So happy it’s Wednesday again, because you know what that means? Yep! It’s time for another Ten Things list. This week, our guest is my good friend, author Joan Hall, and I know you’ll enjoy reading this one! Take it away, Joan!
~~~
Ten Things You May Not Know About Me
by Joan Hall
- I bleed burnt orange. Just kidding, but I’m a diehard Texas Longhorn fan. Burnt orange (and white) are the school colors.
- My all-time favorite movie is Casablanca.
- My maiden name is James and much to my husband’s dismay, I’m not related to the outlaw Jesse. (Hubs thinks that would be so cool!)
- I wrote my first novel on notebook paper when I was seventeen years old, but I threw it away.
- I once killed a four-foot coiled rattlesnake with a garden hoe.
- My earliest memory was when I was eighteen months old. It happened during a visit with friends and relatives near Christmas.
- As much as I love cats, I used to be more of a dog person. We once owned five dogs at the same time—two Dachshunds, a German Shepherd, a Lab-mix, and a Chow-mix. Feeding two cats is much less expensive.
- Speaking of pets, we have a family tradition of naming our dogs after songs or singers. This came about by accident when I decided to name my German Shepherd puppy after George Harrison’s first wife, Pattie Boyd. Since then, we’ve had names such as Dylan, (Bob) Maggie (Maggie May), and Penny (Penny Lane). We don’t follow the same naming convention for our cats, but we once named one after a baseball player.
- One of my pet peeves (of which I have many) is people who can’t park straight or park too close to the line.
- In the early 1970s, my brother and I buried a piece of his pottery on our family property with the hope that some future generation would discover it and wonder about life in twentieth century America.
Joan and Hubby
~~~
Author Joan Hall
Joan Hall has always enjoyed reading or listening to stories about inexplicable events, so it’s not surprising she writes mystery and romantic suspense. A lover of classic rock music, songs often serve as the inspiration for her books.
When she’s not writing, Joan likes to observe the night skies, explore old cemeteries, and learn about legends and folklore. She and her husband live in Texas with their two cats. Learn more about Joan at her website, http://JoanHall.net.
Buy All of Joan’s Books HERE
Reach Joan on Social Media Here:
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Bookbub | Goodreads | Instagram
What an amazing list Joan!
I currently live in Tucson and I used to watch Bijan Robinson play in high school 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
I agree, it’s a great list, isn’t it? I just loved reading it! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve visited your city several times with my job. Neat about Bijan. As we Horn fans say, “Hook ‘em.” 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Joan. Nice to know you.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Glad you stopped by, Antoinette, and that you enjoyed Joan’s Ten Things list! 😀
LikeLike
Thank you, Antionette!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t suppose many of us can beat killing the rattlesnake!
LikeLiked by 1 person
And please don’t try! Over 90% of all snake bites happen while people are either trying to CATCH the snake or trying to KILL it. (They have a much longer strike range than most would imagine.)
As an ardent fan of snakes and all the good things they do for us, I’m loathe to admit I’ve killed two, myself. Both were lurking under my kids’ swing set, and I felt compelled to eliminate them, at the time. But tackling a 4-footer with a garden hoe is pretty courageous, since they move so much faster than we do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
At the time, I didn’t know how to shoot a gun. Later, I shot a water moccasin that decided to take up residence on our porch. But that’s another story…
LikeLiked by 1 person
If you’re in a spot where killing the snake seems to be the only option, shooting is a better one, for sure. You don’t have to put yourself in striking range, at least. 😲 Here’s hoping you aren’t faced with another decision like that, though. We have several species of snakes in our urban backyard, but so far, no venomous ones. And I dearly love my black racers and tiny ring-necked snakes, so I wave at them as they busy themselves eating all kinds of critters I do NOT want in my yard or house. 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
