spot_img

AUTHORS AND THEIR HOBBIES: KRISTINE RAYMOND

 An Egg-cellent Hobby ~ by Kristine RaymondPageflex Persona [document: PRS0000026_00094]

When Jocie invited me to write about my favorite hobby, I paused for a moment.  Do I tell you about my love of crocheting?  How walking the yarn aisle of a craft store elicits the same excitement I felt as a kid on Christmas morning?  Or should I extol the joys of jewelry-making; of the hours spent stringing one colorful bead after another, basking in the accomplishment of a scarffinished pendant?  I could talk about Hügelkultur gardening, or bread-baking, or painting (pictures, not walls), or that woodburning kit I’ve yet to open, or…

Nah, why talk about any of that stuff?  None of those hobbies currently occupy my time.  What’s keeping me busy these days are chickens!

Yes, you read right.  Chickens.  And, guineas, too.  My hankering for acquiring live poultry began last year, and the desire intensified about the time the pandemic hit.  I mean, what’s better to have during a quarantine than your own egg-laying machines?  Of course, by the time they’re old enough to lay eggs, this whole self-isolating thing will be over.  One can hope, anyway.  And lest you worry that the flock will be kept in small cages solely for the purpose of providing baby chicks 1breakfast, nothing could be further from the truth.  It’s acres of free-range at the Raymond homestead.

I’d owned a variety of backyard birds many, many years ago – chickens, ducks, guineas, and peafowl – and was excited to begin the experience again. When two boxes of three-day-old chicks arrived at the post office in mid-April, I was in heaven, quickly settling sixty-seven peeping fluffballs into our spare bathroom.  But it only took a few days before I was remindedIMG-1357 of what I’d forgotten from the first time around – these tiny, fragile creatures eat NON STOP, and what goes in comes out in three times the quantity.

In a weeks’ time, they’d doubled in size, draining their food and water supply faster than I could replenish it. Their delicate peeps developed to hearty chirps, and their need to vocalize outweighed their need to eat and poop.  Almost.  After a month indoors, it was time to move them to their permanent – outdoor – home; an old herb garden repurposed into a hen house. 

IMG-1359While ‘the buzzards’, as I affectionally call them, were busy doubling in size seemingly hour-to-hour, I was siding the existing chicken-wired frame of the garden, installing roosts and hanging feeders, and securing a roof. (Side note – I’ll never make a living as a roofer.  Thing leaks like a sieve.)  Finishing up by spreading a thick layer of pine shavings on the ground and voilá, it was time to move in.  With their new domicile offering more than ten times the space as our tiny bathroom, the birds took to it right away, exfoliating the weeds I’d left untrampled.

Next up – constructing an outdoor run so they can stretch their legs – and wings – in the fresh air (they’re still too young, i.e., small, to roam, so the free-ranging will have to wait a month or two) and building nesting boxes for all of those eggs I’ll be collecting (you know, the payoff to my investment).  Though, now that I think about it, this hobby seems an awful lot like work!

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000026_00094]Kristine’s latest release — FINNAGLED………

A secret message hidden inside of an antique wooden box, an unidentified dead body, and a mother determined to marry her off to the high school crush whom she hasn’t seen since…well…high school.  There’s no doubt about it; Finn Bartusiak’s life in the seaside town of Port New is about to get interesting.

Coming into possession of a 19th-century, bronze and mahogany writing box under somewhat suspicious circumstances, Finn’s accidental discovery of a coded note leads her and Spencer Dane, bestselling novelist and love of her life (though he doesn’t know it yet), on a quest to unravel the mystery behind the jumble of letters.  But they’re not the only ones interested in the cryptic message.  There’s a con man on their trail, and he’ll stop at nothing, including murder, to claim the ‘treasure’ for himself. 

Buy link – https://books2read.com/finnagled

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Head shot squareIt wasn’t until later in life that Kristine Raymond figured out what she wanted to be when she grew up, an epiphany that occurred in 2013 when she sat down and began writing her first novel.  Sixteen books in multiple genres later, she’s added the title of podcasting host to her resume, thus assuring that she will never be idle.

When a spare moment does present itself, she fills it by navigating the publishing and promotional side of the business.  When not doing that, she spends time with her husband and furbabies (not necessarily in that order) at their home in south-central Kentucky, reads, or binge-watches Netflix. 

To find out more about Kristine, please visit her website at www.kristineraymond.com and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and BookBub. 

And for links to podcast episodes, guest posts, and other great stuff, check out Word Play with Kristine Raymond at www.wordplaypodcast.com.

Jocie McKadehttps://www.jociemckade.com/
Her fiction writing has received the Author / Ambassador at Library Journal Self-e Authors, Winner Queen of the West Reader Favorite Award, Amazon Bestseller - Historical, Double finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the Mystery and Humorous Categories. Writing humorous cozy mysteries and romantic comedy, Jocie can find humor in most everything, even when she shouldn't. She lives in the Midwest on Dust Bunny Farm with her family.

Similar Articles

Comments

FOLLOW US

2,023FansLike
2,952FollowersFollow
11,200SubscribersSubscribe

Recent Book Trailers

Instagram

Advertismentspot_img

Don't Miss

The Seven Mistakes New Managers Make by Janet Polach PH. D

0
The Seven Mistakes New Managers Make How to avoid them and thrive An expert guide to effective leadership and how to become one by Janet Polach...

L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest Winners: Michael Kortes and Lance Robinson

0
TWO CANADIAN AUTHORS ARE WINNERS IN INTERNATIONAL WRITERS CONTEST Canadian authors Michael Kortes and Lance Robinson are winners in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the...

VeVe Poised to Revolutionize Digital Comics and Collecting with Launch of VeVe Comics

0
Platform gives fans access to first-day releases and new experiences, kicking off with first launch publisher, Marvel Comics VeVe, the world's home of premium digital collectibles, comics...

GROUNDBREAKING GUIDE FOR LIVING A THOUSAND LIVES WITHIN THE ONE YOU HAVE

0
A groundbreaking guide for living a life without regret was released today from real estate maverick, business coach, eight-figure influencer, and bestselling author Kris Krohn. Time...

New Release: Murder Under Redwood Moon By Sherri L. Dodd

0
Murder Under Redwood Moon By Sherri L. Dodd Murder Under Redwood Moon, the majestic redwoods of Santa Cruz County create a cozy world of magic and wonder;...

Excuse our Absence

0
We're updating our 'Cyber-Closet'. You know how that goes? Should we keep it? Does it bring us joy? Eww, where did that come from? We don't...

THE DOWNLOADED BY ROBERT J. SAWYER

0
THE DOWNLOADED BY ROBERT J. SAWYER In 2059 two very different groups have their minds uploaded into a quantum computer in Waterloo, Ontario. One group consists...

Behind The Words with Erin Bartel

0
Welcome to the blog Erin. Today, we're excited to be talking about your latest release The Lady with the Dark Hair. First, tell our...