Military Romance Author
by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)
I can’t seem to get my act together with a trash compactor these days, so today’s late post will feature some oldie but goodie photographs. Have a ton of new photos to share from recent adventures, but can’t get on top of things. Stay tuned, some day I might get organized. Maybe.
Then we need to add some beauty to our visual break.
And last but not least, every writer needs a wingman, so here is mine, Spec Ops Cat.
by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)
The planets aligned correctly last Friday and I combined a visit to my hairdresser and the 10th Annual Rose City Book and Paper Fair. Truly miraculous. Before I knew it I had wandered for three hours among the booths snapping up must have books and getting creative ideas and inspirations. These were my peeps!
While I could not afford the high priced books, I could see them and be impressed. In one booth a guy practically climbed over me to get to a signed framed photo of Muhammad Ali. In another booth I noticed a first edition Ali biography bound in leather and signed by the Champ. When I learned of his passing Friday night, it touched me to have seen things he had signed. The greatest of all time.
The variety was astounding and I had a blast. The event is put on by the Cascade Booksellers Association and featured 55 booths. Vendors from Oregon, Washington and California displayed their goods. I scampered away with four books; a biography of Hans Christian Andersen from the $3 table, a $5 copy of Hardtack and Coffee, Women Marines; The World War II Era and U.S. Submarine Losses of World War II.
It does my heart good to see folks preserving and cherishing these books and items produced by other artists and writers. There were even relief maps built for the World War II invasion in the Pacific, including the mapmakers memories. You never know what you might find.
Elvis was in the building and so were cookbooks and some very cool collectibles.
I need more walls to hang art on and store books. What better past time for an adventure than to hunt for books this summer?
What’s on your book wish list?
by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)
It’s time! The new “Peanuts” movie opens today. Does life get any better than that? Snoopy is my hero from his military service to his Joe Cool shades and fantastic Latin dance moves. Plus he’s a writer, I have his books. Looks like this movie has it all.
What better way to spend the weekend than a visit with the Peanuts gang. Crank up the sound and let’s all boogie with Snoopy! A dog’s work is never done.
Happy Quirky Friday and have a great weekend!
by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)
A couple Sundays ago I dragged, er invited my author buddy Cindy Hiday to go see author Elizabeth Gilbert talk abut her new book “Big Magic – Creative Living Beyond Fear” on her book tour.
I was so excited to attend even on a Sunday night in downtown Portland. On our way into the theater I saw piles of books. We were each given one. Seventh heaven. I’d already bought the book and had been reading it using pink highlighter and flag tags, but this one was autographed. Yeah!
Listened to Liz read from “Big Magic” and then she answered questions from a huge stack of audience question cards. It was a fun and brilliant evening which ended with everyone singing “Country Roads” with the help of John Denver piped into the theater. Perfect.
It’s so nice to hear an accomplished author speak about creativity as a good thing which everybody has and not some burden guaranteed to drive us all nuts. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book so far.
“(because in the end, creativity is a gift to the creator, not just a gift to the audience).”
“You do not need anybody’s permission to live a creative life.”
“Possessing a creative mind, after all, is something like having a border collie for a pet: It needs to work, or else it will cause you an outrageous amount of trouble.”
‘If you’re alive, you’re a creative person.”
“I’m talking about living a life that is driven more strongly by curiosity than by fear.”
That last one really hit me in the brain. Wow. I am a very curious person and I’m never more happy than following some research topic or article down the rabbit hole in search of something new. The act of discovery through curiosity is better than chocolate.
Plus fear sucks, so let’s all bypass it with curiosity. Liz Gilbert rocks! I am reading her book in little bits each night before bed, savoring it like a pint of Rocky Road ice cream. If you’re looking for a good book about the joy of creativity, this book is for you.
“Big Magic” is divided into six parts; Courage, Enchantment, Permission, Persistence, Trust and Divinity. There are topics ranging from road trips to fairy dust. Who can argue with fairy dust? Put it on your wish list for Santa or snap it up now for yourself.
Got curiosity? You’re creative!
by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)
Few things get me more excited than word of a new book by a favorite author. Double that when the book is about creativity and I’d only heard rumors about it until recently. So, while I am marking my calendar for September 22nd this year, I wanted to share the info with those of you like-minded creative types. The new book was announced Jan. 12th, but I’ve been oblivious I guess.
Elizabeth Gilbert’s new book is “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear.” I’m figuring out whether to take vacation time from the day job to hit the bookstore first thing that morning and/or pre-order it from her “Two Buttons” store so I can get an autographed copy. I’m thinking both. Why deny myself?
I’ve come to realize I prefer getting a paperback or hard copy of non-fiction books because highlighting on my ereader makes a mess; kidding, but not quite. Physically underlining words on a page reinforces the learning process of the brain and I can use all the education help I can get. Plus, I’m addicted to those Post-It Note Flags.
So for all of us creative types, and that is pretty much everybody on the planet, more book fun to come. Plus the cover is partly pink! Living the dream!
P.S. The Portland Rose Festival is in grand swing now and Fleet Week starts on Wednesday. Check out the link to see which ships are coming for a visit. Too fun! Brings back high school days memories; seeing sexy U.S. and Canadian Navy uniforms. But I can’t swim for beans or chocolate so into the Army and Air Force I went! http://www.rosefestival.org/event/fleet-week-4-3
by Kimberly A. Cook (Twitter@ WarriorTales)
Ever started a simple home improvement project that turns into a monster? I had this great idea about using the leftover boards from my replaced fence for firewood. Sounded like an easy thing, right?
Now with 60-feet of fence replaced, first I had to break down each panel and then stack the wood on the patio to dry out. Had nice sunny weather for the weekend and decided to use Dad’s skill saw and cut those boards up no problem. Tried the first skill saw and I couldn’t get it to work. Not sure if it was a button thing or a power issue.
Not deterred, I’d brought another skill saw from Dad’s shop and that one started right up. Sucker was heavy. And noisy. Started in on the boards and the going was a bit rough. Seems 15-year-old cedar boards are a tad tough and I must be a tad weak. It appears you actually have to push the darn skill saw to make it work. Who knew?
I even called my brother-in-law to make sure I was using it correctly. It looked SO EASY when I watched Dad use it. Mom’s comment to me about the whole thing was, “He was strong!” No kidding. I need three men and a boy to help me with this pile of wood.
Decisions. After about an hour of pushing, shoving and some interesting language, I had one bin filled with wood cut for my fireplace. Egad. With an aching back and kinda frozen fingers, I decided the better part of valor was to put the wood in the garage and work on it over time. Like probably the entire next year.
I will get it done! Maybe by Fall. Maybe not. There must be videos on YouTube on how to use these power tools. Of course at the day job this week one of my co-workers had to rush to the emergency room because her hubby cut off the tip of his finger with a skill saw. I didn’t do that!
Maybe I should hire woodworking elves. Or a herd of woodchucks…..
Got monster home projects? Or skill saw tips?
You must be logged in to post a comment.