Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Kimberly A. Cook

Now For Something Completely Different – Happiness

By 2 Comments

by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Author Debbie Macomber is one of the sharpest marketing minds in romance fiction today. Besides that, she is a wonderful person, class act and always takes the high road. I’ve taken classes from her and learned from her since the mid-1980s. She is a gem and a great storyteller.

Author Debbie Macomber. Photo by The Hallmark Channel
Author Debbie Macomber. Photo by The Hallmark Channel

In this world of 24-hour infotainment news, plugged in everything and people getting a tad rude everywhere, I am so excited her new tv series debuts on the Hallmark Channel this Saturday, July 20, at 8 p.m.

Debbie’s made for tv movies from her books have been on the Hallmark Channel in the past, but this launch is the first tv series for Hallmark and they’ve bet their golden crown on Debbie Macomber. Good choice.

With more than 100 novels published and 170 million in print, Debbie always shares with aspiring romance writers and her readers. She is very smart about her career decisions and learns from her own mentors too.

Check out the two video previews of the new series here: http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/cedarcove/video/Preview/CedarCoveExtendedTrailer

If you enjoy good stories, treating people with respect and dignity, and the novelty of not one car chase, this series is for you. Check out Debbie Macomber’s web site at www.debbiemacomber.com and see all the great things she does for her readers.

This is going to be a fun debut, so fire up the popcorn popper, grab the pets and snuggle in this Saturday. It will be a great beach vacation without leaving the couch!

Can You Tap Dance Like A Bird?

By 2 Comments

by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Another Friday rolls around and this video clip is a gem. Been watching a lot of older movies lately and this seagull must have been doing the same thing. Reminds me of Gene Kelly in “Singin’ In The Rain.”

Dance is one of the best things for us humans, so why not for animals too? Check out the style and moves of this seagull, he may soon be on “So You Think You Can Dance?” Have a fabulous weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!

Can You Write A Fridge Magnet?

By 2 Comments

by Kimberly A. Cook        (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Some of my favorite writing is on refrigerator magnets. On flight status with the Air Force Reserve, my fellow crew members warned me about ending up with a potential Military Airlift Command home decorating scheme due to shopping the world. I already had a jewelry and refrigerator magnet habit, so I stuck with those two items to collect. Mostly.

One of my favorite frig magnets. Also explains why I have so many shoes.......
One of my favorite frig magnets. Also explains why I have so many shoes…….

My collection of frig magnets is vast and I rotate them out. There is also a bunch decorating my home office file cabinets too. The number of characters on Twitter is a book compared to a frig magnet. One of my recent favorites is “Let go or be dragged.” Found out it is a Zen proverb.

A friend mentioned a favorite quote she saw on a client’s shirt; “Everything I’ve ever let go of has claw marks on it,” by David Foster Wallace. That is brilliant.

In these days of blogs by everybody and all the social media sites, it is so refreshing to enjoy the powerful and concise writing of a favorite quote or refrigerator magnet. When one is able to say a lot in a small space, it packs a punch.

There are several places I go on a regular basis to add to my frig magnet collection. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is one such site. A selection from my pink file cabinet proclaims, “We are such stuff as dreams are made on…” from The Tempest, IV, i.  And he wrote plays too!

What is your favorite refrigerator magnet saying? Could you write one of your own?

Are You Prepared For A Picnic?

By Leave a Comment

by Kimberly A. Cook                  (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Bet a lot of us made this an extra long holiday weekend. What better way to spend summer than to kick back and have a picnic. One must always be prepared when venturing out into the wild campgrounds, so here’s a little safety reminder for everyone. The animals are organized!

Happy Quirky Friday!

The Digital Shift – Blessing or Curse?

By 2 Comments

by Kimberly A. Cook          (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

This past week came the news of the partial demise of an old friend – The Oregonian newspaper. Part of my regular morning ritual is to get the newspaper from the front porch and read the headlines, then scan to the comics and horoscope. That will change October 1 when the daily home delivery is cut to Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

My Classic Nook. Can't tell you how hard it is to get a picture of it without my reflection in it!
My Classic Nook. Can’t tell you how hard it is to get a picture of it without my reflection in it!

While ebooks are a boon to authors and indie publishing, the same shift is catching the print newspapers in the pocketbooks. The Oregonian is starting up another “media” company and moving the bulk of their resources to support their online digital presence with oregonlive.com

As an ex-newspaper journalist who has former co-workers and editors working at The Oregonian, it rips my reporter heart out. Knew it was coming one day, but still seems too soon. Now how they decided which reporters to keep and layoff is an entirely different story and the independent Willamette Week has a bead on that story. Read “Black and White and Red All Over” at www.willametteweek.com

Which all leads me to what this post had started out to be about; the demise of the Classic Nook. An early adopter, I bought the first Nook ereader. Works like a charm and still does. A friend’s Classic Nook croaked and they recommended she turn in the beauty to 1-800-BookNow for a $50 price because they want the lithium batteries. She can then pay only $29 to get the Nook Simple Touch, the new version you can read in the sunlight.

I have a Nook Tablet too, but I’m reading my Nook Classic until it dies a digital death. Being able to read without a backlit screen is an eye saver for those of us who are plugged in all the time.

If ereaders are already being recycled, what does that say for the rest of the print magazine and newspaper business? Upgrade happens. The new buzzword is transmedia – storytelling across all platforms. So get on the change train – it’s at the station!

Get Ready For The Fourth Of July!

By 1 Comment

by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

We are heading toward the Fourth of July with amazing speed. Wanted to share one of my favorite memories. Grew up watching The Capital Fourth on PBS in Oregon. In 1990 while in Washington, D.C. with the Air Force Reserve, I got to experience it in person. Amazing!

Every year without fail I watch it on tv, but being in person is a knockout. Watch the reflection on the tidal pools and the river. But of course, my favorite part is the 1812 Overture with the cannons! Makes my little Army heart flutter. In person the finale looks like they are going to launch the Washington Monument into space! Enjoy this clip from one recent Capital Fourth broadcast.

Happy Quirky Friday! Happy Birthday USA and a big thanks to those who serve to keep her free!