Riding the Hobby Horse, by Lori Roberts Herbst

 “I guess I need a hobby. Currently, my primary hobby is complaining.”—Jay Duplass

 

I’ve never been much of a hobbyist—unless you count reading and the above-mentioned complaining. From my 20s through my 40s, I was busy raising a family and working at a demanding job, so I simply didn’t have the time or energy for such pleasure pursuits.

 

Once the kids got older and needed less attention, I took up cross stitching. Inspired by my mother-in-law, I’ve created over two dozen Christmas stockings, along with assorted other projects. It’s an enjoyable activity that keeps the boredom at bay as I watch TV in the evenings. Since my husband and I have been nomads for the past two months as we await the completion of our new home, I haven’t been able to tackle a new project, and I find myself missing it.

 

Otherwise, my hobby experience has been limited. So it was a joy to discover that the mother of my main character in the Callie Cassidy Mystery series is a “hobby jumper,” as her family refers to her. Over the course of the series, Maggie Cassidy has immersed herself in knitting, cake decorating, scrapbooking, and jigsaw puzzles, to name a few. It’s been enlightening and educational to research these hobbies, though most of them don’t rouse in me the inclination to take part. Still, I delight in standing behind the scenes to guide Maggie through each new enterprise.

 

For GRAVEN IMAGES, book 6 of the series, that meant standing (figuratively) next to Maggie in a cemetery. When her librarian friend takes on a book project to document the early settlers of their hometown of Rock Creek Village, Colorado, Maggie agrees to help with the illustrations by taking up a new hobby—grave rubbing. (Not grave robbing, as Callie first mistakenly hears her say. That would require a whole different set of tools, as well as the cover of night…)

 

Though grave rubbing can be an artistic pursuit, it is most often used in genealogy. A rubbing is created by wrapping rice paper, or the equivalent, across the words etched on the tombstone and gently stroking the surface with specially made rubbing wax. Doing this well requires a steady hand, attention to detail, and patience. (Since those aren’t my inherent traits, it won’t be a hobby in which I engage…)

 

In the course of my research, I learned that grave rubbing can be a controversial practice. Some municipalities have even banned it due to the potential for damage to old tombstones. But if grave rubbing is carried out using a careful and specific process, it can serve to memorialize ancestors whose names might otherwise be lost to time and erosion.

 

In GRAVEN IMAGES, Callie accompanies Maggie and her librarian friend to the cemetery so she can take photos of her mother’s first rubbing. In typical fashion, Callie discovers a dead body. A dead body in a cemetery? Nothing unusual about that…right? But this one rests above the ground rather than beneath it.

 

One takeaway? Hobbies can be dangerous, my friends. Choose yours wisely.

 

Do you enjoy reading about characters’ hobbies? What are the best hobbies you’ve (pardon the cemetery pun) undertaken?

 

GRAVEN IMAGES, book 6 in the Callie Cassidy Mystery series, releases April 23 and will soon be available for preorder on Amazon.

 

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Lori Roberts Herbst writes the Callie Cassidy Mysteries, a cozy mystery series set in Rock Creek Village, Colorado. To find out more and to sign up for her newsletter, go to www.lorirobertsherbst.com