Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

romance

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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This is the mini chocolate cake heart I made for my Mom’s 94th birthday today. She is a Valentine’s Day baby! The leftover cake batter produces a dozen cupcakes. Cake AND cupcakes. Perfect!

Wishing you a very merry Happy Valentine’s Day! Sending everyone chocolate cake wishes and gifts you buy for yourself. I am always a hopeful romantic, but life doesn’t get to decide if I get Valentine’s today or not. Thanks to Amazon I bagged myself a bunch of Hayley Mills movies arriving tomorrow to add to my collection. Binge watch party this weekend!

The other day I was pondering where I got my sense of adventure and crazy from, besides my family. Who were my roll models growing up? Hayley Mills definitely sticks out. One favorite Disney movie of hers is “That Darn Cat,” but my all time favorite Hayley Mills movie is “The Truth About Spring.”

In the past only bootleg copies of the movie were available, but low and behold the other night on Amazon I discovered Universal released a new copy. It is winging it’s way to me as we chat. My military romance writing incorporates a dash of my real background, the fiction characters who inhabit my head and a healthy dose of Hayley Mills. 

No matter where we are in our life, romance and adventure spectrum, we need to keep a piece of Hayley Mills alive in our hearts.

Rock this Valentine’s Day! Buy yourself an oldie but goodie something and celebrate. (I got a pink light up rubber ducky at the store this week. Just saying.)

Hugs and pink hearts to all!

Thank you for being my Valentines! 

And a Veteran’s Honor red rose and pink The Fairy roses from my backyard last summer for you all too!

Happy Valentines Day Eve!

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Stocked up and ready for V Day. Actually, I always have Dove on hand. Because.

by Kimberly A. Cook

Waiting in lines is golden for writers. Running errands yesterday, my last stop was the grocery store. The checkout clerk was chatting up customers about Valentine’s Day.  Some of my neighbor’s customs shocked me.

“We don’t give candy to the kids,” said one woman. “The holiday is for the parents.”

Say what? My family uses any excuse, er holiday, to give presents, especially candy. At first I thought maybe she had young kids, I could see that. Nope, teenagers. Well between energy drinks and coffee they inhale, how bad could a couple pieces of candy be?

Another lady said she gave her young kids coloring books. That is fabulous. While I love the demon sugar, I too have to ration it. Processed sugar is addictive, but like everything else, if used in moderation; just don’t drive heavy machinery afterwards.

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One of the plates I use for Mom’ s cake. Plus research wrappers.

An on air tv personality last night talked about going out with her galentines for Valentine’s Day. Fabo. Sometimes the Valentine’s Day holiday feels like a poke in the eye to all single, divorced or widowed folks. So adapt!

To me Valentine’s Day has always been my mom’s birthday. Tomorrow we get to celebrate her 93 young years at lunch on the river. Not in a boat, a restaurant. Though Mom is game for most adventures.

For me? Stocked up on Dove and Kit Kat candy to share with family. Will bake a heart shaped mini-cake for Mom and cupcakes for the crew. Bought myself a bouquet of pink carnations for the kitchen table; keeping Spec Ops Cat out of them is a different story.

Then threw myself into research for this post by testing the Dove dark chocolate. Actually, I eat two pieces every day so I had plenty of wrappers available.

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So you’ve still got time to stock up and treat yourself. Candy, coloring book or carnations? How about trying the last wrapper saying I got this morning?

Hug someone today!

Happy Valentine’s Day everybody!

Writing, Cats And Glitter?

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by Kimberly A. Cook

This week I’m determined to get the final edited copy of my military romance fiction book “Mission: Tinderbox” out to my beta readers. What are beta readers? Dedicated hardcore friends/readers/fellow writers who take a final look to make sure it all makes sense and perhaps find a typo or two.

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Spec Ops Cat helping me not edit my manuscripts. How could I move this cute guy? 

 

On my non-fiction book, I had eleven beta readers. They each found something different. Pretty amazing. Also amazing was taking the eleven printed manuscripts in binders on an editing retreat in the wilds of Goldendale, Washington to cat sit for my friends Gate Girl and her hubby. Three days, three cats, sixty acres, visiting deer and one biblical thunderstorm later I had all the edits compiled. Worked out great.

But it appears all those distractions I handled back then are nothing compared to the challenges of one Spec Ops Cat at home. Somehow he manages to show up at the right time to make the maximum impact on what I’m trying to do.

Whether he is napping on my manuscripts to edit, stepping into the bead box during play time or suddenly appearing from the mist to stand over my keyboard putting fur in my mouth, he arrives. Then he proceeds to actually step on a key and mess up the manuscript with a long line of zazazazazazazazaza that he did yesterday. How can one small cat be such a diversion?

