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Seasons of the Heart

August 26, 2026 By Kimberly A. Cook

Is it still August?

Seems to me this month has been longer than usual. I know they call it the dog days of summer, but I think that just means dogs and people need to nap. A lot.

While on a small shopping spree at Dollar Tree last week, I saw the staff move out the school supplies. I turned and came face to nose with a wall of pumpkin and red truck harvest signs. Then I escaped around the corner and ended up in a fully stocked aisle of Christmas decorations.

No wonder I have no idea what month it is. They say when you’re retired, every day is Saturday. Okay. That was always cleaning day when I grew up. But retailers don’t make it easy to figure out the actual month either.

Given the fact both allergy and wildfire seasons came way too early to Oregon this year, shouldn’t I be carving a pumpkin by now? But nope, more to go.

A huge thank you to the incredible firefighters, pilots, cooks, support crew, mechanics, and law enforcement personnel taking care of the more than 13,000 firefighters on the line in Oregon and Washington, plus across the west and Canada. It’s been another very bad fire season.

And not to be forgotten, hugs and support to the people of Hawaii who seem to be getting ALL the rain. We could help out by using it here on the mainland to put out flames, but Mother Nature is not cooperating with any of us right now.

Which brings me back to August.

This is a transition month from the end of summer to the start of school and then into fall and winter. I tend to get a little melancholy this time of year. Most of it is the allergies wearing me down and the heat and wildfire smoke, but part is the change of seasons.

Then I jerk myself back into perspective and remain grateful that I am not on the fire lines – those folks have to be in amazing physical shape and brave – or bobbing around on an aircraft carrier off the coast of Iran. A salute to all of the above. It helps me realize how good I have it.

Then I remember it’s almost pumpkin everything time!

Which gives me an excuse to stay inside and read books, craft, write, and drink gallons of hot cocoa. Even though I pound down hot chocolate all year long. I don’t need an excuse to do all those things in the summer, but it is cozier in the fall and winter.

Yesterday I checked on the Akawa Butte Fire close to my favorite town of Sisters and it is ninety-nine percent contained. Then a turkey photo popped up. Given my recent book, Tactical Turkeys, imagine my surprise to see the wild turkeys forging back into the burned area to start over. So proud of those feathered fowl. They are tactical.

I’d put myself on a media diet this week to improve my August mental health. But when I checked an online order last night, I saw the news about Dolly Parton. WHAT? NO…

I loved that lady. Before going into a tailspin, I asked myself, “What would Dolly do?”

I purchased her Dream More ebook to find out. After reading the first two pages, it helped. Dolly is a legend who has left a hole in our collective universe. We were so blessed to have her in our lives. And being a smart cookie, she planned her legacy to live on after her. Epic.

While I process her passing, I will strive to embrace the four principles in her book that guide her Dollywood Foundation for the Imagination Library:

“Dream more. Learn more. Care more. Be more.”

How about that for a mission statement for all of us?

I can’t wait to read the rest of her book. She left us instructions.

Because I’ve got my own writing projects kicking my butt all over my office and I need to get back to the fight.

Dolly would.

And the wild turkeys are way ahead of me, leading the charge.

Dolly Strong everybody.

September is almost here.

Turkeys on the march into burned over ground in the Akawa Butte Fire. The caption “Birds, such as turkey, quail, and woodpeckers, are the first to return to a fire area, often as vegetation is still smoldering.” Photo taken 8-2-2026 Image credit to the Central Oregon District of the Oregon Department of Forestry, Prineville, Oregon.

Happy 250th USA!

July 3, 2026 By Kimberly A. Cook

Here’s looking at you, USA!

Between the World Cup games, baseball, multiple nights of fireworks, and the flotilla of international sailing ships in New York’s harbor, it’s a jam-packed holiday weekend. Especially with all the visiting soccer fans from around the globe.

Watching the Capitol Fourth on PBS tonight is one of my go-to celebrations. I was at the 1990 concert and sat on the U.S. Capitol lawn to hear the amazing music. The 1812 Overture, complete with the military cannons, is my all-time favorite! Go Army!

Of course, it did look like they were launching the Washington Monument into space with the massive fireworks.

While we may still be considered a young country by others, we are definitely in our terrible teenage years right now. We are a dysfunctional family on a good day, but we’ve recently taken sibling strife to a new level. But we will get it together and grow up. Because it’s going to take us another 250 years to fix all the new challenges!

