Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

fiction

Now For Something Completely Different – Happiness

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by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Author Debbie Macomber is one of the sharpest marketing minds in romance fiction today. Besides that, she is a wonderful person, class act and always takes the high road. I’ve taken classes from her and learned from her since the mid-1980s. She is a gem and a great storyteller.

Author Debbie Macomber. Photo by The Hallmark Channel
Author Debbie Macomber. Photo by The Hallmark Channel

In this world of 24-hour infotainment news, plugged in everything and people getting a tad rude everywhere, I am so excited her new tv series debuts on the Hallmark Channel this Saturday, July 20, at 8 p.m.

Debbie’s made for tv movies from her books have been on the Hallmark Channel in the past, but this launch is the first tv series for Hallmark and they’ve bet their golden crown on Debbie Macomber. Good choice.

With more than 100 novels published and 170 million in print, Debbie always shares with aspiring romance writers and her readers. She is very smart about her career decisions and learns from her own mentors too.

Check out the two video previews of the new series here: http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/cedarcove/video/Preview/CedarCoveExtendedTrailer

If you enjoy good stories, treating people with respect and dignity, and the novelty of not one car chase, this series is for you. Check out Debbie Macomber’s web site at www.debbiemacomber.com and see all the great things she does for her readers.

This is going to be a fun debut, so fire up the popcorn popper, grab the pets and snuggle in this Saturday. It will be a great beach vacation without leaving the couch!

Can We Stop Change And Chaos?

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by Kimberly A. Cook             (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Nope. Change is constant and chaos is its walking buddy. If we don’t change or move we can become stagnant; not a good idea for people or water with mosquito larvae. Do we have to like change all the time? Nope.

Took a webinar this past weekend about using Google+ for authors; yet another social media platform. I only deal with the top four or five social media sites and I can’t keep up. Checked it out because being a lifelong learner I’m always seduced by the next new thing, but then it requires the same old thing – work.

Even hay gets changed to stuff duvet covers. Or are those giant marshmallows? Two semis of chocolate bars and graham crackers stat!
Even hay gets changed to stuff duvet covers. Or are those giant marshmallows? Two semis of chocolate bars and graham crackers stat!

Not sure if it’s summertime, age or the call of the wild, but I don’t want to work all the time these days. Playing seems a much better way to go. Writing and publishing can drive us nuts on a good day, so how do we cope with all the challenges? We go to our experts and pick their brains.

One of my favorite authors with a killer blog is Kristen Lamb; myself and 23,000 plus other folks think so. She lives to educate authors and has a wicked keen sense of humor, which I adore. I have all her books and have taken her online blogging class which saved my sanity and at least a ten pound weight gain.

Her post on Friday, June 14, was another fabulous one. Long story short, she has a new book coming out July 4, Rise of the Machines – Human Authors in a Digital World. The title alone makes we want to buy it, especially when my eyes glazed over during the Google+ webinar. Are we all beginning to feel like C3PO with a USB port with the escalating digital deluge? My kingdom for a quill and bottle of ink! (Not really, but it sounds good.)

How do we get through change and chaos if we can’t stop it? Teamwork! I’m so glad to have Kristen Lamb as one of my go to coaches for publishing and author intell(igence.) We all need buddies in life, for work and play, so take a look at her post and see what you think. The mind you save may be your own!

Read Kristen Lamb’s post here: http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2013/06/14/change-resistance-is-futile/

How Long Does It Take To Finish A Book?

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by Kimberly A. Cook       (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

As long as it takes. It depends on the book and the author. Is there one right way or standard length of time? No. See the only real trick about writing is finding out what works for you – not what works for somebody else. That is the true secret about writing. It also means one has to write. Small detail, but important.

Eighty percent of Americans want to write a book. Only one percent of us do. Celebrate that accomplishment!
Eighty percent of Americans want to write a book. Only one percent of us do. Celebrate that accomplishment!

Recently I met with one of my former Writing War Stories students. He finished his book. Party time and confetti throwing! Doug started writing his book while he was in the waiting area to leave Vietnam. Now, 40 years later, it’s done.

Doug knew it was finished because the manuscript “clicked” and he knew. I’ve told students they will know when it is done, but until one actually experiences the “click,” it is hard to believe. (Being sick of a manuscript does not count, by the way.)

Then of course there are the folks who think the first draft means a book is ready, but that is the time to begin editing. Doug worked hard on his book, had it edited by professionals and went back and did the real “grunt” work to polish the manuscript. Doug is now moving into the business side of writing to decide how he wants to publish his book. I will let you all know when it comes out. It’s an amazing read.

