Let's talk about reading, writing and blogging

As part of my blogoversary celebration last week, I invited people to send me questions. Claire at A Little Piece of Me picked up the challenge and sent me a list.

Hello, get a coffee and relax. It's interview time with Claire :)

OK, I don't have a coffee, but I do have my feet up on my desk, so I'm as relaxed as I can be. (Honestly, my feet are up. My husband has no idea how I can type this way, but I manage quite well.)
  
Having been a reader of Mills and Boon since I was about eleven, I would like to know what your first romance novel was and how old you were when you read it.

I could go with the short and easy answer, but I won't because I think the payoff is better when I tell it this way.

My third-grade teacher wanted to put me into a remedial reading class. She said I had reading issues (and that I reminded her of her ex-husband). In fourth grade, at my new school, I tested normal for reading. In fifth grade, I read my first novel-length book, Flowers in the Attic. By sixth grade, I'd been placed in an honors reading program. I discovered historical fiction that year and decided I especially liked stories of the American West, such as the Little House on the Prairie series and epic-length books such as Sacajawea.

In seventh grade, I was checking out the books on the supermarket book rack and I saw a book cover with an American Indian on the front. It looked like an interesting story, so I bought it. I didn't care that I was having trouble pronouncing the title: Defiant Ecstasy. (You try to sound out the word Ecstasy -- there are some vowels missing there.)

From that moment on, I was hooked on historical romance. I think my parents were a little bemused by some of my selections, but they didn't try to hold me back. At least I was reading.

What does the husband think of your blog and have you ever said to him 'oh I am going to blog that!'. 

He doesn't get the whole blogging thing, the compulsion to write, and especially the time I put into it. A few months ago, I subscribed him to my email feed so that he could at least know what I was up to. Every once in a while he'll yell from the other room something like "What the hell is a Wordless Wednesday?" He was thrilled this week when he discovered the Odiogo link and vowed that would be the only way he'd read my posts now. LOL

The most recent example of "I'm going to blog that" was recently when we were changing out the bathroom fixtures in our powder room. When I grabbed the camera, he said "I suppose you're going to blog about this."

My only possible response: "Of course I am."

Then I did clarify that since the toilet paper holder we were getting rid of was HATED by many of our friends (you'd have to read the full story), and the friends would appreciate the documentation. That seemed to pacify him. 

Can you see yourself blogging for another three years and beyond?

Yes. For the first few years I sometimes felt like I was blogging into a void. I did nothing to promote the blog and I only had a few readers. But, I blogged anyway. If I kept blogging through that, I don't see what would make me stop now.

How rude is this novel of yours going to be, if you had to put a movie rating on it.

The novel that I've completed, Prairie Fire, would probably earn an R rating. The novella I'm working on is erotica and by definition would earn an X rating.  (I'm staying with officially sanctioned movie ratings here.)

and finally, when do I get to read it?

If you promise not to analyze me afterward, you (Claire) can read it in the next few months. Everyone else would have to wait until it was published, and since I don't have a publisher for it yet, who knows when that will happen. :)

Let's talk about Chicago

Why are we talking about Chicago? Because Monique asked: How long have you lived in Chicago/Chicago area?

The answer is pretty boring, because I've lived here most of my life (minus two years in California and three-and-a-half years at college in Iowa).

So that leaves almost 34 years that I've lived within the same 10-mile radius west of O'Hare International Airport, and when I write it that way, it sure makes my life sound very boring.

In an effort to not be boring, I'm going to expand on the original question.

How deep are my roots in the Chicago metropolitan area?

My Dad's family came here first.

My grandmother's family came here from New York state for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and decided to stay. They were a family of teachers, and their daughters were educated at the University of Chicago. Both my great-grandfather and my great-aunt worked as principals at a high school on the southwest side of Chicago.

My grandfather came here from Australia to study for a career with the YMCA at George Williams College. During the Great Depression, when he couldn't afford to return home, he met my grandmother and decided to stay. He enlisted with the Army during World War II, but because he broke a leg in basic training, he was never sent overseas. He spent the war stationed at Fort Sheridan, and after the war made a career with the Evanston YMCA.

My mother came here from Wisconsin to work for Capital Airlines, which was eventually merged into United Airlines. Two of her aunts had already made their way to Chicago, so she lived with them for a time, but eventually met and married my Dad, who also worked at United.

