Richard Cook

I’ve always been a story teller. Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to experience many things in life.

I come from a “unique” family with all of its warm, unusual, and sometimes bizarre interactions and events. Surely a book will come from these memories.

I’ve been fortunate to travel and live many places, WI, MO, MA, CO, VA, HI and now PA. I will have to say that CO is by far my favorite and hope to retire there one day. I’ve also been fortunate enough to travel internationally. I’ve visited Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Israel.

My dad taught me to be resourceful and never shy away from the unknown. He was self employed for more than 30 years and I grew up as slave labor for him. Little did I know just how much he would teach me and how valuable his lessons would be in my life. I loved him dearly and have missed him since his passing.

My day job has been in Electronic Field Service Management. I’ve worked for several companies, GE, Carrier Mobil AC, UPS, ETO, Calgon, Write Tire and Appliance, and have been self employed. There is something very rewarding about taking a call “my system is broken can you fix it” and then swooping in, working your magic, and restoring the system to operation.

I’ve always found women to be fascinating, from the things my mother and sisters would say and do, to the interactions of my daughters with their mother. I’ve enjoyed watching ladies shop and hearing the things that trouble them. I’ve always been one to open doors and pull out chairs, or assist ladies with the heavy loads they sometimes carry. Chivalry is not dead, It’s wounded badly, but it is not dead!

One day I was sitting at my computer and I began to write down some of my stories. This went on for quite some time and then I noticed that several would fit together; Jasmine was born. It took me more than a year to admit to anyone that I was writing a story. Who was I to call myself a writer. It took a lot of encouragement from friends to finally openly admit that I was writing something. One day a friend referred to my story as a manuscript and I began to allow myself to dream of being an author.

Jasmine has shown me that I can write a novel. She is weeks away from being published and I have at least 5 more books in my head. What a wonderful feeling as I look at her on the table. I’m proud of her and hope she brings pleasure to others as they get to know her.

I would encourage anyone with an imagination to put their thoughts into the computer and see what they end up with. You may surprise yourself and find that you too can write a book.