Interview with Peter M. Lopez

1. Tell us a little about yourself. I am a 34-year old criminal defense lawyer from Sweetwater, Texas, and I teach at a nearby college when time and life permit. I have been married almost four years, and my wife and I are expecting our first child this summer - very exciting. If you don't know where Sweetwater is (1) shame on you, and (2) I'm not terribly surprised. If you ever have occasion to drive across Texas, Sweetwater is about the midway point between El Paso and Texarkana. When you are passing through, you will immediately realize why we are the "Wind Energy Capital of the World." You will see nothing but beautiful, giant, shiny, white windmills for miles and miles in any direction.
2. What brought you to HubPages? I was exploring different outlets for writing when I came across HubPages by chance. I was immediately attracted to the format. I liked the concept of stand-alone pages, which allows someone with my attention span to write on a variety of topics without maintaining multiple websites or blogs.
3. What do you like Hubbing on, with respect to topics? About half of my Hubs are religious in nature. I use the term "religious" somewhat hesitantly because I realize it carries a very negative connotation, and justifiably so. My aim with these Hubs is to offer nontraditional insight into the Bible and interpretation of the scriptures. I would characterize the rest of my writing as observational humor (pop culture, politics, religion, etc.), and I will occasionally write a "how to."
4. What has been your best Hub so far (in your opinion)? Why? I would have to say my favorite Hub is A Dad's Guide to Surviving Pregnancy for personal and obvious reasons, a little of my own personal observational humor. As for my best Hub, I'm probably not the best judge, but I would say it's a toss up between two: Since the Treaty of Paris: A Nostalgic Look at Franco-American Relations and How to Read the Bible: A Lighthearted Look at a Serious Question. Since the Treaty of Paris is a Hub I wrote for the HubLove contest and is political satire poking fun at international politics and politicians. How to Read the Bible is my attempt to address and hopefully alleviate common objections and excuses for leaving the good book on the shelf.
5. What is your favorite Hub by another Hubber? There is no way I can pick just one. I'm an avid reader, so HubPages is an ideal place to hang out. My favorite Hubs are probably those where the personality of the Hubber shines through, almost anything by MrMarmalade or Zsuzsy Bee, for example. The Hubs that I will bookmark, though, are those where I learn something completely new. Kenny Wordsmith's <Photoshop Tutorial 1 and 2 were great; Bob Ewing's Gardening: Weeds Use Them and Lose Them was interesting, I'm still looking forward to trying the dandelion fritters when summer rolls around; and amy jane's A Chile-Head's Pepper Guide got me because of the title, and it's a great Hub too.
6. What is one nice thing about HubPages (the site) that many might not know? The people(!), and this loosely applies to "the site" because almost everyone at or on HubPages is so willing to help, give advice, or just joke around. It seems that any time a Hubber has a legitimate question, concern or suggestions, someone from HubPages HQ or another Hubber is always there to explain why or why not, how or how not, or do or do not.
7. Name one thing you learned about from another Hubber's Hub that you didn't know about before. I learned how to make compost the right way from Zsuzsy Bee's How to Make and Use Compost. I tried to make compost last summer with dismal results, but I followed Zsuzsy's advice and my composting career has new life. Second, see Kenny's Photoshop Tutorials above.
8. What kind of Hubber do you typically join the Fan Club of? If a Hub or Hubber makes me laugh, I will probably join their Fan Club. If I learn something new and interesting, I will likely join their Fan Club. And if someone joins my fan club, leaves me fan mail, comments on all my Hubs, and buys me lunch, I will most definitely join their fan club (a little bribery trick I learned from Misha).
9. If you could impart one piece of advice to a new Hubber, what would that be? A little patience will do wonders. It takes time to develop a readership, a fan base, traffic, and, of course, an income. If you expect to have a million hits and make a thousand bucks on your first Hub, you will be very disappointed. If you want anyone to read your writing, and maybe make a few bucks, give it a little time. Along the way you will have a good time, gain valuable experience, learn a few tricks of the trade, and meet some great people.
10. Tell us something that we'd never guess about you—surprise us! I have ZERO sense of organization. I jot down writing ideas on post-its, envelopes, check books, maybe even a bubble gum wrapper if that's all that's handy. Where they end up who knows? There's no telling when one might turn up. That's why I just recently published my Air Supply Fans of the World Unite Hub. Just kidding.