Carrie Anne Noble, Author

All About Osbert and His Possibly Bitey Relatives Hi! If you've seen the magnificent cover of my soon-to-be-released book The Mermaid's Sister , you've probably noticed the dragonny fellow twined about the title. If not, have a look now:   His name is Osbert, and he's a wyvern.   According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a wyvern (pronounced wye-vern) is "a mythical animal usually represented as a 2-legged winged creature resembling a dragon." The word is an "alteration of Middle English wyvere viper, from Anglo-French wivre, guivre, from Latin vipera," and its first known use dates back to 1610. The wyvern is frequently seen in heraldic crests, especially in Wales. Often depicted as having a dragon's head, a reptilian body, and barbed tail, the wyvern is sometimes said to have a poisonous bite. (My dear Osbert doesn't bite. Not usually, anyway.) In The Mermaid's Sister , Osbert is the household pet. He's o...

Why You Ought to Try (and Succeed at) NaNoWriMo This Year         Hi! This is a reposting of  my very first blog entry, but I think it's timely! So, without further ado, I give you 10 reasons to get cracking on that book you've always wanted to write--and soon ! To prove to yourself that you can do it. Yes, it's a lot of words in a short time, but thousands of people succeed every year. Why not you?  Being creative is good for you! Birds sing, trees make fruit, elephants paint (I saw it in the Weekly Reader!)...and they all seem quite content. Seriously, I am sure there is some happy brain chemical involved. There is nothing like spending time with your imaginary friends, making them fall in love, turn into hedgehogs, die of consumption, etc. If no one else in your life cheers you on in your writing endeavors, the folks at NaNoWriMo will! There are plenty of forums on their website where you can find like-mind...

Granny Says Good Night by Carrie Anne Noble   (In Which Granny Proves to be an Unfit Babysitter.)   Nothing good happens after midnight, my dears. If the twelfth hour comes and your toes aren’t tucked up (every last one, from plump market-going piggy to wee-wee-wee one), Tom the Toe Snatcher may come and nip them off with his silver shears and take them home for his stew pot. If the clock raises both hands in surrender and you’re not fast asleep—oh! The terrible Things you’ll see lurking in the corners and along the ceiling! If you aren’t snoring when midnight comes, you’d best keep your eyes shut tight. A bit of caution for you, sweetlings: If your pillow covers dangle over the edge of your bed, the Devil’s likely to grab hold. He won’t just take the pillows, either. He’ll drag both you and your pillows down into his dark, everlasting hothouse. He’ll keep you children among the brimstone roses and fire marigolds, your feet planted i...

It's a Bookmark! My talented husband and I came up with this bit of "swag" (a.k.a. promotional stuff given away at events)--a bookmark for me to give out at an upcoming writers' conference. Since the real book cover has yet to be revealed, we concocted this lovely image. Can't wait to see the actual cover! The publisher says it will be ready for my review in a week or two!  

  Welcome to the hop! No, it's not a fifties-themed dance. It's a blog hop--a kind of virtual field trip in which authors introduce you to a character from their work. But you can dance if you want to!   First of all, I'd like to thank the talented Rysa Walker for inviting me to participate. Rysa was the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award grand prize winner in 2013, and she has been extremely kind and helpful to me since I won the 2014 ABNA Young Adult category. Her YA book Timebound is a fun and thrilling read--and the sequel Time's Edge will be available in October. Rysa's "Meet the Character" blog entry ( and more about her & her books) can be found here:   http://rysa.com/meet-my-character-delia-morrell/ http://www.amazon.com/Timebound-Chronos-Files-Book-1/dp/1477848150/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411241267&sr=1-1&keywords=timebound Twitter: @RysaWalker And now...meet Clara!     1) What is the name of your char...

Guest blogging about unwanted critter houseguests Head on over to my friend Jessica Johnston's blog, "Memoirs of a White Trash Mom," and read about the years my family spent living with all sorts of God's creatures. http://memoirsofawhitetrashmom.blogspot.com/2014/08/living-with-natureindoors-guest-blog.html (This is not an actual photo of one of my actual children.)