Thank heavens we have brilliant young citizens who are charging forward. Us vintage citizens will help all we can.

So, enjoy all the parties! Large or small. Hot dogs, potato chips, and ice cream are in my immediate future!

If you need a summer read that has human fireworks, cats, and turkeys, my latest romantic comedy book is out.

Sherrilynn needed eight weeks of peace.

Not a deputy with cute rescue animals.

Check out the full description at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6NMXZ98

This was a very fun book for me to write about two Navy veterans forced to work together.

Which is why I want to say a huge thank you to all our active duty, reserve, and National Guard troops working around the clock all over the world to keep us safe. I salute the National Guard, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard members, veterans, and their families who know the true cost of freedom. This celebration is for all of you!

I encourage veterans and pets to wear noise protection headphones and find a quiet spot, if needed. Sending hugs to you.

And everybody else be SAFE with the fireworks!

Smokey Bear and all his firefighter troops are on high alert right now.

Here’s to learning from our first 250, so we get the next 250 right.

Happy Birthday America!

Let’s Party!

European Memories and World Cup Dreams

June 20, 2026 By Kimberly A. Cook

Here are my bus mates from Autotours EX 57 in 1983 with our loyal bus. I am bottom right.

Exactly forty-three years ago on June 22nd, I stepped onto a thirty-passenger Autotours Bus in London, England, for an adventure of a lifetime. It was a seventy-day camping trip with twenty-six strangers. It rocked my world.

Onboard our bus we had one Brit, four Americans, seventeen Aussies, and six New Zealanders (aka Kiwis) and visited sixteen countries. We sailed on a ship in Greece for a week, visited the Munich Olympic Stadium, explored the Catacombs of Rome, the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the magical city of Dubrovnik, Paris, and many other amazing places.

Our tour guide kept a running diary of the trip, which we were invited to write in along the way. One of our campers contributed amazing drawings. At the end of the tour, back in London, the Daybook was given to one camper based on names drawn out of a hat. With much joy, it became mine.

I still have it. As the official keeper of the Daybook, I figured I should launch this little blog post out into the universe and see what happens. I know the locations of five members from the trip. For the American and New Zealander who met on our bus and later married, I did mail them a photocopy of the diary.

This was all before the Internet and social media. Thank heavens! At the time, it was my last summer before completing my Journalism Arts Technology degree. I talked my parents into giving me the money they saved for my wedding, added my savings from my part-time jobs, and headed for Europe.

Along with seventy rolls of thirty-six exposure Kodak 35mm film. One for each day. Popping the lids on every one of those seventy gray plastic cannisters at Gatwick Airport customs was a challenge, but I did it. That was a very patient customs officer.

Watching the World Cup match yesterday between the USA and Australia brought back warm and wild memories of that trip. The party vibe is real. I’ve wanted to post about the adventure on recent anniversaries, but life just happens.

Plus, as an American, I feel I should apologize to our NATO allies and partners for my country’s chaos. Perhaps now is a good time.

NATO’s Article five has only been activated once, when the USA was attacked on 9/11. Our allies came to our aid with comfort and support. It is not forgotten.

The many football/soccer fans from around the world who have come to visit us during the World Cup, have done it again, but this time by bringing us joy and hope. Which we dearly need.

The majority of Americans are hardworking, good people, who want world peace and a prosperous life for our families. We are working to fix our nation. Trust me.

We understand our Allies and partners have to do what is necessary to protect their own citizens.

But I wanted to say thank you for coming to our aid with emotional support right now. You have no idea how much we need it and our gratitude. We will clean up our mess and get back on track, but it requires commitment and fortitude.

In the meantime, I am now an official World Cup fan. I enjoyed the match, sorry Aussies, here’s hoping you make into the next round too. Complete with those yellow and brown inflatable kangaroos I saw in the crowd, that I desperately want. So stinking cute!

Because on that trip in 1983, I had the solemn honor of walking the battlefields of Gallipoli, Turkey, with the descendants of those who fought that bloody battle in World War I, while my own grandfather fought in the Meuse-Argonne, France.

We are bonded. Now and forever.

Thanks for bringing the parties!

Welcome to America World Cup fans!

P.S. If this post finds some of my former EX 57 campers, I’m at @instagram.com/kimberlyacookauthor

P.P.S.S. This was our itinerary, except for some detours, and our bus breakdown in Athens… Easy stops means we did not pitch our two-person tents. We were either in a taverna, Gasthof, pension, chateau, or on the ship.

