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A Few of My Favorite Things

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?

Favorite Fantasy Reads

The following are a few of my favorite fantasy reads:

The Hobbit (and The Lord of the Rings) by J.R.R. Tolkien
My long-time favorite and the one that started it all for me

Which Witch? by Eva Ibbotson
A fun tale about a good witch trying so hard to be bad

The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber
Beautiful and poetic writing

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
Granny Weatherwax! What more is there to say?

The Raven Boys (series The Raven Cycle) by Maggie Stiefvater
A riveting fantasy infused with humor, and I just loved Blue Sargent’s quirky family

The Girl of Fire and Thorns (series) by Rae Carson
Excellent high fantasy with an unlikely heroine

Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Redwall (series) by Brian Jacques
Like the legends of King Arthur and Robin Hood, but with woodland creatures

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
A classic

And many more…