When I was a child, I would have told you that I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. Although I didn’t end up pursuing art as a career, it was always somewhere in the mix. While studying computer science at Union College, a liberal arts and engineering school in upstate New York, I would intentionally fill out the electives in my schedule with art classes. In graduate school, I picked up painting to counterbalance my thesis studies, teaching myself from exercises in books. Nowadays, I dabble in watercolor, acrylics, and colored pencils. My favorite subjects are the flowers and plants growing in my garden.
You can often find me out working in my garden and puttering around my yard. That’s a deadnettle in my photograph. With a name like that, you’d think it would look like a thistle, or at least more prickly and witchy. Its Latin name is Lamium maculatum. With its heart-shaped, serrated leaves and little hooded flowers in shades of pink, lavender, or white, it makes a lovely ground cover for shady areas.
Cross-stitching is another of my hobbies. My current favorite designer is Just Nan. Her innovative patterns feature cleverly-constructed shapes and creatures. I’m especially fond of her mice. To date, I have stitched almost all of her mouse patterns (or at least the ones I can still find). Pictured above is Hazel Fun Witch. She’s a tiny little thing, only about an inch and a half tall.
Speaking of little rodents, I can’t forget my guinea pigs. My guys have such different personalities. One is sweet and quiet and curious; the other vocal and somewhat bossy. But both my furry-toed friends will happily approach you and wheek for a bit of parsley or a veggie treat. Did someone say “Second breakfast?”
These interests often inform my writing and make their way into my stories. Don’t be surprised if you find a cursed tapestry, a plant reference, a furry critter, or even a computer science nod somewhere in the pages of my books.
So what are some of your hobbies? How do they inform your writing?