Memorial Day Thoughts

May 22, 2026 By Kimberly A. Cook

**First Peace rose bloom in my garden this month after a rain shower. The drops look like tears.**

Recently, I fished clumps of crud out of my shower drain and I asked myself; how did I get here? My goal was to clean the bathroom counter and sink. But first I needed to clear an assortment of items off the counter. This led to sorting a small tray in my top bathroom drawer.

Then I grabbed the cleaner from under the main sink and found one of the bottles had dripped. Next, I pulled everything out to clean that up which meant I then reorganized the plastic baskets under the sink to add one for the cleaning supplies. Then I wondered if I could use a basket from under the second sink.

I pulled those containers out and found water in one. Uh oh. A quick inspection revealed the drainer stopper holder pipe thingie (technical term) had popped out. The last time I opened it, a part of my plastic glove ripped off and jammed it. Okay. Easy enough fix. Cleaned and reorganized those baskets under the sink, grateful the plastic one contained all the overflow.

Then I saw the small sink drain snake that hangs on the inside cabinet door. Maybe I should use that on the shower drain? There was some stuff in it. That led to popping the drain cover which revealed sludge city. Way more than the sink snake could handle. I scooped out as much as I could with my gloved fingers, but my digits were not long enough.

Creativity works, so I dashed to the garage to get my recycled wire coat hanger used for toasting marshmallows for s’mores in the fireplace. (I upgraded to fancy ones from the sports store) Proceeded to mangle it into submission and happily fished out clumps of muck.

And boy howdy, I felt like I’d landed a wild ocean salmon when I got great results on this specific fishing expedition. So proud of myself. And that’s when I realized how similar my activities were to what it’s like to live in the United States today.

Fishing through crap looking for gems.

Whatever your feelings about the war in Iran, please SUPPORT OUR TROOPS.

Trust me, I have very strong opinions about this war as an Army veteran, former Air Force Reserve officer activated for Desert Shield/Storm, and the proud daughter of two World War II veterans.

As the creator and instructor for the Writing War Stories class from 1998 to 2000, I witnessed the impact on the men and women who served and still bore the brunt of unpopular public opinion decades after the Korean and Vietnam Wars. I’m sure the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans can relate, plus all the other deployed military members and their families.

Don’t take your frustrations out on the troops. They are doing the best they can in an untenable legal quagmire full of dangerous physical situations.

My condolences and heart aching support goes out to our recently fallen and wounded, and their families and friends. There are no words to ease their sorrow.

On this weekend meant to honor all who gave their lives in defense of our nation, we have troops in harm’s way.

At a time when the Department of Veterans Affairs is decimated, and our current veterans are not supported, this song gets old fast for those of us who have seen it happen again and again.

War is not a game.

Nor should it be used to make people money.

Women, men, children, pets, and animals die. And suffer.

The brave people of Ukraine know this agony firsthand.

In addition, every war stirs up an ugly bunch of emotional sewage for all veterans and their families.

This weekend would be a good time to check in on veterans, friends, family members, or those serving, and let them know you support them.

Because our days in the United States right now resemble cleaning my bathroom.

What I thought was a simple job turned into three and a half hours.

Life is never simple. Neither is logistics.

We’ve got a lot to clean up these days, in the USA and around the world. We’ve got big messes on ALL of earth’s grocery aisles.

We break it, we own it.

But we must support our troops when they are mobilized.

Do it for the future veterans we are making today who are honoring their oaths to the Constitution. At great risk to themselves and their families.

Because real warfare requires steady professionals with strategic and tactical brilliance and logistical magicians.

Leaders who truly care about our troops and humanity in general.

I don’t see that from the current civilians responsible for this tragedy. Far from it.

More like subpar soap slime in my shower drain.

But you know what comes out of our current American decay? Decomposed rot turns into compost. With that we can grow a better democracy out of the wreckage that works for we the people. Not just the billionaires.

Right now, we have to be like oxen and plow ahead to create a better country that is fair and equal for all.

Because as a veteran and military romance author, I don’t want to keep writing about the trauma of our military members who are used as pawns, not people, and the lasting effects of those tragic decisions on their lives.

Serving in the military, we fight, cry, bleed, and die together. We are bonded by blood.

This weekend, please remember the ultimate sacrifice of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, National Guard, Coast Guard personnel and military animals over the last two-hundred and fifty years.

We owe their priceless gift to our nation more than fancy speeches and photo opportunities for a day.

