Carrie Anne Noble, Author

Irish Blessings, Curses, & Wisdom   In honor of the upcoming June 2017 release of my novel The Gold-Son (which features Irish characters, lore, and settings), I offer you a collection of Irish sayings—some sweet, some humorous, and a few downright nasty (things an ornery leprechaun might say!). Enjoy!       Wisdom & Good Wishes 1. May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty. 2. Enough is as good as a feast. 3. There's no need to fear the wind if your haystacks are tied down. 4. God is good, but never dance in a small boat. 5. It's no use carrying an umbrella if your shoes are leaking. 6. A trout in the pot is better than a salmon in the sea. 7. May the frost never afflict your spuds. May the outside leaves of your cabbage always be free from worms. May the crow never pick your haystack, and may your donkey always be in foal. 8. May I see you old and grey and combing out your grandchildren's hair. 9. May the grass grow long on the r...

Novels for Your TBR List   Here's a shocking confession: I read A LOT of books. Also (and sometimes unfortunately), I rarely read a book anymore without critiquing and editing every page in my head--so there are fewer and fewer books I fall in love with. With that in mind, the following are books I've read lately that I greatly enjoyed. I think these are all considered Young Adult novels, and each has some fairy tale or folk tale qualities. The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge The Bear and the Nightingale b y Katherine Arden Egg and Spoon by Gregory Maguire A Green and Ancient Light by Frederic S. Durbin The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (not a recent "new read" technically, but one I like to reread now and then because I love this book!) In other news...   Here's a lovely review of The Gold-Son (from Goodreads), written by a teen reader who read an advance copy.    " If you want to read a fantastical novel, I promise you, this is t...

Here it is! I am thrilled to share this gorgeous cover with you!  Like the cover for The Mermaid's Sister , The Gold-Son 's cover was designed by the ridiculously talented M.S. Corley.   You can see more of his work here: The Art of M.S. Corley     Everything on the cover represents something in the story, so when you read it, you might want to play a little game of "I Spy." For more about The Gold-Son and to pre-order the book (which comes out June 20, 2017), click here: The Gold-Son on Amazon  

A little more about the new book...   All sixteen-year-old Tommin wants is to make beautiful shoes and take care of his granny, but his insatiable need to steal threatens to destroy everything. Driven by a curse that demands more and more gold, he’s sure to get caught eventually. When mysterious Lorcan Reilly arrives in town with his “niece” Eve, Tommin believes the fellow wants to help him. Instead, Lorcan whisks him off to the underground realm of the Leprechauns, where, alongside Eve, he’s forced to prepare to become one of them. While Lorcan plots to use his “gold-children” as stepping-stones to the throne of the Leprechaun king, Tommin and Eve plan their escape—and find themselves falling in love. But Tommin’s humanity is slipping away, and unless Eve discovers the remedy in time, he’ll be doomed to spend eternity as a thieving trickster. Can Tommin and Eve’s love survive over two centuries and help them defeat Lorcan and his magic, or is there no hope...

Old Year, New Year Hi! It's been a while, and it's all the Leprechaun's fault. Since the end of October, I've been doing a lot of work on The Gold-Son (young adult novel containing Leprechauns, to be released June 21, 2017). Editing, reworking, adding, polishing, yelling at the computer--all that fun stuff--consumed much of my time and energy (and helped me fail at NaNoWriMo for the first time in eight years!). But along the way, I learned so much and I grew as a writer, and I'm grateful for the experience. I'm pleased with how the book has turned out, and I can't wait to share it with you. Also, the cover (created by fantastic artist M.S. Corley, who did The Mermaid's Sister's cover) is breathtakingly gorgeous! In mermaid news... The Mermaid's Sister passed the 100,000 copy mark in sales back in October. Thanks, readers! I'm awed and thrilled that the book has done well and continues to do well. It's a dream come true for certain...

Head on over to the Faith and Fantasy Alliance/Realm Makers blog to read a fun "Into the Mind of the Author"post by yours truly! Click here: Into the Mind of Carrie Anne Noble

The Perils of Reading Reviews of Your Novel The day The Mermaid's Sister went live on Amazon was one of the weirdest days of my life. A mixture of excitement, fulfillment, and terror consumed me as the reviews began to appear. First, the five stars (yay!) Then some fours and a few threes (okay, everyone is entitled to his/her own taste and opinion)...and eventually, the dreaded one star. (If I remember properly, the reason the reviewer gave was that he didn't like Young Adult novels. Still shaking my head over that one.) I admit I kept reading reviews for a while--maybe a week or two--before I realized it was messing with my head. How could I have written someone's new favorite book that also was the most cliché piece of trash ever? How could a simple story draw such personal, hateful attacks from some and inspire others to joy? You just can't wrap your mind around that. And you shouldn't try. To quote a grammatically revolting cliché (because apparently I ro...