Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Blog

Got Wedding Stories?

By Leave a Comment

by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Attended a beautiful wedding last Saturday. This one was a new experience for me since this time I was a guest. The five weddings before I was either Maid of Honor or the aunt of the bride, so I was always “work’in.” I’ve found my military training helps with surviving national writing conferences and being part of a bridal party.

Fabulous table setting at the wedding last Saturday. Notice the chocolate hearts scattered on the table too!

One of the great things about being a guest is listening to all the stories. For a writer, just observing all the dynamics playing out are also fun. I knew about four people at the event, all in the wedding party, so I was on my own.

Three wonderful long-time friends of the bride adopted me for dinner and we had a great chat. One is a new friend who I will explore more about her Army father being at Pearl Harbor during the bombings. Vet stories are everywhere!

The bride was gorgeous, the groom handsome and family and friends were so happy to celebrate their union. As usual I shed happy tears during the ceremony. I find when I’m not in the bridal party the waterworks start easily. Over the years I’ve perfected the silent cry for these occasions so besides screwing up my makeup, it’s all good.

These important personal events reflect our past, present and future lives coming together with those we love and cherish. There are always a few characters and crazy relatives we all have or it wouldn’t be a wedding. This ceremony was beautiful and celebrated with much love by all involved. A truly happy ever after complete with toasts,  love and break dancing. I kid you not.

So the next time you attend a special event as a guest, put on your writer hat and see it for what it really is; an important story in your life.

Ever Had A Sibling Fight You For Food?

By 1 Comment

By Kimberly A. Cook            (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

It never fails. You’re watching your favorite tv show, enjoying a good snack, and a brother or sister wants to take your goodies. This puppy and parrot pair are obsessed with this brand of yogurt. The facial expressions alone are worth watching. So the next time you cuddle up in front of the tv with your fav treat, remember; beware of the parrot!

Happy Quirky Friday!

Who Are You Online?

By 5 Comments

by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

A recent special event for a group I volunteer with brought several of my lives together in one public spot. Family members, writing friends, my editor and members of my volunteer family all in one place. It seemed a bit odd, much like the Facebook discussion of whether you have family, friends and business associates all on the same account. Are we separate people online?

Will the real online writer persona please stand up? Even at 6 a.m. on a camping trip in Southern Oregon? You bet your pink polar bear lounging jammies!

This same topic came up two years ago in a travel writers conference I attended. The Search Engine Optimization Guru felt it had come to the point that all our lives had to be one online; there was no more separation of private and professional in the online arena. With a background in both journalism and public relations, this is a bit of a tough nut for me to swallow.Reporters are taught to not reveal or admit personal biases and work to be fair and balanced. Try to keep that invisible wall up between the reporter and the story. But these days, with everyone from future employers to lending banks checking what’s on your social media accounts, are we ever truly offline? What’s a writer/publisher to do?

My best advice comes from my days as a public affairs officer at a medical center; first do no harm. Whether on your posts or pages or with friends or enemies, keep your posts and persona fair, balanced and positive. Assume you are never “off” and the microphone is always “live,” as several president’s have forgotten at times. There is no “off the record” and there really is no “offline.”

Everything we do online can be searched and dragged up at the worst possible time. Whether you are building a new writing platform online or have been around for years, the Internet never forgets. Keep it clean, keep it complimentary and keep your screen clean, so to speak.

They are out there and we are being watched. It comes back to the basics, no matter how many lives and personas we have on this planet, we are one when it comes to our online presence. Act accordingly.

Have You Made A New Friend Today?

By 1 Comment

by Kimberly A. Cook            (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

With all the craziness in this world, it seems animals have more play skills than we do. We can learn a great lesson from Arthur the cat in this video. While he may be thinking he’s scored the best catch of all time, he really does play with the dolphins and want to be friends. Here’s to more play time for all of us! Happy Quirky Friday!

A Story Around Every Tank

By 1 Comment

by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

A couple Saturdays ago I had the pleasure of speaking to the Air Force Sergeants Association about the importance of getting their stories written or recorded. For the non-writers, I showed off my tech collection of a digital recorder and Flip video camera. Not everybody is a writer, but seems many folks are willing to talk their stories and these gadgets make recording a breeze.

One of two tanks flanking the entrance to the Armory at Camp Withycombe in Clackamas, Oregon.

The Association holds their meetings at Camp Withycombe in Oregon. This Camp is a major center for training and drilling Oregon National Guard troops. It did my heart good to see the two tanks standing guard outside the front door. Having served with the Army’s Fourth Infantry Division (Mechanized) ( = tanks) I love me some tanks.

From the fun and spirited group of Air Force Sergeants in the meeting, including Charlie who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, to the displays in the building, history was everywhere. When we look for military stories to write about, our own neighborhood can be full of tanks and cannons.

Camp Withycombe became a defense site in 1903 and in 1909 the U.S. Government bought the camp and opened a rifle range. The original 234-acre parcel has been a training site for the Oregon National Guard for more than 80 years. Recently several armories were consolidated to serve and train in a new building at the Camp.

The rifle range opened here on May 15, 1909 making it “one of the oldest National Defense ranges in the western part of the United States,” according to globalsecurity.org. The Camp was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places by the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office in 1994. Some of the buildings include the Adjutant General’s House built-in 1938 by the WPA.

The Camp is also home to the Oregon Military Museum, temporarily closed for renovation. A fundraising campaign is underway to build a new home for the museum at the Camp, www.oregonmilitarymuseum.org I toured the museum several years ago and they have artifacts galore. Imagine all the stories in that new building! Like shooting tanks in a barrel.

A Proposal Made Only In Portland

By Leave a Comment

by Kimberly A. Cook                 (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, I’ve always thought my home town was special. Recently the rest of the world has been finding this out with the tv shows “Portlandia,” “Leverage,” and “Grimm.” But now the best ever proposal made in Portland has rocked YouTube with more than 10,800,000 hits this past week.

For a dedicated romance writer who loves a happy ending, a Happy Quirky Friday ending, this video will make your day and year. Wishing this special local couple the best ever happy ever after!