Why do I stay in Chicago?

At a point in every person's life, they have to make a decision to stay where they grew up or move on. Obviously, my great-grandparents, my grandfather and my mother all made the decision to move on, and Chicago was their choice. There were opportunities here for them.

My husband and I flirted with leaving. We both went to college in Iowa. We moved to San Francisco for a few years during our marriage. But always, Chicago was home and we fully intended to return.

I guess the main reason we live here is because this is where our family and friends are. Secondarily, I like living in a major metropolitan area and having easy travel options around the world. I like the city of Chicago and the people.

It's also where the best opportunities have been for us. I'm not opposed to moving somewhere else, given the right opportunity. But Chicago is and will always be home.

So, I'm curious: Have you ever thought about why you live where you do? Did you decide to stay near where you grew up? Or did you fly at the first opportunity? How did you end up where you are now?

We have a winner

10,000 visits!

Claire at A Little Piece of Me wins the 1,000 Entrecredits for sending me a screen print with the Sitemeter showing 10,000 hits. I'm transferring the credits right now.

Thank you Claire.

Here's her screen capture (click to enlarge):



Here's a print screen of my Sitemeter report. Claire's visit is circled. The visit below her was the actual 10,000th visitor -- someone visiting from Lacrosse, Wis.



Thanks to everyone who played along with me. That was fun for a few minutes. (A special thank you to that mystery person who'd been refreshing for the past hour trying to capture the magical number.)

Let's talk about Puerto Rican food

Even though this is a blog that's all about me, sometimes I get tired of talking about myself. It's true.

Let's talk about Puerto Rican food.

Why Puerto Rican food? Because Monique asked me: Have you ever had Puerto Rican food?

I was in Puerto Rico once for my honeymoon back in 1994. We had a few days to explore the island before we picked up a cruise. Surely, at some point in those few days, I tried Puerto Rican food. At least, I hope I did. But I don't know.

I did an Internet search for Puerto Rican restaurants in my area in the off-chance that I'd eaten at one and not realized that it was specifically Puerto Rican. Looking at the results, the answer is probably no. They seem to be clustered on West Division Street in the Humbolt Park area of Chicago. Not one of my usual haunts.

Truthfully, I'm not even sure what defines Puerto Rican food.

Here's how Welcome to Puerto Rico defines it:

Although Puerto Rican cooking is somewhat similar to both Spanish and Mexican cuisine, it is a unique tasty blend of Spanish, African, Taíno, and American influences, using such indigenous seasonings and ingredients as coriander, papaya, cacao, nispero, apio, plantains, and yampee. Locals call their cuisine "cocina criolla".

That description looks tasty to me.

So, anyone recommend a Puerto Rican restaurant in the Chicago area, preferably in the northwest or far west suburbs? Or maybe near O'Hare Airport? I'm willing to trek into the city, but that takes more planning and organization, so it will probably take much longer to happen.

And if I do make this journey, any specific foods I should try?

I suspect that possibly only Monique can answer these questions for me, but I hope there are others with this information too.

Anyone else out there ever tried Puerto Rican food? What did you think?

Three years, 500 posts and 9,9** visits

It's still Doodle Week for another 35 minutes where I'm at. And, since this is my 500th post and today is this site's blogoversary, I doodled myself some cake. See?

Three candles. Yes, this blog is three years old today!

I thought I might get the trifecta today and hit 10,000 visits also, but it looks like that won't happen until tomorrow or Tuesday.

Darn. I wanted to give someone 2,000 Entrecredits for capturing a print screen of it happening today.

But there's still 1,000 Entrecredits on the table for the first person to capture a print screen of it for me as close to the 10,000 mark as possible (see this post for more details.)

Anyway, enough about my little giveaway. I want to talk about this blog and some of its milestones.

On July 20, 2005, I opened my Blogger account and started this blog. You can read the introductory post here, but it's quite boring.

I didn't really do anything with the site until Jan. 3, 2006. That's when I named it The Beacon and started posting on a regular basis. (Read about it here.)

In February 2006, a former co-worker found my blog through a Google search and emailed me. Scared me to death. OMG, someone I know is actually reading this! (Read about it here.)

I went right out and installed a hit tracker. I needed to know who was reading this site.

