Sue Grafton & Harol, er rather, Hairl

I'm reading Sue Grafton's "S is for Silence" currently, and noticed a character's name is Hairl (p. 72, paperback), the 'Hairl' being a homonym of my name. In the acknowledgments, Grafton thanks Hairl Wilson for the use of his name.

When I told my husband, he said the names aren't homonyms, and he's correct if you have a mid-Atlantic accent like his, which distinguishes the 'a' sound in these two words: marry and merry. In my northern NY accent, I pronounce these words the same.

So, to him my name sounds as though it's spelled: Hah-role (like the ahhh sound in the dentist's office) and I pronounce it: Hair-role, or Hairl. (If you're wondering, my father named me after his oldest brother.)

My British grandmother (you have to roll your r's or your dees on this) pronounced it: Hah-d(roll)ul, which fascinated me when I was young. I tolerate almost all pronunciations except the one that puts a 'd' on the end...in the fashion of at least one of my in-laws (I won't say who).

Grafton has a very funny Author's Note in this book. After reading it, I've decided to appoint myself Tlaxcala Planning Commissioner. BTW, Grafton has a great website!