A former coaching client thought his book would be done in six months; four years later it was complete. Getting manuscripts right takes time. Will our books ever be perfect? Nope. But they need to be the best we can make them, or to borrow from the Army, the best books they can be!

In this world of publish anything online and damn the editing, there is a multitude of un-polished and downright stinky work out there; don’t let your book suffer that fate. Easy doesn’t make it done for book manuscripts or basic training. If we give our manuscripts the time, devotion and tough love they deserve, they will rise to the top of the digital publishing pile. Equip them with all the best gear when they go out to meet their readers.

We only get one chance to introduce ourselves and our writing to each new reader; let’s not disappoint our books or ourselves. Write hard!

How Much Bad News Can Our Creativity Handle?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

(UPDATE: This post was written before the tragedy outside Oklahoma City. All the people of that great state are in our thoughts and prayers. We’ve got your back. Donate at www.redcross.org Today every American is Oklahoma Strong.)

When I’m going through a stressful time, I tend to be very careful about what I read, which music I listen to and what I watch on tv. We writers are influenced by everything in our world and sometimes the planet gets too pushy and freaks out our creative muse. That’s when it’s time for a crap curfew.

Very scary movie, as you can tell from the poster.
Very scary movie, as you can tell from the poster.

Don’t ask me how horror writers keep sane, or if they even are sane, but when the going gets tough I head for funny romance fiction, HGTV, the Food Network and my cable easy listening music channel without any commercials.  My muse needs good input to stay happy and creative. Positive brain food it might be called.

For folks who think it’s fun to get scared, more power to you. I still haven’t recovered from seeing the movie “Jaws” in the 1970s – amazing what I would do for a date. The Walt Disney movie “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” scared me as a kid. Maybe it still does today. Those of us with active imaginations do not need any help conjuring up weird things that go bump in the night; we’ve got a full-time freak-out factory in our heads with tons of odd characters running amok.

So how do we tame our internal jitters and not venture into the dark basement? Why do they always do that in the movies, by the way? Nothing good ever happens down there – where is Darwin’s theory of adapting when it comes to dark basements? But I digress. Give your muse a break when times get tense. Take your brain over to Animal Planet’s “Too Cute” show with kittens and puppies for recess.

The muse you save may be your own!

P.S. Link to first ten minutes of said scary movie below, don’t say I didn’t warn you! (You can actually watch the entire movie on YouTube. How odd.)

http://youtu.be/-VffXZ44_LQ

Would You Make A Good Writer Spy?

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by Kimberly A. Cook            (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

One of the pieces of craft a writer needs to practice is the art of observation. By people and pet watching we get ideas, insights and entertainment, all for free. With the weather starting to get warmer, we are on the cusp of prime people watching season.

Stealth ducks hiding in plain sight next to my day job building.
Stealth ducks hiding in plain sight next to my day job building.

Walking into my day job building, there is a swale which holds run off rain water. Week before last a pair of ducks were swimming around in the pond six feet from the building. Day in and out I noticed most people didn’t realize the ducks were even there, hiding in plain sight every morning.

Outside my house the other day, a friend noticed a key was hanging from a tree branch. We figured out someone dropped their house key and with no identification and a Good Samaritan tied the lanyard around the tree to serve as a signal. How many great story ideas, characters or dialogue clips have we lost in the trees by not using our writer “Spidey” sense?

Eavesdropping dialogue gold mines for me are mass transit, lines at the grocery store, anyone on a cell phone in public, movie theaters before the movie starts and any sporting event. Malls are great too because not only do you see all kinds of people and outfits, you can snack and drink cocoa at the free viewing tables in the food court.

As a fiction writer I like to make up stories about the people I see, imagine what their “back stories” are and what their current mission might be. It’s a great way to exercise your mind and let your subconscious get some new input.

A piece on the radio recently talked about how doing chores or repetitive tasks can unleash your inner creativity. Great ideas come to me when gardening, washing dishes, in the shower and taking out the trash. Seems our grey matter needs a muse break too.

So it’s time for writer Spring training. Get ready to do chores and people watch. You too may discover some hidden drone ducks on a secret mission or a new mystery book series idea, hiding in plain sight. Get in shape now for writer summer RECON!

Who Knew Giraffes Could Do This?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

We’ve had sunny weather here in Oregon this week and its been gorgeous. These warm days make ones thoughts turn to pool parties and hot tubs. Imagine my surprise when I came across this film which shows how giraffes celebrate summer.

It’s a bit longer than my usual video clips, but well worth the time for entertainment value. Plus, you might pick up some tips! Have a great weekend. Happy Quirky Friday!

http://youtu.be/v9zCEMEDWX0