Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

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Got Stories? Use Tech To Preserve Them

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Last Friday I spoke at the Veterans Coffee Club at The Wings of Freedom Showcase about the importance of saving veteran’s stories.  Since this group is also restoring the B-17 bomber, it all fit together quite well. The Bomber is a longtime landmark on McLoughlin Blvd. A dedicated group of volunteers and The Bomber Restaurant family are making sure this B-17G beauty gets a fabulous facelift. Her nose is restored to a gleaming shine and sits protected in the Wings of Freedom Showcase just beyond the bomber.

B-17 Bomber above the former gas station pumps, in front of the Bomber Restaurant and the Wings of Freedom Showcase

While we writers think nothing of jotting down a story, not everyone wants to do that, but we all have stories. That’s why using today’s technology is so important to help keep the stories alive.

One of my favorite tools is The Flip video camera. A small easy to operate device with a red stop and go button, it couldn’t be simpler. It plugs right into your computer and downloads not only the video, but the software to make movies too. Its small tripod is also very effective for filming. Check it out at www.theflip.com (I saw Anderson Cooper on CNN using it in the  Middle East, so you know it works.) Available at Target and Amazon.com

Or use a digital voice recorder; my small one is from Sony. Bought at Radio Shack, it lets me record everything from frog sounds in my backyard to interviews, then plug it into the computer to download the sound files. Not everyone can write, but everyone can push a button or two. This would be a great project for grandkids and retired boomers alike. Capture these important stories, historians need all of them. 

A special thank you to Terry and The Bomber Veterans Coffee Club for hosting me. Check out their wonderful work on the B-17 at www.thebomber.com or call 503.342.3597 and press 2 # to learn more about the Bomber’s history. It’s a great story! They have big plans to better preserve the B-17G, so keep your eye on them.

Scrat Goes For The Publishing Nut!

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by Kimberly A. Cook              (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Scrat is my hero. For those who are not familiar with the Ice Age movies, please rent, stream or buy them. Not only is Scrat cute, but I feel he accurately depicts the life of a writer. Scrat is the author/writer and the nut is publishing.

As self publishing and digital media rock and roll on the way to new technologies, we writers try to keep up. Just when we think we have achieved  success; another industry upheaval comes and we are chasing the nut once again.

For today’s Quirky Friday post, let’s all enjoy Scrat as he struggles to gain and retain that elusive nut! Writers have to keep at it, just like Scrat!

Do You Write For Love Or Money?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                    (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

One challenge of being a creative type in the business world is when passion and joy run smack into basic necessities, like needing to eat. This was drilled home by a teacher I was interviewing for the  newspaper in 1984.  “I always tell the other teachers to be nice to the newspaper reporters,” she said. “You’re the only ones who have to have a four-year degree and get paid less than we do.” Too true.

My "Official" Hobby with Antique Beads

So before digital media, writing didn’t necessarily pan out as a cash cow career. So why do we write? If we are doing it strictly for the money, we will eventually burn out. Writing is hard work. Or good writing is hard work, to be more specific. The option to self publish is switching the control of the publishing game back to authors, but this brings up more challenges.

When we turn a passion into a job, it can lose some or all of the joy. Deadlines, sales figures and screwed up cover art become our new dragons. A survey I read said if anyone is happy with 60 percent of their job, that’s as good as it gets. Bet that means taxes, paying bills and equipment malfunctions drop into everyone’s work life, no matter what they produce.

About 10 years ago I decided it was time for a hobby to balance my day job and my writing business. Experts suggest revisiting what you liked to do as a kid. Writing and reading were big in my life, even at age 10, but making jewelry was also a passion. I reconnected with jewelry making and enjoy it to this day; I’m a beadaholic.

I thought about selling my jewelry, then I sat myself down and had a chat. “Everything cannot be a business,” I told myself. “This is your official hobby.”  I was relieved. I had given myself permission to play, which helps my writing muse. Money can be a demanding mistress if we let her boss us around all the time.

So if our writing passion becomes a business and it doesn’t feel right, change it. Go back to writing for the fun of it. Keep our day jobs. Reduce the stress. Being published is not the holy grail; it is just one of many roads for writers. We all have to do our taxes, pay our bills and fight with the stupid computer upgrade programs; but if we are fighting and dreading our writing, something is wrong. Maybe it’s time we had a chat with ourselves and figured it out. Are we writing for love, money or ourselves?

In Praise Of Biceps And Chests

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By Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

When folks ask me how I ended up in the Army at age 18, I should probably respond with “South Pacific.” The musical, not the geographic location. Raised on musicals, this one movie put all my favorites in one spot; tropical islands, romance, half-naked men, French accents, music and the military.

Compound the indoctrination with growing up in Portland, Oregon, the City of Roses, where the Navy ships ventured upstream every June for Fleet Week. About 3,000 sailors in whites? My fate was sealed. Can’t swim for beans, so the Navy was out for me; my dog paddle would not have passed the swim test.

The Army did teach me where my feet were. Repeatedly. So whenever I need a lift, I think back to this classic movie, with this fabulous song and agree; yup, there ain’t noth’in like a dame! (Or being one for that matter!) Happy Quirky Friday!

Military Stories Honor And Transcend Time

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

It’s been a banner month for military movies at the box office. First War Horse, then Red Tails and Act of Valor will release next month. Congratulations to Red Tails for rocking the box office in second place this past weekend. The Tuskegee Airmen and George Lucas finally got their story on the big screen. Lucas hopes to film the prequel and sequel to Red Tails if the box office numbers hold up, so go see the movie.

John I. Tuthill, World War I

Last month at the 70th Anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Pearl Harbor Survivor veterans decided to disband. With that act, it falls on the rest of us to remember their stories and deeds and carry them forward, as Lucas has done with the Tuskegee Airmen.

 War Horse brought back the conversation I had with my grandfather before I headed off to Army basic. He told me a little about being in the Artillery in World War I. He mentioned how he had to get his gas mask and the horse’s gas masks on when the mustard gas hit.
 
That conversation came back to me many times in basic when I was learning to put on my gas mask and get a seal in nine seconds. How did grandpa ever get his mask and the horse’s gas masks on in time? My grandfather passed away before I came home from the Army. What I wouldn’t give to have had more time to hear his stories.
 
Grandpa was a character, so I’m definitely related to him. He came to Portland and worked as a longshoremen in the days when the docks were also a war zone. Later he became a Silverstream trailer snowbird, vacationing with my step-grandmother in Quartzsite, Arizona in the winter.  The amazing silver bullet trailer would show up at our house for summer visits.
 
To me he was an older man, wiry and thin. I didn’t recognize him in a photo my Mom has of his longshoremen days; he looks like Popeye, biceps and all. The portrait we have of him in his World War I uniform above shows his deep blue eyes and buzz cut. Finding out my Grandfather’s military history is on my to do list; because as writers and witnesses we need to record and tell the stories. That’s our job.      

Head Em Up, Move Em Out!

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by Kimberly A. Cook             (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

It’s been a long short week around here in the land of ice, snow, rain and flooding. While winter is just getting started here in Oregon, spring will rise again! Going along with the open air theme, thought it might be time for a little round-up. Imagine the truck is a self published author and the cows are the current publishing industry. The words to the song fit pretty well too! This is what digital media is all about; writers rule!

Kick back, put your boots up on the table and enjoy the ride. Happy Quirky Friday!