When we first arrived in Perth Western Australia we went to visit friends of my uncle who had migrated ten years before and had a six acre property up in the hills. When they took us for a walk along the sandy fire break suddenly the husband picked up a big stick and went thwack before we had even noticed a six foot Dugite had slithered across our path. The thwack broke its back. Of course the snake hadn’t actually done anything wrong! A more embarrassing incident in our new suburban garden that was virgin bush was when Dad thought he saw a snake hiding and called the neighbours who were newly retired from the goldfields. Turned out the sinister looking head and tongue belonged to a lizard!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I say better safe than sorry! I can only imagine what creatures are in Australia.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Most folks don’t realize this, but it takes a venomous snake a LONG time to refill the venom sacs, and they do NOT like to waste their venom on things they can’t eat. If they aren’t cornered, they will almost always elect to slither away as fast as they can, or at least warn YOU to back off. That doesn’t mean there aren’t times when choices might be limited. Just that a person’s first reaction shouldn’t ALWAYS be smiting the snake with a big stick. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I guess snakes have always been misunderstood due to their portrayal in the media from the Old Testament onwards!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Snakes will always be misunderstood, I think, which is why my For Goodness Snakes! program is my favorite one I give every year, and generally the most popular one. I have some ways to really help folks understand snakes better, so that even if they never learn to LIKE them, they at least know whether or not the one they just spotted is worth having a heart attack over. 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s not something I want to repeat! I was shaking all over.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I sincerely hope you never have to. The current general rule of thumb is that they can strike 2/3 the length of their body with no real effort. So a 4-foot snake can strike a target 3′ away. Eeeep. (Some might be able to reach farther, some less than, but it’s still not something you’d want tor repeat, if you can avoid it.)
LikeLiked by 2 people
I love that you buried pottery for someone in the future to find. And I wonder what they’ll think when they do. Fabulous ten facts, Joan.
Thanks, Marcia.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I think that might have been my favorite thing on the list, Staci. How cool is that? And I do hope someone digs it up in the distant future and tries to learn more about the “ancient civilization” that lived there! 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
I wanted to dig it up later, but my brother said no. It’s still there, and I know the general vicinity.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I just LOVE the idea behind this, Joan, and wish there were some way for you/us to see into the future to watch them unearth this treasure. That would be so much fun! 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
We’ll never get to see the results of those efforts, but I love thinking it’s worth it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I wrote my first novel on notebook paper too. In pencil.
It also ended up in the trash.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Wish I could say the same, but I wrote my first one on the very computer I’m typing on right now, and then published it. (Okay, so I only wish I’d been writing for that long, not that I threw my first novel away.
😂😂😂 )
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember having lavender colored notebook paper. I do remember my character names, but the trash was the right place for mine.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, I think you’ve more than made up for that with your current collection of great stories! Hope you continue writing for many, many years, my friend! 😀 ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a fun list, Joan! I’m super impressed by the rattlesnake confrontation. I’ve had a number of experiences with those monsters, and they all involved getting away as quickly as possible. 🙂 Thank you, Marcia, for featuring Joan today. Lovely post. 💗
LikeLiked by 3 people
I didn’t know it was a rattlesnake until I hit it. Believe me, I don’t want to encounter another one. I think now they are a protected species in Texas.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think you have more varieties of rattlesnakes than we do. I know there are several more in most western states. Here in central Florida we only have the little dusky pygmy rattler, and the NOT little eastern diamondback. However, the eastern diamondback is the longest venomous snake in the United States, so I guess that’s more than enough rattlers for this area. 😳 We also have the longest non-venomous species of snake here, too, the eastern indigo snake. OH, that one’s a beauty, and definitely protected.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re very welcome, Gwen. I’m impressed (and glad) that Joan lived through the experience. One of my talks is on snakes in central Florida, and I do a segment on the quickest way to identify at a glance (no poems needed) the few venomous ones we have. In researching them, I discovered that over 90% of all venomous snakebites happen when people are either trying to catch them, or kill them. It’s better not to try either of those things, when you have a choice. (Of course, it can certainly depend on the circumstances and I admit that (snake lover that I am) I felt forced to kill harmful snakes twice in my life. 😦 But both had taken up positions under my kids’ swing set, and I was willing to take the risk.)
