Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Warrior Tales

U.S. Navy Back At Fleet Week In Portland

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by Kimberly A. Cook                        (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Last year for the first time in memory, U.S. Navy ships did not attend Fleet Week during the Portland Rose Festival due to federal budget issues. But they are back Thursday to help us thank the active duty sailors, let locals tour the ships and honor veterans.

http://youtu.be/3_xUoXQ0YQo

There are always some challenges getting these big ships more than 120 miles upstream to moor in the exact center of downtown Portland. I’ve seen masts snapped, near misses from turning ships around in the channel and all kinds of fun things. It’s a delicate ballet of tugs and river pilots and Navy bridge personnel making it all work. The Coast Guard protects the big ships while they are in port and the Portland Fire Department boats welcome them with spray and colored water. It’s a blast!

We also have Canadian Navy military ships, U.S. Coast Guard ships to tour, the restored PT boat and a pirate ship or two. It’s a great event and so many fun things to see, including the oldest Rose Show in the nation. It’s just not June without Rose Festival in full swing.

What I love best is people watching. If you park yourself on a bench down near the waterfront, you can see the whole world go by and hear many different languages. A writer loves nothing more than eavesdropping on regular folks to get great quotes.

So while you may have festivals and fairs in your area, go check them out. Not only can you research and have fun, there are always tons of snacks available. Around here we also get to watch the Dragon Boat races held in the Willamette River, right by all the ships. Rose Festival Ho!

www.rosefestival.org

Received A Snail Mail Card Recently?

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by Kimberly A/ Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

The sun is out and it’s going to be a nice weekend here in Oregon. Yeah! Ate my first ripe strawberry out of my garden this week, so life is good. I also have a new favorite tv show to watch; “Signed, Sealed and Delivered,” on the Hallmark Channel.

It’s about Fictional Postal Detectives in the Dead Letter Office who reunite letters, packages and people with the important things they mail. The characters are quirky, so of course I love it! Take a look at the promo for the series to give you an idea.

Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!

Life Gives Us Unexpected Pleasures When We Slow Down

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by Kimberly A. Cook                 (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Spent the past week on an unexpected stay-cation at home and it was wonderful. Seems we run around so fast we never get time to just be. While visiting my favorite antique mall and café, I spied a marked down jar of jewels. Score!

Marked down from $25! Happy Dance!
Marked down from $25! Happy Dance!

I snapped it up and kept it until I had time to enjoy the sorting process. Got my favorite bead storage container, I keep a stash, and spent a pleasant hour discovering new treasures. It feels like bead therapy to me, bringing order out of chaos and finding surprises.

The process was interrupted by Spec Ops Cat wanting to help out. Whether it is checkbooks, knitting, composing on the computer or trying to read anything, he thinks a RECON is in order.

There were more pins and buttons than I expected in the jar, but it made me wonder about who wore the pins and why I had four from one convention. The little mysteries of life. I’ve read research which says women can start to lose their passions at age 10, so figure out what you did then and try it now. Reading, writing and jewelry making were big for me at 10 and still are among my favorite things to do.

Spec Ops Cat helping out. Kinda.
Spec Ops Cat helping out. Kinda.

Of course, in those days, I’d get these same jars filled with broken jewelry parts at Goodwill for a few dollars and have a field day sorting my finds. This $15 jar was a big bargain since everyone has caught on to recycling and making “steam punk” jewelry these days.

But I spent a wonderful time playing with my new jewels and dreaming up new creations I want to make.

When we’re not thinking about creating characters, building plots and editing, a childhood pleasure can give us a quick vacation without even leaving home. When did you last take a break and just play?

Fini!
Fini!

Remembering Our Heroic Military Animal Warriors

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by Kimberly A. Cook                (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Monday is Memorial Day to honor and remember all who have given their lives defending our nation. Along with the brave women and men who have given the ultimate sacrifice during war and peace, during and after service, we also honor the heroic military animals who stand beside our warriors and pay the price of freedom.

This Monday remember the sacrifices of all our warriors and veterans. Military animals and especially military dogs have shown their love and duty by giving their lives to protect their country and fellow troops.

Remember; Freedom isn’t Free.

(You have to watch this video on YouTube, but here is the link)

http://youtu.be/gSa5KZtb5To

 

 

Writers Must Be Young Reader Book Pushers!

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by Kimberly A. Cook                        (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Read a wonderful article on Friday by Frank Bruni of the “The New York Times” about the importance of literacy in our nation and the disturbing pleasure reading figures for young adults. Seems the current digital natives are veering away from reading to plug-in and zone out even more than we thought.

Original keeper books from my salad days.
Original keeper books from my salad days.

It made me think of my book favorites from grade and middle school. I promptly went to the keeper shelf and gathered a few and took their picture.

Interesting to note what I read in my early years is what still drives me now; romance, mystery, suspense. Seems we might know what writers we are to become by what we read as children.

Kids not reading for pleasure is a huge issue. The article quoted a statistic from the Common Sense Media report that reading for pleasure has declined for ages 13 to 17. It goes on to say “Fewer than 20 percent of 17-year-olds now read for pleasure ‘almost every day.’

Whoa! I know teens are busy, but this is not good for many reasons. The article goes on to talk about the symbiotic link between reading and intelligence. Just like exercise the more you do it the fitter you become, body or brain.

It has never been more important for our youth to read for pleasure. This crusade does not belong to only the Young Adult authors, this is a mercenary business need for all writers. If we don’t make young adult readers, we won’t have adult readers!

It’s time to become a book pusher today!

Link to article: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/13/opinion/bruni-read-kids-read.html?_r=0

 

 

 

Great Course Run Guys!

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by Kimberly A. Cook                      (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

It’s been a wild week here at Quirky central and now it’s time to sit back and relax for the weekend. While I contemplate which of the 3,000 things I may not do on my get it done list, here are two brave foragers out for their morning nuts. Love the play by play calls!

When all else fails, the animals entertain. Happy Quirky Friday!