Author. Poet. Novelist. Occasional librettist. Sporadic puppeteer.

Caroline Hardaker lives in the north east of England and writes quite a lot of things, mainly dark and brooding tales exploring everything speculative, from folklore to future worlds.

Caroline’s debut poetry collection, Bone Ovation, was published by Valley Press in 2017, and her first full length collection, Little Quakes Every Day, was published by Valley Press in November 2020.

Caroline’s debut novel, Composite Creatures, was published by Angry Robot in April 2021.

Her second novel – Mothtown – will be published in November 2023.

Caroline’s poetry has been published worldwide, most recently in Magma, The Interpreter’s House, The Emma Press, Neon Magazine, Shoreline of Infinity, Eyewear Publishing’s Best New British and Irish Poets, and Contemporary British Poetry from Platypus Press. This blog was set up in late 2015 and you can see some of her publication credits since then via the Poems and Stories section.

Caroline’s non-fiction work has been published widely in print and online, mostly exploring a philosophical issue or two. She still dips into a spot of freelance journalism when an issue tickles her. Caroline’s also worked with various organisations and community groups to advocate the holistic benefits of writing and making. She currently works as the Content Manager for Newcastle University in the north east of England.

In 2019, Caroline was the Writer in Residence for ‘Moving Parts’ Newcastle Puppetry Festival, a Theatre Reviewer for NARC Magazine, and an occasional Guest Editor for Three Drops From a Cauldron. Since 2019, she’s also been collaborating with the Royal Northern College of Music to produce a cycle of operatic art songs to be performed at festivals across the UK. In September 2020, Folk Tales premiered at the Tête à Tête Festival in London.

Caroline is currently working on her third novel – a slightly surrealist affair. She’s also working on a few projects that bring together art, poetry, and prose, hopefully to be announced in the coming months. One day she’d also love to finish those scripts tucked away in her top drawer, but until new shiny things stop appearing, that’s not likely to be any day soon.

If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach Caroline or her agent by:

By Email: carolinemhardaker@gmail.com

On Twitter: @carolinehwrites

Through her Literary Agent: Ed Wilson at Johnson & Alcock

(Photos of Caroline by Envela Castel)