NEWS FLASH! Seashell, Stork and Apple Tree has a new title & a publication date! The Mermaid's Sister will be published February 24, 2015 by Skyscape. You can pre-order the ebook, paperback, or audiobook on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Mermaids-Sister-Carrie-Anne-Noble-ebook/dp/B00LWDQO3Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407332622&sr=8-1&keywords=the+mermaid%27s+sister Here is the back cover copy: 2014 Winner — Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award — Young Adult Fiction There is no cure for being who you truly are... In a cottage high atop Llanfair Mountain, sixteen-year-old Clara lives with her sister, Maren, and guardian Auntie. By day, they gather herbs for Auntie’s healing potions. By night, Auntie spins tales of faraway lands and wicked fairies. Clara’s favorite story tells of three orphan infants—Clara, who was brought to Auntie by a stork; Maren, who arrived in a seashell; and their best friend, O’Neill, who was found beneath an apple tree. One day, ...

Hi! If you enjoyed the Amazon excerpt of the novel , you might like to take a peek at the Pinterest page I made to go with the story. It includes some illustrations and photos of the characters I used as I wrote, and links to the music I wrote to. And the baby wyvern picture is beyond adorable!!! http://www.pinterest.com/13hedgehogs/seashell-stork-apple-tree-a-novel/   The novel excerpt can be found here: www.amazon.com/abna Have a fantastic day! ~Carrie  

I'm very excited to announce that my novel has made it to the semi-finals in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award contest! Seashell, Stork and Apple Tree is one of 25 books selected from about 10,000 entries. Finalists will be announced July 8. Prayers appreciated!!! ABNA Publishers Weekly Review Set in 1870 on and around Llanfair Mountain, Pennsylvania, this delightful fantasy novel introduces the reader to Clara and Maren, sisters adopted around the same time by a woman (“Auntie”) known throughout the village for her cures. Maren came to Auntie in a conch shell, while Clara arrived via stork. Now, at sixteen, Maren is slowly turning into a mermaid, her fingers webbing and scales appearing on her sides. Clara wants Auntie to cure Maren, but that is not an option. Auntie responds, “There is no cure for being who you truly are.” As time passes, Maren’s body transforms more rapidly; it becomes obvious that it is time for Maren to be taken to the sea or she will die. ...

This is an excerpt from my novel--a quarter finalist in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award Contest. Enjoy!   Click here to read my excerpt.      

Sometimes you simply have to start doing the thing that your heart says you should do --writing, painting, singing, dancing, composing--and then you will find out that you CAN! After you start flapping those wings, you will find yourself flying, falling in love with creating and gaining the confidence to create even more.

The Sixth Treasure Tiny feet scamper across my cheek, up the bridge of my nose, and over my forehead. For a moment, I think I must be dreaming, but the sensation of something nibbling upon my hair is much too real. I sit up and swat at my head, dislodging the plump mouse from my tresses. With a squeak of dismay, the mouse scurries off to burrow into a clump of straw near the oaken door. I regret swatting at my head almost as much as I regret sitting up so quickly. It seems as though an army of elves is playing drums inside my skull. I touch the place where the pain is most fierce, finding a bump the size of an egg. Did I hit my head? Did someone else hit my head? What is this place, anyway? I look at about the room, turning my head slowly so as not to cause the elves to drum harder. The walls are made of heavy stone blocks, roughly hewn. High in the far wall, several little slits let in a few sunbeams. There is a bucket in one corner and a neatly folded, filthy blanke...

10 More Author Quotes to Ponder You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what's burning inside you.  And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke.  ~Arthur Polotnik Writing is both mask and unveiling. ~E.B. White Work on a good piece of writing proceeds on three levels: a musical one, where it is composed; an architectural one, where it is constructed; and finally, a textile one, where it is woven. ~Walter Benjamin The first draft is just you telling yourself the story. ~Terry Pratchett There are three secrets to writing a novel. Unfortunately nobody knows what they are. ~W. Somerset Maugham If your screen stays blank or your notepad empty, God cannot use your words. ~K.M. Logan A writer writes. There are no exceptions to this reality. No excuses. Stop wasting time talking about your stories and get them on paper. ~Christy Hall Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of you...

Writers...On Writing 10 Quotes to Ponder "Don't loaf and invite inspiration; light out after it with a club, and if you don't get it you will none the less get something that looks remarkably like it." ~Jack London            "Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart." ~William Wordsworth "I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions." ~James Michener "Just write every day of your life. Read intensely. Then see what happens. Most of my friends who are put on that diet have very pleasant careers.” ~Ray Bradbury “Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.” ~Virginia Woolf “There is only one plot—things are not what they seem.” ~Jim Thompson "Ink on paper is as beautiful to me as flowers on the mountains; God composes, why shouldn't we?" ~Terry Guillemets "One must be...