This post is part of a series of interviews highlighting Fuelmyblog bloggers and their blogs, a great way to find out who are the bloggers part of the Fuelmyblog community. If you would like to feature in this series add your name in the comment box or email sylvie(at)fuelmyblog.com
Vanessa, THANK you for taking part, you have some great tips to share

What’s your name?

Vanessa Karen Bush, aka Food Lover

What’s the name of your blog?

Food Lovers Like Me

What’s the URL of your blog?

http://foodloverslikeme.blogspot.com

How old is your blog?

Five months old and counting…

If you’re willing to share, how many visitors per day do you have to your blog?

Between 8 and 22 unique visitors a day so far.

How much time do you spend blogging every week?

Since I work from home now as a freelance writer, I blog almost every day. This week I will hit 100 blog posts! The difference between my blog and other food blogs I think is that I’m talking about transforming myself into a real foodie. I’m not necessarily speaking from whatever is going on in the news, or the latest and hottest restaurants, but from my personal passion for food and how I’m hoping to make this passion my life’s work.

Is it the creative process or the editing process which take you longest when writing a post?

Definitely the creative process takes the longest. Because I was a magazine editor before I started blogging, I’m completely comfortable with formatting and editing my site–it’s second nature. It’s like having your own magazine–I love changing some of the page elements around each month so that it doesn’t become stale. But the creative process–deciding what to blog about, getting the photos just right, finding just the right words, especially when I’m doing a restaurant review, that’s the part that takes the longest.

What inspired you to first start writing a blog?

I attended the Blog Her conference in Chicago last summer for my then day job, and met a lot of inspiring women who were mommy bloggers, food bloggers, political bloggers, you name it. Their enthusiasm and excitement at finding their voices and sharing them with the world really got to me. I wanted to experience that same freedom to say whatever I want to say, to connect with others, and to leave my digital footprint on the world.

What do you do to get inspired to write?

I am constantly thinking about what I will post about each day. I’m inspired by books and magazines, what I hear on the news, my travels, my family. But mostly I’m inspired by my personal journey; I write about midlife transformation, my desire to reinvent myself in my forties, and the highs and lows of this life transition.

How do you market your blog?

I use friends and family for word of mouth. I include widgets from other sources, like BuzzFeed and Widgetbox (and I created my own Blidget on Widgetbox); I include links to aggregators like Digg, Technorati, StumbleUpon on every post, and have features like share and send through Add On. I signed up for FeedBurner and use them to help me manage email subscriptions (not that many so far, but I’m optimistic!) I also communicate with other bloggers through services like Fuel My Blog, and the Mom Bloggers Club. And I have my blog listed on Facebook and LinkedIn. And I created business cards featuring my blog so I can hand them out whenever I’m in a networking situation. Whenever I speak on a panel for the publishing industry, am asked to judge a journalism contest or have to include my bio for something I am doing, I make sure to mention my blog to get people to check it out.

What are the blogging tools you cannot do without?

My iPhone–I use the cameraphone to take the pictures I use on my blog; it’s so much easier to take a photo, send it to my email, and download it to my pictures on my web site than using my digital camera.
–The layout features on Blogger: They make it so easy to switch around elements and refresh my layout whenever I like, as well as add new elements like widgets that keep the blog looking fresh.

Is there anything that you simply refuse to blog about?

My sex life is off-limits, but just about anything else is fair game.

If you went for a job interview and were told that you’d have to close your blog in order to get the job, how would you react/feel about it?

I wouldn’t be happy about it; blogging has helped me find my writing voice again and I’d be loathe to let that go. I’d try to negotiate something where I could hang on to my blog and my new day job.

Do you talk about your blog with your relatives and friends or do you avoid mentioning it?

Yes, all the time. I have a sister-in-law who blogs, and my hubby is getting into it as well. I don’t think my parents quite get it (they are in their 60s) but otherwise, there’s no taboo about it.

What is the biggest mistake you made when starting your blog?

Spending money on services that promise to send traffic to your site. This paid circ doesn’t make people stay around–your content is what has to do that for you.

Any tips for aspiring bloggers?

Just do it–dive in. Don’t be afraid, and don’t censor yourself too much. In the famous words of the music group En Vogue, “Free your mind and the rest will follow!

Who are the bloggers that you look up to the most?

It’s hard to single out one, but I do enjoy the blog that editor in chief Kristin Von Olgtrop writes for her magazine Real Simple: it’s just very down to earth and true to life.”

Do you still see yourself blogging in 5 years time?

Absolutely–I’m hooked for life.