Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Kimberly A. Cook

What Do We Do When Our Dream Sails Away?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                 (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

I’m one of those personality types who need closure, tidy endings, aka a wrap-up. Not that I have control issues – much, but according to my Myers-Briggs INFJ category, leaving possibilities open for eons raises my blood pressure. With that in mind, I am blowing my own cover and saying goodbye to a volunteer project I worked long and very hard on, the USS Ranger Foundation.

Long story short, we tried to bring  a retired USS Navy aircraft carrier 125 miles upriver from the Pacific Ocean to her new life as a Museum, Memorial, Education Center, Tourism and Special Events and Emergency Preparedness site. In 2005 I attended a Foundation board meeting with a marketing plan draft and got thrown on the Board of Directors. Literally. Figured they needed some Army blood amongst all those retired sailors and pilots, I guess.

Worked my tail off on the project until work and family needs made me step back in 2008, but I maintained the Foundation’s phone line. Fast forward to July 2010 when I needed to turn the phone line over to the Foundation’s Development Director. Shannon Chisom and I bonded, especially when she finally met the person who everybody would tell her, “Oh, Kim used to do that.”

It was an exciting time with the Foundation since a potential site had finally been secured in Fairview, Oregon. I volunteered to set up Twitter and the YouTube Channel for the Foundation, since I figured I could manage that with the day job, writing and family. The first day I met Shannon I went from posting two Spec Ops Cat videos on YouTube to interviewing the mayor of Fairview. Ha! Mission creep struck and soon I was the Online Media Manager and handling the Foundation’s Facebook page, Twitter, Zazzle store, Pinterest, posting to the Main Web Page, and producing 25 YouTube videos, in addition to a thousand other things.

In the end, our dream was not to be. We came close, very close. Throwing grenades and horseshoes close. With amazing support from the City of Fairview staff and citizens, plus all of East County, government entities and our elected representatives, we damn near did it. U.S. Navy budget constraints and time did us in. USS Ranger was to be bid out for scrap as a package with her de-commissioned sister carriers sitting in Bremerton, Washington and the Navy couldn’t wait any longer. With more aircraft carriers coming off active duty, they needed moorages. We got that word directly from the Secretary of the Navy’s Office.

When the news came last winter, the Foundation still worked behind the scenes hoping for a Hail Mary. Didn’t work. We never had a “final meeting” for our Team Ranger Staff and volunteers. We closed the Foundation office and put items in storage. It took several months for the Board of Directors to decide what to say on the web site. Recently I closed the Twitter and YouTube accounts, Zazzle is next.

It broke my heart to lose USS Ranger. She is a historic aircraft supercarrier whose like will never be built again; Navy ship building needs have changed. She was a decorated Vietnam War and Desert Storm veteran plus a movie star in “Top Gun” and several other films.

My greatest regret is she did not get to live on in retirement to serve again honoring the men who sailed on her, those who flew off her and never returned and those who died on her decks. In her new role, Ranger would have been a memorial to all women and men who served in all branches of the Armed Forces, active, reserve and guard.

So I want to thank all the Ranger veterans, all our veteran helpers, Team Ranger staff, volunteers and citizens who worked hard and fought to save the great Gray Lady. We didn’t give up the ship, but we lost her anyway. I had the honor and pleasure to go aboard Ranger in 2005 and 2012. Since I want to make sure we keep a part of her legacy alive, I posted her final YouTube video I made on Spec Ops Cat’s channel for all who want to see it again.

The video also shows what you can do with a still camera, a Flip video recorder, some paid music, creativity and some practice. You can almost move an aircraft supercarrier. We had a dream and we went after it big time. Will I miss USS Ranger and the vision we had for her? More than you will ever know. Will I give up dreaming big? Never!

My favorite photo I took of the great Gray Lady, USS Ranger, in January 2012. She is truly the "Top Gun of the Pacific."
My favorite photo I took of the great Gray Lady, USS Ranger, in January 2012. She is truly the “Top Gun of the Pacific.”

Enjoying The Dog Days Of August?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Here it is Friday once again and summer is quickly moving along. Take the time to enjoy these precious days of good weather and frolic. Take a lesson from these happy Hungarian pooches who know how to enjoy a day at the beach.

Happy Quirky Friday!