We have to do the daily work to carry on the ideals for which they gave their lives.

Every small step forward counts.

Lead with kindness and love.

Support our troops.

Have a safe weekend.

Peace out.

Sending Valentine’s Day Wishes

February 13, 2026 By Kimberly A. Cook

As a romance author, one would think this is my peak season for romance and happy endings. The holiday is a great reminder, but I prefer to practice love and happiness every day. Because love is still the most powerful force in the galaxy.

One reason I watch the Olympics is to learn the athlete’s back stories, as we call it in the writing business. How they came to be the person they are and ended up on the team. The athlete’s paths range from poignant to harrowing to determined. But they never achieve their goals alone, they have a support team of family, friends, and coaches around them.

The Olympic athletes are a prime example of what it takes to strive for a dream. To want to represent your country on the world’s stage. Be the best for that one moment.

They are the good in all of us.

As a military romance author, this is one reason why I write about veteran couples. My women and men characters who avoid love in all the right places are part of a bigger story about life after military service. It can be a bumpy road at best.

In my books, I get to provide happy endings for veterans who many times do not get that in real life. Does that ignore reality? No, my goal is to remind those who don’t serve about the level of love and commitment from those who do, and the toll it can take during and after service.

Are veterans perfect? No. But that is true of mankind as a whole.

In the end, our active duty, reserve, and National Guard members swear an oath to the Constitution to defend our country against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

With their lives.

There is no greater love.

In my heart, Veterans Day and Valentine’s Day have a lot in common.

Have a cupcake, cookie, or a piece of cake on Valentine’s Day to celebrate the power of love.

Maybe share one with a veteran?

Love does save the world.

Happy Valentine’s Day everybody!

Give Yourself the Gift of Creativity

December 31, 2025 By Kimberly A. Cook

Double Delight rose, one of my favorites. Spring will soon be here…

This time of year, there is an emphasis on giving gifts and things. But I’ve been thinking about what has helped my mental health the most over the last two decades. What I need more of in 2026. When I review the input, and without asking ChatGPT, it always comes back to creativity.

The free gift we can give ourselves in any season.

I’ve been a writer since grade school, but other arts have come to my rescue over the years.

When my dad was in hospice, I kept a journal to record memories and unleash my grief. Then the Covid lockdown hit, and my romance novel let me visit a fictional town, away from the reality of moving my mom into assisted living and not being able to hug her for fifteen months. When her health failed, I started a mom journal to soak up my anguish.

Then the news stacked up with topics of ache and heartache from around the globe. Through all of this, I sought refuge in art. I took a mixed media class to let my inside turmoil loose on the physical page and expel it from my mind and body. The pre-painting I made before I started the course touched a deep nerve of grief I didn’t know existed. And released it, much to my surprise. When you can’t paint with words, visual art can reach deep.

I moved on to an art journal course, combining stamping with watercolors, then glue books, and whatever touched my fancy. It can be as simple as drawing on paper with a pencil to scribble anger. When the world is overwhelming, it is the exact time to spill your emotions into art and find a way out.

Writing is one part of my creative practice. Music plays in my office when I write. It lets my muse know it is time to begin. I’ve started selecting songs which represent the theme for each of my four romance book series. I know the tune when it fits.

It also made me pick my own theme song for 2026. Or maybe my life. Something which makes me happy and brave. Which befits my warrior woman writer persona of the past and hopefully my future. Attributes we Americans need these days, as do many in the world.

I’ve been figuring out how to navigate this time in my life. My world has become quite small, and it takes courage to move out into the fray.

But outside my comfort level is where the people are. The good people. And we need each other.

On my final blog post of 2025, I gift you my curated list of Creative Inspiration and Art Therapy videos on YouTube, which have helped me over the years or recently inspired me. I will continue to add to it. Bet you can figure out my new personal theme song by watching them.

Consider it a personal creative gift in case you too crave an emotional outlet. Try art. A recent term I came across is resilience fatigue. That makes so much sense. Like a boxer who wants to stay on the mat after repeated blows, sometimes we need an assist to get back to life.

Use art to heal.

Got watercolor supplies in a drawer? Crayons in a closet? Beads in a bunker? Colored ink pens in a purse? Pencil and paper under your bed? Highlighters in a pencil pouch? Fabric in a trunk? Chalk in a box?

Let the paint, hot glue, and ink throwing begin!

Make art like the world needs it.

Because it does.

Go wild.

Be creative pirates!