#FiveMoreThingsYouMayNotKnow About Author #JoanHall

/ Marcia Meara

For any of you who’ve already been a #TenThings guest on TWS, remember you are also invited to join us for another #FiveMoreThings, should you wish to do so.  Joan Hall decided she’d like to do exactly that, so please help me welcome her today. I know you’ll enjoy seeing what Joan has to share this time around, and Joan? That’s your cue to take it away, my friend!

Thanks, Marcia!

  1. I used to think being a storm chaser would be exciting until I got caught on the road during a tornado. One Friday afternoon I came home from work to find we had no electricity. Almost at the same time I tried to call him, my brother called to see if I wanted to go out to eat. We decided to drive to the next town. By this time, the rain was so heavy we could barely see in front of us. The winds were strong, and trees were bending over. My husband, who was at work, called me to say a tornado had been spotted. We kept going until we came to where a large tree had fallen across the road. When we turned back, there were trees blocking the road at places we had just been. After several detours through winding country roads, we finally made it back to town to discover two retail stores demolished, as well as several homes. We later learned the tornado was classified as an EF2 and stayed on the ground for twenty-seven miles. Needless to say, that broke me from wanting to be a storm chaser.
  2. Speaking of storms, my mother was terrified of them. We don’t have basements in Texas, so if a bad storm was forecast, we would go to a neighbor’s storm cellar. Other neighbors came as well, and we’d sit in the cellar with oil lamps or candles and wait out the storm. It was fun, especially because so many good stories were told during those times. My husband has never been inside a storm cellar, and I’ve told him he doesn’t know what he missed! I’m the opposite of Mom. Unless they are too violent, I love a good thunderstorm.
  3. I used to be extremely bashful and wouldn’t talk much. (My husband doesn’t believe it, LOL.) I’m still introverted but can “extrovert” when needed. I love my at home alone time. To this day, when I first meet someone new, I’m a bit quiet until I get a feel of what that person is like. People who are extremely extroverted and those that talk too much and too loud annoy me!
  4. I am a seventh generation American. My fourth great-grandfather, Robert McCorkle came to this country from Scotland (via Ireland). He settled in an area known as the Waxhaws, which is on the North Carolina/Sound Carolina border. His son, my third great-grandfather, fought in the Revolutionary War. Branches of the McCorkle family eventually moved to Texas. My paternal grandfather was the first one of my family born here. Interestingly the McCorkle clan had Scandinavian roots. The surname McCorkle was then known as Thorkle.
  5. I once dreamed of playing keyboards and singing in a rock band. Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac was my inspiration. I could play piano (sort of), but I can’t carry a tune. Not even in a bucket!


Joan & Hubby

You Can Buy Cold Dark Night HERE

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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62 thoughts on “#FiveMoreThingsYouMayNotKnow About Author #JoanHall”

  1. Interesting stuff, Joan. We didn’t have storm cellars, but I remember houses in the Dakotas all had basements. We used to sit in the corner of the basement and listen to the radio reports of tornados touching down in the area. I was never in a tornado, but there were many warnings. I don’t recall ever seeing a basement in California.

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    • My Mom wished we’d had a basement! When we couldn’t get to the storm cellar, she would make us sit in the hall which was in the central part of the house. It didn’t take long for me to become bored! I recall once when I was a teenager, a bad storm came during the night. Mom came into my room, asked if I wanted to get up, and I replied, “No, I just want to sleep.” 🙂

      Tornadoes are scary, Pete. I’m glad you had a place of shelter.

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  6. Same here! I used to be very shy and dislike being around loud and boisterous people. You can’t get a word in edgewise.
    I used to love rainstorms but not now. Now I worry about my basement flooding. Growing up is no fun! LOL Thanks for sharing Joan.

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  8. Interesting stuff, Joan. I’m glad you made it through the tornado ok. I too used to think storm chasing would be neat when I was younger, but more common sense prevailed. I haven’t personally been through one but there was an EF3 that touched down just a few miles from me a couple of weeks ago, a little too close for comfort.