I really enjoyed Joan’s list today, too. Lots of fun and interesting things there, like the pottery! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great to hear these fascinating facts about Joan. Don’t tell her, but I’m one of those people who struggle to park nicely between the lines! Many thanks, Marcia. xx
LikeLiked by 2 people
Well, I have been known to park crooked myself, Trish. 😊 Usually it’s the people with huge SUVs that don’t leave enough room.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Too late, Trish. She’d already read this by the time I arrived. (But I was probably going to tattle on you anyway, hahahahaha.)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Great list, Joan. My first “novel” was written in a notebook when I was in high school. Casablanca is one of my top favorite movies, too. And those people who park crooked or close to the line really irk me, too, not to mention the ones who park taking up two spaces!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looks like there are a few of us notebook writers, Jeanne. IMO, you can’t beat Casablanca. Watched it again a few days ago n
LikeLiked by 2 people
I love Casablanca, too, Joan. In fact, I mostly love old movies better than new ones, anyway. But since I don’t have time for reading and movies both, I don’t watch any these days. Books won, hands down. 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
OH, the “taking up two spaces thing!” It makes me mad, too, Jeanne! Like their car is so precious that they don’t care who they inconvenience to be sure no one opens a door into it. (Generally, if you park in the middle of the space–the way it was designed to be used–you are safe from accidental door banging. And taking up two spaces definitely doesn’t save you from someone getting mad and “keying” your car. So what’s the gain?? *goes off scratching head & muttering to self*
😀 😀 😀
LikeLiked by 3 people
Right?! 😁
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s a fun list. I’ll be careful how I park this morning, Joan.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Please do. LOL!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Just this morning, Craig? 😂
LikeLiked by 2 people
How awesome to learn more about Joan. I love that you guys named your pets after songs or singers! How cool is that? And I totally agree with you about people who do not park straight!! Thank you, Marcia, for featuring Joan today!
LikeLiked by 2 people
After the first two, it just seemed to be the right thing. And if we ever get another dog, we’ll probably do the same thing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m right there with you on the pet naming things, Joan. We’ve named our cats after bands (Huey), after songs (I had a dog named Maggie, too, for the same reason as yours), after movies (Hairy Potter), after dancing shows (Maksim Hotdogski), and in recent years, after characters in books: brother & sister cats, Harry & Murphy (The Dresden Files) and brothers Kell & Rhy (V. E. Schwab’s A Darker Shade of Magic.
When I raised lovebirds & parrots, I did the same thing. I always found it fun, and love that you do it as well.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Marcia, thank you so much for hosting me today and for giving me a chance to connect with your readers. This is a fun feature.
LikeLiked by 1 person
An absolute pleasure to have you here today, Joan, and I truly enjoyed your entire list! Thanks so much for taking part in the Ten Things series! 😀 ❤
LikeLike
And btw, I really love that picture of you and your hubby! 😊😊😊
LikeLiked by 2 people
With my Texas Longhorn shirt. 😊 That was a few years ago. We were at a nearby park with some great walking trails
LikeLiked by 1 person
I noticed that shirt. Even I, a complete dodo about sports, figured it out. Well, with the help of the graphic, of course. 😀 )
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: On The Road with @MarciaMeara – Joan Hall
I loved learning more about Joan, Marcia! I hope she’s learned to never through out anything that you write…it can always be rewritten. 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Marcia!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have learned, Jill. Believe me that one wasn’t worth rewriting. Did do remember my main characters. Who knows? Maybe they’ll appear in a book someday.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a good thought, Joan. Just because the story wasn’t all that great doesn’t mean the characters weren’t. I think it would be fun to resurrect them for a future adventure! Just sayin’ …
LikeLiked by 2 people
Have a memory from 18 months of age is so cool! Oh dear, I’m a diehard TCU fan, but maybe Joan will forgive me for that.:-)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Kind of amazing, huh? My earliest memories are of a place we lived when I was 4, and a neighbor’s dog that would hide under our porch steps, which worried me no end. But 18 months? Nada! 😀 ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t remember everything about that time, just a visit to family and friends near Christmas.
LikeLike
That’s okay, Priscilla. TCU is all right. My dad was a die hard SMU fan. He never liked the ‘horns, even when my brother attended there.
