Meet Caroline Noe

This post, it is my pleasure to feature an Indie Author who is not just talented and bent on working hard at her own career but is someone keen on supporting others as she follows her chosen path.  The further I go into this whole writing scene the more I am convinced that doing well is nothing unless you are part of something bigger, and I don’t just mean within the writing community. You stand taller if you are willing to help others, you learn so much more and so much quicker, you gain something hard to put into words when you encourage others and see how much it strengthens them. Somehow it strengthens us as well, keeps our own motivation high. This is how people achieve goals.

Anyway, I feel blessed that I get to introduce people like Caroline, and hear a little bit about their lives before and during writing. I am totally chuffed there will be more like her over this coming year. For you as readers it means a gourmet of genres and new writers, and as a reader myself I am so excited.

Meet Caroline Noe

I’ve had a fascination with books ever since my seven-year-old sister taught me to read Winnie The Pooh when I was three. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe cemented a love of fantasy that would encompass science fiction with the arrival of Star Wars. I still harbour a desire to run off with Luke Skywalker and marshal the force.

Having obtained a degree in drama, I became an actor and singer, swiftly learning the difference between dreaming and hard graft. Glamorous it wasn’t. I remember performing in one show where the audience comprised a handful of people and a guide dog. The dog was the only one interested. On the up side, I was in a tour of schools with Shakespeare for Kidz which was a wonderful, if tiring, experience. I saw first-hand how creativity is essential for the self-esteem of children.

In between, I earned my crust with an array of jobs, such as tour guide for London’s Wembley Stadium, a shoe salesman, dog walker and keyboard jockey.

These days, I’m a keen photographer. I’ve found that it’s taught me to slow down, notice what’s around me and see things from different angles; something that is difficult for the driven.

Both of my published books, Firestone Key and Canellian Eye: Prophecy, have gone through a number of incarnations, including adaptation for screenplays. In the end, I returned to the original novel concepts, albeit with a new take on them. I believe in putting your creations through callisthenics; try them as a song, a poem, a sculpture, different genres. It all adds different perspectives and enriches your work.

Although the tagline for Firestone Key is ‘Every evil has an origin’, it could equally be ‘Every action has a consequence’. At the heart of the story is my fascination with the pivotal moments around which life revolves and transforms. Decisions we make not only change our own lives but have a ripple out effect on those around us. Despite the dark elements, there is a lot of humour in the novel, particularly surrounding the rural community and their fight against dark magic. In that respect, I went against the current trend of viewing magic as a good thing, depicting it as similar to an addiction.

The Canellian Eye trilogy, once complete, will explore the slippery and sometimes savage nature of destiny. Does it exist at all? If it does, can it be lost? I received a comment recently that fate and destiny amount to the same thing. I don’t agree. For me, fate just happens – ‘whatever will be, will be’ – and is static. Destiny, on the other hand, requires compliance and action to ‘seize the day’. Even then, the concept is complicated. There may be a false notion of how destiny should play out or suffer from misinterpretation. Then there’s no guarantee that destiny is kind. In Prophecy, I deliberately made the prophet Quaylan a teenager to make the reader wonder whether such a heavy burden should rest on anyone’s shoulders, let alone one so young. As we pass through the trilogy, that prophecy goes through multiple interpretations, including a burden, a savage joke and a beacon of hope. Canellian Eye: Rebellion will follow later this year, with the final part, Chosen, due early next year.

Now a published Independent Author, I have discovered that the hardest part of the whole process is marketing; placing your books before the eyes of potential readers. A few months ago, I decided that I would try to assist other ‘indies’ by reading and reviewing their work under the banner of support, not competition. To date, I have posted reviews for 25 books, which have proved to me how vibrant the indie author community is.

Contact Caroline at:

https://www.facebook.com/carrieauthor/

 www.carolinenoe.org

 https://www.instagram.com/carrieauthor/

I love the way Caroline has thrown herself into helping other Indie authors.  Do you have something you do to show support for those you admire or care for? Please feel free to come and share what you do,

Barb

Questions for me? Want to share your views and ideas? Follow me and ask away: 

Twitter          Facebook          Instagram