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  10. Joan, I’m very happy to have you here today, and will try to respond to comments as I can. I’m going to be away a good portion of the day, so it might be later before I get to everyone. Just wanted to tell you that I loved your Five Things list, and that I live in Florida, where there is no such thing as a basement. Or a storm cellar. Florida is mostly a large sand dune, where digging deep holes isn’t recommended. And yet … we have constant severe thunderstorms and plenty of tornados, both of which I truly detest. And then there are the hurricanes. But alas … nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. (Okay, there might be a designated public shelter in your area, if you’re lucky, but then you’d have to drive through the storm to get there most of the time. Urk.)

    And on that note, I have to get ready for what has turned out to be a busy day ahead, but I’ll be checking in when I can. Hope you enjoy your visit, and again, thanks so much for being here today.

    BTW, I talk a LOT, and am definitely outgoing. But I also listen, as I enjoy learning about others, so I hope most of my friends forgive me for being garrulous. 😀

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  13. Having lived in the south most of my life, I am definitely on high alert at the threat of a tornado. My sister and her family lived through the huge one that hit Wichita Falls, Texas in 1979, and I’ll never forget the devastation. It looked like a war zone. How interesting to be able to trace your family roots back so far, Joan. I love that. And I can SO see you playing keyboards in a rock band. It’s fun to dream. Thank you, Marcia for hosting Joan today. It was great to learn more about her!

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  14. I can relate to enjoying a good storm without the destruction. The air is so fresh and revitalizing after it passes. I can also relate to someone like you who is a laid-back conversationalist, but conversation hogs can rescue you if you don’t want to talk or mingle! Good luck to you, Joan. Your book titles are great and I’m sure your stories are as well!

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  15. As a Grade 1 Wimp, I’m so relieved that I live in a temperate climate ! That drive with your brother must have been terrifying – especially when trees started to block the road. Like some of the others here, I can readily identify with the introvert who can be extrovert “when needed”. That comment about not being able to carry a tune “Not even in a bucket” made me chuckle. Thanks for sharing these, Joan, and thanks to Marcia for this brilliant series 😀 ❤

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  17. A great additional five, Joan 🙂 I would have been terrified driving in that storm you did. Basements aren’t common in our area but I always wanted one. That’s great you can trace back your relatives journey here. I’m equally as shy when I don’t know someone.
    Thanks, Marcia for doing this!

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  18. We have some things in common, Joan – I also love a good thunderstorm (also without the violence), I’m an introvert but can also extrovert when I feel like it, I also study people first, and some of those extroverts can be a bit too much for me. I also don’t sing. I used to joke that we were the only family who never unwrapped the microphone in the Rock Band Xbox game, lol! Enjoyed learning more about you!

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  19. Fascinating lineage Joan. That had to be scary driving in a tornado. I remember when I was eight, my mother drove me and my younger brother to Miami. We got caught in a hurricane in southern Georgia. It was plenty scary. ❤

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        • Living where we get both, I can tell you a hurricane is far less frightening, largely because you have ample warning that it’s on the way, and you can get outta Dodge before it arrives. Tornados can spring up anywhere, any time, with no advance warning at all, and they can even be spawned by hurricanes. We’ve been hit by tornados twice, once we lost a fence, but the one that Hurricane Irma spawned dropped our neighbor’s gigantic oak tree on our house to the tune of $85,000 worth of damage. We still haven’t finished restoring our gardens. 😢

          I’m not saying either is good, of course, but having the knowledge that something that deadly is on the way is a wonderful thing that saves many, many lives.

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  22. I love hearing details about fellow writers and bloggers. I can’t imagine following a storm. I like to hunker down with the fireplace going and maybe a glass of wine in hand. Being a fellow introvert I totally understand how you feel being around extroverts. They can be very annoying! So glad to know more about you, Joan. Thanks Marcia. 🤓

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  24. I love these interesting things about Joan. I love that you know your ancestral background. Many people in Scotland have Scandinavian roots because of those Vikings! Severe storms scare me so I’m glad we don’t get bad ones here.

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  25. I enjoyed learning a few new things about Joan, Marcia. I can imagine her being a storm chaser though that near experience with the tornado would put a damper on it for me too. Eeek. The family history is fascinating too. I love that. Congrats to Joan on the fun post!

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