I didn't join Site Meter until Feb. 21, 2006, so I have no idea how many people may have stumbled on the site and read something before then. When I joined Site Meter, I credited myself with 4 hits prior to installing the widget. Yes, 4!

I didn't tell my family about the blog until about March 1, 2006, so I guess that's another blog birthday. (Read about it here.)

Over the years, this little blog has been a labor of love. I wrote it, a few friends checked it out, but mostly it was done out of compulsion. I didn't belong to any blogging networks. I didn't actively promote it. Once or twice, I even took a month off between entries.

Up until I joined EntreCard on Feb. 11, 2008, I'd be lucky to get 10 hits on a good day. I averaged about 4. My sister was my most devoted reader. (Hi Heather!) Now my numbers have gone significantly up.

Here's how much of a difference Entrecard has made to me. On March 5, 2008, I noted for some reason that I'd had 2,888 unique vistors to this site (including the 4 that I credited myself with at installation of the Site Meter). None of those hits were my visits, as I'd learned early on how to set Site Meter to ignore me.

So, even though this site is three years old, 80 percent of my hits have come in the past four and a half months.

Thank you to everyone who has ever dropped by this site and checked it out. That applies to my quiet real-life friends and family, as well as the new blog-world friends I've made over the past few months.

In my post a few days ago, I offered everyone the chance to ask me questions if they like. The offer is still out there. If there's anything you want to ask me, ask. I'll start answering questions tomorrow.

Except for this one. I'll answer it now: Monique, I think you are so awesomely awesome, the word awesome doesn't even begin to describe your awesomeness. :P

My favorite posts from The Beacon's first year

In anticipation of my upcoming blogoversary on Sunday, I thought I'd take a look at my Top 10 favorite posts from the first year of this blog (July 20, 2005-July 20, 2006)

Here they are in chronological order;

The Romance Police
January 9, 2006

I was deep into a revision of my still unpublished novel Prairie Fire, and I'd invited my friends to critique part of it.

This weekend I met with two of my best friends/critique partners whom I will call the Romance Police, duly sworn to make sure this writer delivers on the romantic promise of the novel, doesn't pull any punches in the emotions, and puts that emotion in dialogue where necessary and not summary narrative.

Another Day Like Today
March 6, 2006

Back in the days when Don MFH and I worked together, Don was in a band. I bought one of his CDs and popped it in my car stereo.

My car REALLY liked the album. For the next 20,000 miles or so, every time I started the engine, I'd hear "Another Day Like Today" whether I wanted to or not. It drove my husband crazy. Fortunately, there was a trick to bypass the tape player: Hit eject three times, and magically, the radio would play.

Coming out of the closet
March 6, 2006

This blog had been around several months before I ever told my family about it. I'm not sure who was reading it at all, really.

OK, I confess, I've been keeping my online work extremely low-key. I'm here to promote a book that I haven't sold yet. There's not much to promote, really. It's more of a time investment in the future.

But, I didn't realize that I'd kept it so low-key that my own husband didn't know about it. Surely, I'd mentioned it at some point... right?

One year on since Dad's death
April 11, 2006

Writing this post was a catharsis for me. It's long. But a year after his death, the step-by-step memories of what happened were still really strong, and I wanted to make sure I didn't forget.

This is the one paragraph that always gets to me because it puts me so clearly back into the emotion of the moment.

This was the point where I realized that we all deal with trauma in our own ways. We were in a religious hospital, but we could find no comfort in religion. Mom wanted her regular doctor there. She wanted to hear the options from him, because she knew him and trusted him. She wanted to hear from HIM that doing nothing and letting my Dad die was the right choice, was the ONLY choice. It was her decision to make, but she felt paralyzed without that consultation.

'Aneurysm Tests Urged in Older Men Who Smoked'
April 11, 2006

This was one of those times that I casually forwarded a health-related story to someone then forgot about it. You know the type of email I'm talking about.

I'd sent this to my Dad about two months before he had his aneurysm.

I didn't remember that I'd sent the email to my Dad until my sister found it in his email inbox days after he'd died. I'd prefaced it with "Just thinking about you, Dad. :) Love, Haley". We were all a little spooked at finding it.

Acting class = surprisingly fun
April 13, 2006

In an effort to really challenge myself by doing things that scare me -- like public speaking -- I signed up for an acting class.

