

My vet had me try many different kinds and brands of food to get him to eat. I cooked up everything from poached fresh chicken breast to Fancy Feast blue can Chicken Primavera; which when I popped off the can top I would have eaten it. Cat? No. In the end, when Spec Ops Cat finally decided to eat one of his regular brands, Friskies salmon shreds with gravy, I of course did my happy dance out of his sight so as not to scare him.

Now a wad of cash and happy cat later, the varieties of cat food reminds me of today’s publishing environment. (How’s that for a transition?) You can go from poached fresh chicken – Smashwords, to baby food – independent print on demand, or choose basic cat food – CreateSpace, or move on up to traditional publishing with Fancy Feast. Pretty much the choices can make your head explode.

Reminds me of an episode from the book “Mig Pilot: The Final Escape of Lt. Belenko,” by John Barron – a defecting Mig pilot who was taken to an American store thought they had made it just for him. He’d never seen so many choices of toothpaste! We Americans do like our choices.

So while I’m trying to figure out what to be and write when I grow up and all the publishing choices overwhelm me, luckily author/former Green Beret Bob Mayer writes a great blog post about what he sees coming in hybrid publishing. Bob reminded me that in the end it all doesn’t matter if you don’t actually FINISH a book or poem or short story.

There’s the rub of it. So my action plan is to finish the manuscripts and then worry about what choice of cat food/book publishing option I will take from the menu; which will probably have more choices by then. First things first as author Stephen Covey would say.

And that is why when it comes to which publishing option is best for any author, I can refer people to the cat food aisle. Pick what is best for you and your book. Or ask a cat for advice, but remember; cats don’t shop, they have staff.

Bob Mayer’s Blog Post here: http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/the-illusions-of-traditionalself-publishing-the-reality-of-hybrid-publishing/

Cats Own Everything; Including the Dog’s Bed!

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by Kimberly A. Cook                          (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Quirky Friday rolls around again and it’s time for that never-ending war – cats vs. dogs. When it comes to furniture, cats know what they like – everything. These poor puppies are getting lessons in who really does the comfy bed testing in today’s homes. Enjoy your weekend and go cats!

A Legacy of Love and Laughter

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by Kimberly A. Cook                        (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Unexpected events caused me to take a blog break last month. While I am dedicated to make my two posts a week, other things are more important. After a lovely Thanksgiving Day with family, my Dad went into the emergency room the next afternoon and he passed on Dec. 8.

This is my favorite Army Air Corps photo of my Dad. I think he looks like Elvis!
This is my favorite Army Air Corps photo of my Dad. I think he looks like Elvis!

It was an intense time for my family and about mid-week I remembered the blog.  I made a quick post and hoped all would understand later. My close friends knew and they left some nice comments of support. It was the hardest and most amazing thing I have ever done, being with my Dad those ten days.

Grief and letting go is a process and my family is moving through it; my mother, sister and brother-in-law, plus nieces all doing what we need to do. My Dad was a great guy. He loved to laugh and take care of “his girls.” We have many wonderful memories. He was also a terrific storyteller.

Dad left me a couple of projects to finish. I interviewed him on cassette tape in 1999 about his days on the railroad, he started in 1942 and retired in 1981, steam engines to diesel. Those tapes and transcripts are gold to me now. He also wrote down his own Army Air Corps military stories from World War II for me in 2005. I have those to research and write-up. I also have a ton of photos, since I think I became the family paparazzi.

So a few words for my blog readers. Ask about family stories, audio record and film your relatives. Don’t wait. Do it now.  It brings me great comfort to know I still have projects I can do with my Dad. Make sure you can do the same.

Are Your Ready For Some Feline Football?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

I’ve been up to my eyeballs watching the NFL playoffs, but now a new league has burst on the scene. Seems the Super Bowl is going to have big competition this year from a pack of rescued kittens that need homes.

Hallmark Channel is presenting the first Kitten Bowl! Decisions, decisions, I’m going to have to DVR one game while watching the other. To get a look at these frisky athletes, check out their moves and player profiles! Watch their training regimen via the live kitten cam at the Kitten Bowl Training Camp! http://new.livestream.com/hallmarkchannel/kittenbowl

This is the link to the latest promo!

http://youtu.be/jqczNdwhA24

Move over Puppy Bowl! Kitten Bowl is going to rock the sports world! Check it out below!

http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/kittenbowl/video/Video/KittenBowlGetReady

Are Writers Ever Bored Enough?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                  (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Two interesting quotes jumped on me in the past few days. One in the January “Vogue” magazine from an interview with Cate Blanchett and the other an opinion piece by a doctor in our local newspaper.

This blog idea came to me when sorting my yarn stash. Fun fur rocks!
This blog idea came to me when sorting my yarn stash. Fun fur rocks!

Blanchett talked about the creative process, “there’s a kind of unrest that I think happens in any creative endeavor. You are endlessly disappointed. I mean, no artist worth their salt is ever pleased.” She went on to quote legendary dancer Martha Graham then wrapped it up with, “And that is actually what keeps you moving forward and makes you stay creatively alive.”

It was a nugget of inspiration I needed after trying to figure out what I want to do when my writing grows up, if ever. It’s also testament to reading everything, because you never know where pearls of advice might be hidden. I’d started reading the article in the middle since I wanted to see what Blanchett said about the new movie she’s in, “The Monuments Men.” I’ve owned the book for years! Now it’s a movie and seriously, who doesn’t want to watch George Clooney?

The opinion piece in the paper centered on the need for children to unplug and venture outside, to actually play with something besides a screen. He talked about the need for children to not be so scheduled, they need boredom time. The line that hit me hard? “Boredom is the furnace of creativity.”

What a great and true sentence. Then I immediately applied everything from both articles to adults and writers. When was the last time you were creatively perfect or truly bored? Can’t remember? Of course not! Between the screens, schedules and sleep, who has time to be perfect or bored?

And that is the issue. Writers and all creatives need time to sit, stare out the window and be restless and bored. When I can’t solve a writing problem, I treat it the same way as a glitchy computer; back away, go outside and reboot. House cleaning and mundane tasks give my right brain a vacation, then while my left brain is carefully supervising sock folding; voila, a solution appears in my right brain. Amazing stuff.

Not perfect? Are you bored today? Excellent!

Read the play article here: http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/01/why_children_should_play_more.html

Can You Move Like A Rabbit?

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by Kimberly A. Cook       (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

While many of us are still digesting/munching on our leftover New Year’s Day snacks, these highly trained athletes show us what it’s like to be in shape. I don’t know why I love these agility courses, but I do. Especially the rabbits who cheat!

So whether you can get up out of your chair or off the couch at all, look to these bona fide competitors to show us how to work off our holiday weight gain. Happy Quirky Friday!