Meet Christine

I was living on the Central Coast in the 1990s when the Northern Elephant Seals began arriving on local beaches. At first it was a novelty, but as more seals arrived, problems surfaced.

Northern Elephant Seals were unknown to the general public in the 1990s, when they started showing up on Central California Coast beaches. A lone pup birth was recorded by a scientist near the Piedras Blancas light station in 1991. 

Soon, these giant, blubbery seals with floppy noses were attracting visitors to gawk at them on the beach and causing traffic accidents on scenic Highway 1. Local authorities needed to find a way to deal with them. As the old joke says: Where does a two-ton seal go? Anywhere he wants.

I heard about Wool Week in Shetland in 2024. I'm a knitter, and it was irresistible. My husband and I visited that year, and returned in 2025.

My skills as a self-taught knitter had to take a step up to knit the hats that identify Wool Week visitors. I took one class at home before I left, and another class there. It's a pleasure to learn from fiber artists who have developed their craft to art.

On our first visit, we met a local poet who told me about The Adventures of Tommy, a local cat who spends time around town. He'd written several poems about him, and I compiled them into a book. 

On our second trip, we met Tommy! He has his own Facebook page.

We visited other sites in this northern country. They say, It isn't the end of the earth, but you can see it from there.

We took the Scottish Seabird Center's boat trip out to see the gannets, remarkable and beautiful birds. 

Growing up in New York’s North Jersey suburbs, I knew nothing about chickens. I started writing about chickens when my daughter asked for some baby chicks, in the 1980s. We lived in San Jose, the heart of Silicon Valley. I searched for a book about chickens, but there wasn’t one. 

My friends whispered to me, I’ve always wanted to keep chickens. I needed to write a book to help them. Being a writer, I wrote the book I wanted to read.

How to Raise Chickens was published in 2007, just as the local food movement was starting to focus attention on our food system. Backyard chickens became the symbol of local food. How to Raise Poultry followed in 2009.

Both have since been updated, HTR Chickens going through three editions and selling more than 100,000 copies. The Backyard Field Guide to Chickens was published in 2016.

When How to Raise Chickens was published in 2007, people were puzzled. “Is it a cookbook?” Today, every person I talk to is either raising chickens or knows someone who is. Chickens became the mascot of the local food movement.

I value professional organizations. I am a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Society of Environmental Journalists, Northern California Science Writers Association, American Society of Journalists and Authors, and National Association of Science Writers. I am a member of the American Poultry Association, the American Bantam Association and the Livestock Conservancy. 

I keep a small flock of 10 hens, some old friends and some newcomers.