 

Do You Edit On Screen Or Paper?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                    (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Love the smell of school supplies in the morning. This time of year I buy school supplies to re-stock my writer gear, not that I need more but it makes me happy. Got me to wondering about how other folks edit their work. Since I am of the “every manuscript in a three-ring binder” persuasion, in case all the tech goes belly up, hard copy-edit is my preference.

It's school supply time. Stock up your writer supplies. Bet I need more pens, I'm getting low on my stash.
It’s school supply time. Stock up your writer supplies. Bet I need more pens, I’m getting low on my stash.

No matter how many times I look at something on the computer screen, my tricky brain can fill in words that are not even there until I see them in a finished manuscript. Argh! The weight and heft of a binder also lets me feel like I have accomplished something important instead of fonts in space.

When I first started writing fiction I worried about manuscript format, margin width, how many words the book should be, how many lines on a page, how many pages it took to make that many words, double spacing the manuscript, etc. Now I worry about the story. Seems to be the main reason people actually read what we write.

Binders require no batteries, USB ports or charging plug-in to cart it to a quiet spot and focus on editing. In the best of times editing is grunt work, tedious and requires a clear mind. What better way to let your inner critic loose than on paper with a purple ink edit pen – no red ink allowed; too many bad memories from corrected school papers.

So if you haven’t tried the three-ring binder method of manuscript editing, now is the perfect time to get out and purchase some fabulous new school supplies at bargain prices. Patterned binders. With zippers! You might need some paper too. And pens. And erasers. Cute pencil boxes. Not that I have an office supply addiction. Really. Glue sticks. Composition books.

Got school supplies?

Are You Ready For The Polar Bear Swim Cam?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Seems one of our polar bears at the Oregon Zoo, Tasul, is sporting a new fashion accessory. Even the zoo animals have jobs here in the great state of Oregon. Tasul is helping scientists study polar bear behavior. Such a good girl!

Not only is she wearing a fancy motion detector collar, but the zoo staff added a camera, so we have polar bear swim cam! Go for a dive with Tasul without getting wet. Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!

Are We Being Good Blog Buddies?

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by Kimberly A. Cook        (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

WordPress recently wished me a happy second anniversary.  September 2011 is when I started posting on a regular basis. First it was family and a few die-hard friends following my blog. Then other actual real people started reading and commenting. I find that amazing. Real people! Obviously they are all brilliant.

Sending roses out to all my blog readers. Thank you so much for your time and attention.
Sending roses out to all my blog readers. Thank you so much for your time and attention.

My goal is always to educate and entertain. A lifelong learner, sharing information is a passion of mine; works out really well-being a writer. There is so much fun and interesting stuff out in the world for my creative brain to chase. Squirrel!

Recently I came across some “blog rules” all bloggers should follow. (First red flag – I never do what everyone says I must do.) One rule is to reply to every comment you get. Egad. I have not done that. Shame on me. Between working full-time and other commitments like family, eating and sleeping, I’m doing good to get the blog out twice a week. Then there is that whole pesky trying to write books time challenge.

I do not mean to be rude to my fabulous readers. I would love to reply to all comments and likes, but the best I can do is a few snippets here and there. That has to be okay for me, since there are only so many hours in a week and I keep running out of clean spoons and underwear. (Why do those two go together, by the way?)

But I would like to thank Steve at http://imagineerebooks.wordpress.com for all his likes – read he was not feeling well recently, but he appears to be better and back on deck at the keyboard. He, of course, is brilliant. Then there was my first actual real person comment from http://marlajayne.wordpress.com She must be fun and brilliant. Checked out her blog and she had chosen a “word of the year.” Liked the idea and decided I would choose “quality.”

So, you happy few, you happy band of blog readers – yes, I just edited Shakespeare from Henry V – thanks for reading my blog. I may not always get a chance to respond to comments and likes, but I appreciate you all and know – you are all amazing, beautiful and fabulous writers and/or artists! Wanted you all to know that. Thanks for being in my blog land!

Are Those Knitting Needles On Fire?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                                (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Going with the knitting theme this week, I want you to know this wonderful lady from Scotland has me beat by miles. I have never seen someone knit so fast and that is why she is the champ! Forget that I only do simple projects and couldn’t knit a pattern to save mankind, this woman rocks the yarn.

Have a Happy Quirky Friday and see if you can keep up with the winner from Scotland!