LikeLike
So great to see Joan here, Marcia. We have to feel sorry that she is afflicted with hook ’em fever. She should take two Baylor’s and call me in the morning.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hahahahahaha. Love it, John! But I’ll cover my eyes for when Joan responds! 😁
LikeLiked by 2 people
She was an angel. Totally ignored ths old fart’s barb and went on to say nice things about Baylor.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m nice like that, you know. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Do you suppose she’s just trying to make us look bad? 😄😄😄
LikeLiked by 2 people
Well, John, Baylor us okay. They have a freshman player from my hometown. Gotta brag, they went to the state 4A championship game last year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes. He is good.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The team missed him this year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll bet. He is over doing a great job for Baylor.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s quite a list, Joan! You killed a rattler with a hoe? Wow.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Do not try this at home, Sue. As I say several times above, my research turned up the fact that over 90% of all snake bites occur when folks try to either CATCH the snake, or KILL it. Either way, neither is a good idea when dealing with a venomous snake. Happily Joan lucked out. 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
I wouldn’t try it again, but a hoe is all I had. I made sure to aim right behind his head.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great list, Joan 🙂 I don’t know if I’d be able to take on a rattlesnake! I’m impressed. I love where your animal names came from, I have a cat who is named after a baseball player too. My husband would think the same thing about Jesse James.
LikeLiked by 2 people
She’s not gonna try that rattlesnake trick again, Denise. I HOPE I’ve convinced her to back away, and then run like hell. 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
Amazing that he’d want me to be connected to an outlaw! My snake killing days are over. I was much younger then. I still have the rattlers.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi Joan, I’m in awe of the rattlesnake kill, though like Marcia, I’m a snake fan and will go out of my way to move them somewhere safe if I see them in a dangerous position. Of course, I’m fortunate that we only have one venomous snake in the UK, the adder, and that’s quite easy to identify.
Nice to know how many of use share our homes with dogs and cats 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
Can’t imagine life without my pets. They’re a lot of company.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m with you, Debby. And while we’ve had dogs at different times, I have never (in my entire life, going back to when I was born) lived in a house without at least one cat. (Often considerably more). And I’ve loved every single one of them. 😊
Nice to meet another snake fan, too. They are so useful, and have made such amazing adaptations in order to survive without legs in a world where most of their enemies and food sources have them. The fact that most can climb up a vertical tree trunk is enough to leave me in total admiration. Plus, they fill such an important niche in the environment, too, and they do their jobs well. 😀 ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’ve kept a wide range of species, mostly small ones like garter snakes and water snakes, but also several pythons, including a 9 foot Thai python who used to swim daily in the bath!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I always wanted to have a pet snake, but settled for being the zoo docent who got to carry them around the park. Mostly because, though things may have changed over the years, there was no bagged up Snake Chow on the market. And I knew I’d never be able to leave a wee, timorous mousie, cowerin’ in the snake tank, waiting to become dinner. I would have soon had a very skinny snake and a giant cage full of fat mice!!! 😂
One of the snakes I handled at the zoo was a ball python, and I loved him. He enjoyed the outings and never made any attempt to climb down from my shoulders. And he let everyone touch him, too. (So they’d know snakes are NOT slimy at all.) He slept over at my house once when I borrowed him for a talk at a local community college, but I returned him before he needed a meal.
And now I envy you even more. Scotland, plus horses, plus doggies to help, plus scenery, snakes, and of course, men in kilts!!! *wistful sigh, here* 😁😁😁
LikeLiked by 2 people
What a great list! I love that you name your dogs after singers. We name our cats after literary figures (Faust, Athos, Porthos). Our dog’s name, Orly, is one that we just hit upon and love, so she’s not named for anyone. I am terrified of snakes and would have evaporated if I had seen a rattlesnake anywhere near me. You are one brave woman.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh, I like the idea of giving your cats literary names. The two we have now are Tucker and Little Bit. No rhyme or reason, but the names fit.
