#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About Joan Hall

/ Marcia

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

  1.  I bleed burnt orange. Just kidding, but I’m a diehard Texas Longhorn fan. Burnt orange (and white) are the school colors.
  2.  My all-time favorite movie is Casablanca.
  3.  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!)
  4.  I wrote my first novel on notebook paper when I was seventeen years old, but I threw it away.
  5.  I once killed a four-foot coiled rattlesnake with a garden hoe.
  6.  My earliest memory was when I was eighteen months old. It happened during a visit with friends and relatives near Christmas.
  7.  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.
  8.  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.
  9.  One of my pet peeves (of which I have many) is people who can’t park straight or park too close to the line.
  10.  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:

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107 thoughts on “#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About Joan Hall”

    • 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.

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        • 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. 😀

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      • 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!

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        • 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. 😊

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            • 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. 😀

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      • 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.)

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  6. 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. 💗

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      • 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.

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    • 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! 😀

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  7. 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

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  8. 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!

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      • 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. 😀

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    • 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*
      😀 😀 😀

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  10. 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!

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      • 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.

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  12. Pingback: On The Road with @MarciaMeara – Joan Hall

  17. 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.

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  18. 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 😀

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    • 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. 😀 ❤

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        • 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* 😁😁😁

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  19. 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.

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    • 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.

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  20. 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. 🙂

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    • 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.

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        • 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.) 🙂

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  23. 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!

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