With these challenges I’ve taken to rewarding myself before I complete goals these days, since that improved my motivation cleaning out the family home last month. I’ve discovered a new addiction too; glitter. So the glitter drawer is now full in the office/craft room and I still need to get this manuscript polished.

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Notice whose paws are in the craft container on my lap while I try to sort dice beads.  Fur gives him away.  Can’t even tell you how quickly this can all go bad… very bad.

 

Perhaps by confessing in public I can make myself grind it out. Bought the three-ring binders and mailing boxes yesterday, so now all that is left is the final read, edit work,  making copies and mailing.

Piece of cake.

Must be a glitter sale somewhere? Right?

 

Beauty And The Beast Movie!

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

One of my all time favorite scenes in the animated movie “Beauty and the Beast” is when he shows Belle the library. He had me at library! For any reader/writer, giving them a library is one of the greatest gifts on earth.

When I went to the Library of Congress for the first time I couldn’t even speak. The Mother ship of books! Pretty sure I teared up too.

So Disney brings us a live action and special effects masterpiece once again. Fire up the popcorn machine, we’re going to need tons! Make your plans now, it opens March 17.

Oh, I’m a sucker for guys wearing capes too. Zorro, Darth Vader, the Beast. Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!

Who Defines Romance?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                       (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

Happy week after Valentine’s Day! Had planned on a fun post for V Day, but that creeping crud head/throat/chest thing hit me Feb. 12 and I went down like a rock. My leaking energy choices for Feb. 14 were to write my blog or bake Mom’s birthday cake and go to her party. You know what I chose!

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Always make Mom a mini-chocolate heart birthday cake and CTG. (Cupcakes to go!)

 

But since my head feels much lighter now, I’m trying to get back to my regular programming. If coughing counted for exercise I’d be ten pounds lighter, but it doesn’t work that way. Rats.

Pondering last week between cough drops and tissue use, I tried to rate my most romantic memories. So far. The interesting part is romance has many faces; not just the usual coupledom. Since couple season is now over, Halloween to Valentine’s Day, the rest of us can heave a sigh of relief and not be blasted with the commercial messages that romance involves only two humans.

Some of my most romantic memories have included family, friends and being alone. The only real ingredient which might be required for true romance in my book is chocolate; don’t be home or leave home without it.

According to the “Merriam-Webster Dictionary” on my desk, romance is

1. a medieval tale of knightly adventure.

2. a prose narrative dealing with heroic or mysterious events set in a remote time or place.

3. a love story.

4. a romantic attachment or episode between lovers.

So my blog might be number one, two and three at times; love stories can be with friends, pets and frogs. Many of my “romantic” memories involve travel and being in the moment. Being present to completely experience an amazing person, place or thing.

The point of this is to launch us all on a new quest for romance. Before Halloween rolls around this year, let’s all find pieces of romance to enjoy this entire year and expand our definition. I presented kid Valentine’s to my family, complete with Minion temporary tattoos. Perfect. Nothing says love like temporary ink.

What new romantic memories do you want to make this year?

 

 

 

Ready For Romance?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                     (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

There are many types of romance, but digging out of a historic snowstorm and freezing rain/ice mess topped it for me last Thursday. Finally able to get out for a girl’s lunch at Monticello Antiques and Monti’s Café. Heaven!

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How is this for a fabulous display? I use red accents in my pink kitchen and it works great. White and red are such perfect colors together with a dash of pink.

 

When what to my wondering eyes appeared but red and white decorations telling me Valentine’s Day is near. The main reason I was so happy is because it means Spring is on its way. When even the Weather Channel says Portland is number one on the winter-fatigue scale, being able to shop is romantic.

Wanted to share some of the finds I found in my browsing. It was so fun to be out of the house, snow, ice, arctic cold temps without a snow shovel and my Danner Fort Lewis boots.

I discovered jewelry jars, but after a thorough scan of the contents I decided I didn’t need these; still have a bunch at home.

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Jewelry treasure jars!

 

Thought these buttons were so cute and festive, plus vintage. Can’t we just kick ourselves for all the stuff we got rid of which is vintage now?

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Vintage button bonanza!

 

Found another pink mini-teapot that I managed to not buy. It was a tough decision, but I am out of teapot display space. Completely.

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I’ve got at least three pink mini-teapots. Maybe it’s four. This one had to stay put until I can take inventory.

 

Then this fabulous find would have gone home with me if I had a bigger house. Who doesn’t need a pink couch? Really!

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Spec Ops Cat would love to curl up on this beauty.

 

There is more daylight now. It’s time to buy Valentine candy for all the folks we love, including ourselves. My motto is buy early because by the actual day all the good candy has been sold on clearance. Better put it on your shopping list for Super Bowl party goodies. Just to be safe.

Happy Almost Romantic February!