Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

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Can You Dance Like A Squirrel?

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by Kimberly A. Cook          (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Once again it’s time for Quirky Friday. Spring is trying to blossom and we keep getting rain and hail storms plus snow. My daffodils are sorry they bloomed. While we look forward to the sun coming out someday, how do we keep in shape?

I adore squirrels, maybe because I resemble them, and their physical antics. I had no idea this is how they stay in shape! If these guys are doing aerobics, I know there must be a squirrel Zumba class close by. Happy Quirky Friday!

What Is Your Deserted Island Book?

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By Kimberly A. Cook            (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

When we writers pack for vacation, one of the most important lists we make is which books to take. We look forward to those lazy days away from home when we can’t fix the plumbing, clean the gutters or do laundry, we only have time to explore and read. With the ease of ereaders, we can take 1,500 books with us, but definitely with a lot less weight and bulk. Recharging plug or car adaptor required.

Sugar Beach, Maui, Hawaii. A vacation favorite.

In my house I have a keeper shelf, or a couple to be honest. Those are where the books I consider wonderful friends reside; never to end up in the sell online or donate pile. We should think about what makes those books so special and why we love them so much.Is it the dialogue, the scenery, our passion for zombies? Do we prefer the western, the romance, science fiction or biographies? Recently I’ve stocked the keeper shelves with favorite children’s books I read growing up. Rereading them helps us learn about the writers we have become and why.

One way to drive ourselves completely nuts is to create a top ten all-time favorite books list. In our minds only. While I have a top ten writing books list, I never want to put my all-time favorite book list on-screen or paper. Perhaps I don’t want to tempt the universe that I won’t find more books for the keeper shelves.

So dream a little. If you were marooned on an island for a year and could only take one book with you, what would it be?

Feel Like Ping Pong Friday?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                 (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Spring is almost here in the Pacific Northwest for the first time in three years. With two back to back La Nina events, my patio is now growing a fine crop of moss.  Given we might actually have a normal spring/summer, it’s time to celebrate.

Trimming grape vines in January, roses in February and today the house and backyard patio get power washed, including the bird bath! I can’t wait to see if I have actual concrete under the moss on the back patio. Next will be planting the garden and lolling around in the lawn swing. The outside to do list gets long, but makes me happy.  I feel like Tessie, the ping pong puppy, watching a game. Happy Quirky Friday!

Are You Open To Serendipity?

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by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Research is fun for writers. Or it could be. It depends on what we’re looking for and why. Given the time of year, pouring over tax info is not at the top of my list. What is really fun for writers is noticing a pattern which turns into an idea by serendipity or coincidence. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines serendipity as “the gift of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.”

USS Pampanito Museum in San Francisco Bay on July 29, 2008. Photo by Kimberly A. Cook

The universe speaks to writers with ideas, occasionally flashes of brilliance, but mostly with small clues. We notice a topic and then later it pops up again. Now with our radar up, more details or connections emerge and we get curious. Another reason writers and cats are so closely acquainted; curiosity.

My rule of three, look into something when I notice a topic three times, can turn into exploration with the most amazing results. This happened recently. Seems my military writing muse decided there was a vacuum in my writing workload. I’ve just finished the critique of a former student’s book about serving in Vietnam plus I am writing/editing three of my books. But before I can get my student’s book critique mailed off, another possible story surfaces. Literally.

Details and patterns are emerging about World War II submarines.  Now I don’t write about World War II, so this is doubly intriguing. But I am following the trail of clues, including the above photo I happened to snap in 2008, because my muse is quite curious about how this story unfolds. There is energy in the path. Right now it’s a mystery, but story vibes are present.

We writers must be open to going down a road we said we would not travel, when something pulls us toward a story.  I think our muse’s like to mess with us, but the beckoning of an important story waiting to be discovered can be like a siren call from the sea. Be open to a story calling your name to come explore.  Are you open to an unknown writing journey?

Back Away From The Popcorn…..

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by Kimberly A. Cook             (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Not sure I agree with the title on this video. While some might say this cat is being terrorized by popcorn, I believe this smart feline is exiting the blast zone due to incoming popcorn. One never knows when a popcorn machine will blow. Advancing in another direction is always an option during an enemy engagement.

Here’s to living to pop corn another day! Happy Quirky Friday.

Are You On The Right Team?

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By Kimberly A. Cook        (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

We writers are drawn by the latest flashy trend or quirky story. But when it comes to career planning, are we on the right team? When I left the Army to go to college, I wanted to become a writer or a marine biologist. Taking advice from others I respected, I ended up with a business degree.

Graduating during the recession in the early 1980s, I couldn’t get a job and worked as a temporary receptionist. Fed up, I figured if I couldn’t get a job as a business person, I might as well go do what I loved in the first place. Used the rest of my G.I. Bill money and got a Journalism Technology Degree. Never looked back.

Advisors mean well but if their advice doesn’t fit your passion, screw it. Any vocation requires hard work and dedication, so we better like how we choose to spend our life energy. Money is not the be all and end all of life. If it was, there would be no poets. And we’ve got to have poets amongst us.

This past weekend I enjoyed the movie Big Miracle. With gray whale stars and Drew Barrymore, how could I lose? Been a huge whale fan my whole life, watching them traverse the Oregon Coast. While working on the newspaper in Newport, Oregon, I got to interview whale researchers and rescuers. My editor nicknamed me the marine mammal reporter. Dreams do come true.

We can listen to advice from other writers and authors, agents and coaches, but we have to listen to our own creative hearts. Find what makes you happy and pursue it. The movie is inspired by a true story about how diverse people came together to help three whales. Teamwork can move obstacles and whales. So, are you on the right creative team?