I can't boast that I'm overly entertaining (although I do hear laughter at times) but I don't think I suck, either. I think improvisation is sort of like, as an author, writing a scene of dialogue. It's a matter of turning off the internal editor and just going with the thoughts that pop into your head. And, when you go blank, letting your partner take the lead for a little while, then you work off of what he or she has said.

A forte for comedy?
April 20, 2006

My acting class was working, and one lady actually paid me a very strong compliment.

As I sat down, one of the women, Paula, said to the class: "I don't know, Haley. When you started this class, you said it was because you had anxiety. Well, I don't see that. You've come out of your shell, and you certainly have a forte for comedy."

Funny Mike
April 27, 2006

When I saw a former coworker hosting an HGTV program, I had to look him up.

In the early 90s, Mike and I worked together on a package of business stories about Glamour Shots, those stores in the mall that will do your hair and makeup and take pictures. We both went and got the "makeover" and had our "before" and "after" photos published. His before photo is very nice. Mine is hideous. (It turns out they forgot to do his beforehand and scrambled at the end.) I've always had this fear that the photo package would someday show up on one of those "before they were famous" segments about Mike. It may yet happen. (Before you ask, my clip of it is buried deep in a box somewhere. Hard to locate. You'll have to go to microfiche.)

Tales of the MS Walk, dogs and sit-down strikes
May 8, 2006

That year we walked in the MS Walk as a team -- Me, Dave, Loki and Thor -- under the name Team Loki.

While the humans enjoyed it, a certain team-leading dog, whom we shall call "Pokey" Loki, thought it was way too hot, and after valiantly walking the first 2.5 miles, decided to put in a few protest sit-down strikes during the last half-mile. Her strikes were always staged in a cool shady place, especially if she saw a long open sunny stretch coming up ahead. (If she could talk, Loki would say something to the effect of: You try walking in the sun wearing a long, black fur coat. Oh sure, Thor did it, but he's an idiot. No common sense. Plus I'm bigger. And all that pulling on the leash takes more energy.)

Doesn't everyone Google her own name?
July 7, 2006

Because of this post, I was introduced to a few other women with the name Haley Hughes out there.

I look forward to seeing what happens with these other women named Haley Hughes. Is it weird to follow their lives through Google just because they share my name?

Going for a blogging trifecta

Sunday marks three years since I started this blog. Three years, and I've never celebrated my blogoversary before. In fact, I've celebrated no milestones with this blog.

Which is ironic, since Sunday could very well mark three different milestones: the Blogoversary, 500 posts, and 10,000 unique visits. With my current planned posting schedule, the 500 posts should happen on Sunday. The 10,000 visits, that's hit or miss.

I haven't decided what to do on Sunday, but I thought I might follow the lead of other bloggers and open myself up to questions. Anything you want to know about me, feel free to ask. Anything. We'll see how honest I feel on Sunday when it's time to answer. :)

Also, I'll give 1,000 Entrecard credits to the first person to send me a print screen of my blog with the hit counter as close to 10,000 as possible. An extra 1,000 Entrecard credits if the 10,000 mark happens when it's July 20 in Chicago. (If that person is not on Entrecard, I'll work out a $10 giftcard to Amazon or some place similar at my discretion.)

Send the print screen as a jpeg attachment to webmaster (at) haleyhughes (dot) com. (Replace the (at) and the (dot) with the appropriate symbols, of course.)

So I've announced a contest -- buried it deep in the post -- but it's my first contest, so you'll forgive me, I hope. Consider it a reward for reading. :)

To recap: Contest (see above) and taking questions (see above).

Addendum: How to capture a print screen

If you have Windows Vista, there's something called the Snipping Tool that you can use. I've never used it myself, but here are the directions. (Thanks Monique for the tip.)

The way I've always done it on my Windows PC: There's a button on my keyboard marked "Print Screen". Arrange your desktop the way you want it, then press the "Print Screen" button. This saves a picture of the screen to your clipboard. Open a graphics or photo editing program and paste in the image. Then do a save-as, and save the file as a .jpg or .jpeg.

If you have an Apple computer, there's probably a similar option, but my Apple skills are very rusty, so I don't know.

If all else fails, Google: How do I capture a print screen.