It’s been a long time and I still cringe when I think of killing that snake.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved learning these tidbits about Joan. I, too, wrote my first story on notebook paper. I actually kept it, but it’s not worth publishing. Lol! Do you still remember the location of the pottery? I think it so cool that you all did that. You should create a treasure hunt map to leave with your will for future generations to discover it. 🙂 Thanks for sharing this with us, Marcia! I really like this series. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
So glad you enjoy the series, Yvette. Me, too!! 😀 And I love Joan’s answers, too. Hey, a treasure hunt map is a fun idea! Joan????? 😀 ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
I do remember the location, Yvette. Cool idea to make a treasure map. Which makes me wonder if my brother’s daughters even know we did that.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Is it wrong to say I kind of feel bad about the snake? 🙂 Good interview answers (and questions!) 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
If you glance through my answers and a few other comments, Sue, you’ll see we have some snake lovers here. I’m a big-time fan of them. But there are definitely circumstances when killing the snake might be the best option. I have killed two in my life, and have always wished I’d had a another option, but didn’t feel I did at the time. So, my message is that it’s usually best to back away from venomous snakes and let them go their own way. But sometimes, you have to make a split-second decision to do otherwise.
I do remind folks that 90% of all venomous snake bites happen when the person involved is either trying to catch one, or kill one. They are SUPER fast, and can strike much farther than most folks imagine. Walking away is better, if it’s possible to do so.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve really never seen a snake in the wild (that I can remember), so I don’t know what I’d do. I just love animals 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love animals as well. Snakes I can deal with unless they are venomous. Spiders? No way no how. They may not hurt me, but they might make me hurt myself. I have what I realize is an unreasonable fear of them. (Says the person who loved the book Charlotte’s Web.) 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Me too. They’re monsters with no heads. I won’t even touch a picture (or look at one). I totally get it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s the EIGHT HAIRY LEGS that get me!!! Anything with that many legs is surely up to NO GOOD! (But I don’t kill then any more. My husband puts them outside for me, so they can continue doing what they are supposed to do. 😀
LikeLike
🙂 Gotta say, though, if it meant saving one of my pets or family members the snake would have to go.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, that’s what I mean about options. Sometimes you don’t have any good choices, and have to protect pets and family. Usually, you can get the snake to leave. Even tossing some pebbles at one can work. But if not, you have to go with your priorities. (Still, a gun keeps a whole lot more room between you and the snake than a hoe does. Glad you have THAT option now. 😁 )
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sometime I’ll tell you the water moccasin story. 🙂 Or I’ll just say, it only took me one shot.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, that might do for now, but eventually, I’m gonna want to hear the WHOLE thing! 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! I see a snake and I run away! Fun and interesting facts, Joan. Thanks for sharing, Marcia.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I do most of the time, but in this case, it was fight or flight.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was a treat to have Joan here, Beem, and I’m glad you liked her wonderful Ten Things list! (And if you don’t know what kind of snake you’re looking at, running away is a reasonable–and safe–option. 😀 )
LikeLiked by 2 people
I run away even if it’s a garter snake. 😳
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s fine. The snake stays safe, and you feel safer, too. Win/win! Even harmless snakes would rather not have to deal with you, probably even more so than you’d like to avoid dealing with them. 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m late, but it was so cool seeing this post and learning more about Joan, one of my favorite people and authors. I’m not going to be looking at her in a new light after hearing that rattle snake story, LOL. YIKES!
Love the photo of Joan with her hubby, too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
So glad you enjoyed Joan’s Ten Things list, Mae. I did, too, and was really delighted to have her here. (And though I know you’re off on NaNoWriMo, just a wee heads up. I left you a little surprise at the bottom of this week’s #MondayMeme when you get a chance to take a look. Hehehe.) ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now I’m curious! I’m off to check 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
To quote Bob Dylan, “I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.” Except I think I got it in reverse. 🙂 No way would I try that now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I HATE snakes, so I had to shudder reading about you killing one, Joan. Nice to learn more about you – thanks, Marcia!
LikeLiked by 2 people
You’re very welcome. It was a pleasure to have Joan here, and I loved her list. Glad you enjoyed her post! 😀 ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not wild about them either, Teri. Especially venomous ones.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Huh. I wouldn’t have pegged you for a Casablanca fan. Cool. Great flick! And I love that you named your dogs after singers (especially love Dylan and Penny Lane). 🐶
LikeLiked by 2 people
About twenty years ago, my husband and I decided we’d watch some of the classic movies we’d heard about. Casablanca became an immediate favorite.
My love of music led to the tradition of naming the dogs. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Well, we share a love of (the same) music, for sure. And movies. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people