Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

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Are You Open To New Possibilities?

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by Kimberly A. Cook              (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

The start of a new year refreshes my muse. Getting past the solstice and putting away holiday decorations makes me look forward to the twelve new months. While some folks set goals, I have a few, the biggest challenge is to slow down and remain in the now. Luckily Mother Nature likes to send me artwork on a regular basis.

Christmas Eve 2011 sunrise from my backyard.

I took this photo on Christmas Eve morning in my backyard, in my jammies. A former photojournalist, I always have my cameras with me or within reach. For some reason I woke up early and decided to just get up; rare, since staying in a comfy warm bed is one of life’s great pleasures. Digging into my oatmeal, the rays of this amazing sunrise spilled onto the breakfast table. I was out the back door. 

Life is like that. If you sleep late, don’t look out the window and keep the curtains closed, you miss the good stuff. If you slog to the day job and don’t notice the amazing ice pattern on the red berries outside your office, you miss out. Make long-range writing plans, but embrace the present.

While we are launching ourselves into a new year of writing, ebooks and digital media, (oh my!) don’t forget to stay in the now. Your future might be right in front of you, trying to get your attention. Will you take the time to see it when it waves?

Go For The Guinea Pig In 2012!

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

The final Quirky Friday of 2011. The pressure is extreme to come up with something fun and inspiring to launch us all into the New Year. Happily, with the help of You Tube, I have it. This great nation has had some tough knocks the past several years and folks are struggling. But one of the things I love the most about us all is we are nuts and creative. Those are the skills which will pull us out of any mess.

We are very good at being creative and working together when times are tough. We have the drive, commitment and gumption to do the impossible. So in the great steps of our forefathers and foremothers, I give you Guinea Pig Agility Training! If Americans in South Dakota can train guinea pigs to perform, we can do anything! (They’re also training fish!) Happy Quirky Friday!

What Would Hayley Mills Do?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                 (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Growing up in the 1960s there were many role models for women; feminists, stay at home moms, movie stars and women entering the workforce. To say the mixed messages were confusing to young girls is an understatement. 

The 1960s superwoman image and the do it all mantra was trumpeted. Seemed illogical to me. Watching my own mother juggle taking care of a home, two daughters, work two part-time jobs, attend college, lead my Camp Fire Group and hold down the fort while Dad worked out-of-town on long business trips; it became clear to me the “news” might be fibbing. Picking a few roles seemed possible, but not all of them at once.

Who became one of my female role models? Actress Hayley Mills. Watching “The Wonderful World of Disney” on Sunday nights rocked. When her teenage movies came out, I decided I wanted to be like Hayley; a pirate, princess and tomboy. The movie “The Moon-Spinners” had me fall in love with romantic suspense, adventure and Greece. It also introduced me to author Mary Stewart, a lifetime favorite.

From “That Darn Cat!” to “Summer Magic,” I always found a message in her films which spoke to me about being a woman who can take many paths, not just the one society decided I should take. If Hayley could have adventures, travel and do what she wanted, so could I. Being a warrior and a writer would be okay in Hayley’s world. 

Her favorite film of mine is “The Truth ABout Spring,” a British movie she did with her father, actor John Mills, and James MacArthur of the first “Hawaii 5-0” fame. It’s a fun movie about growing up, doing what one needs to make ends meet, and to never give up. There’s always a secret escape route just around the rocks whenever you’re in a jam.

With 2012 heading this way at full speed, I like to ponder what my creativity and life goals will be for the new year. January begins like a clean whiteboard I can diagram with colored pens to my heart’s content. If I get stuck and life seems too complicated or ugly, I can always pull out my secret weapon; what would Hayley Mills do? 

Do you have a childhood role model? It might be time to revisit that person with fresh eyes and find the inspiration you got years ago. Why not? Happy adventures in 2012!

Watch Out For Santa And Rudolph!

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by Kimberly A. Cook                         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Heading into the holiday weekend I wanted to put my favorite Claymation Christmas video up today. While the Prep & Landing Elves are making final preparations to deploy Santa for Christmas eve, the California Raisins are also going to be out there, courtesy of The Temptations.

With all this air activity going on around the world, the men and women of the U.S. and Canadian militaries staff the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). They have a busy job managing the air space, keeping it clear, coordinated and safe. If you want to follow their expert tracking of Santa, check out http://www.noradsanta.org/en/index.html They started their countdown on Dec. 2 to make sure all tracking systems are operational.

I took a tour of NORAD while stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado with the Army. One of things I remember is how thorough their military police were in scanning my entire body with the metal detector. Twice. Guess they were just being very careful. Right.

Happy Holidays and a very happy quirky Friday!

Are Creatives Born Or Made?

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By Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Creativity fascinates me.  Since I think of myself as a creative with imagination, the biggest challenge I have is explaining the “process” to other folks. The classic, “where do you get your ideas?” question stumps or terrorizes many a writer.

My answer is where don’t I get ideas? If I keep my eyes and ears open, I’m flooded with input. I consider myself a writing pirate; always looking for writing adventures and seeing buried story treasure everywhere.

Not to get clinical, but I believe creativity is rooted in being a lifelong learner and having the curiosity of a cat. While past public school system curriculum may have taught to primarily left brains, I always knew I was a right brain creative type.   I conformed to get through school, but kept my right brain engaged. Luckily I had many teachers who helped me keep it alive.

A big challenge for creatives is to not lose the sense of wonder and awe we experience on this planet and reinforce our childlike love of play. Before I could read I made up stories to match the pictures in my books. Then movies were my imagination made real in front of my eyes.  Everything from how I decorate my home to my wardrobe are influenced. There are no limits on my brain’s need to explore and make up worlds. 

We are all creatives; some of us might be a bit out of practice or not think of ourselves that way. I know great cooks who make me swoon with the amazing food they produce and wood workers who can make a piece of furniture look so gorgeous I have to caress it. When my plumber or accountant help me out of a jam, they are using their creative right brain in an area I am lacking. Double ditto for all the tech hijinks my IT elf fixes.  

At one conference an ad agency creative director said the hardest part of his job was trying to explain to the company executives who hired their firm how they came up with an ad campaign. You really can’t make a schematic diagram for the creative process – it happens. Like finding buried treasure off the coast of Florida or in your own backyard, you must exercise your creativity muscle – the brain. Music helps me create. I play a special set of creativity music cds when I’m writing; if we only use 10 percent of our brain, I think the music is for the 90 percent of my grey matter responsible for my imagination. Don’t want it to get bored.   

Who can imagine how The Glass Duo in the video began learning the ancient art of the glass harp? How did the first glass harp player start back in Mozart’s day? Think about what you are passionate about and love to do – from writing to travel to your chosen profession – you might realize you’re a creative pirate too!

The Perfect Holiday Gift!

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by Kimberly A. Cook                       (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

What do you get the woman who has everything? A gift certificate to drive a tank! I’ve always wanted to go through the Army’s M1A1 tank driving course where they swim in mud, but this would be a great option until I can make that happen. So in my holiday shopping public service announcement mode, go check out how you can drive a tank.

While I served in the Fourth Infantry Division MECHANIZED (capitalized because it means tanks!), I once rode in an APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) coming back in from downrange and got to ride in a big tank being delivered at Fort Carson, Colorado, but I never got to drive. Add a big red bow and we are good to go! Happy Quirky Friday!