About Caroline
in short
Caroline Hulse lives in Manchester with her husband and a small controlling dog.
She is the author of Reasonable People, All the Fun of the Fair, Like a House on Fire and The Adults.
Her books have been published in fourteen languages and optioned for television.
More about caroline
Background
Caroline lives in Manchester and has always lived in the area, except for the three years she studied English at the University of Sheffield.
She worked in human resources for seventeen years and wrote books at night, but never thought writing could be a real job.
She was amazed when, in 2017, she got offered a book deal and was able to write for a living — a job she could do in pyjamas with a dog at her feet.
The dream! Or so she thought.
uncreative approach to creative work
It turned out Caroline hated the isolation of working from home. And the dog refused to lie at her feet as instructed.
So now the dog goes to daycare, and Caroline hires a desk in an office and treats writing like a 9-5.
She is much happier and more productive now she’s back in an office, though a little disappointed at her lack of imagination.
reluctant acceptance of writing genre
Caroline always pitched her books as suspense. Problem was, her agent and editor both firmly pointed out she wrote comedy.
Caroline ignored this for a while, but they were adamant, so she eventually gave in.
This level of industry insight and self-awareness is probably why it took Caroline twenty years and five books to get a publishing deal.
Unconscious Writing Tics
Caroline has noticed some regular themes that crop up in her writing.
Most of Caroline’s first drafts include at least one reference to legendary Eighties strongman Geoff Capes.
And a reference to waterski-shark-jumping smoothie The Fonz.
And an awful lot about crisps.
Caroline tries not to read too much into this.
philOsophy of writing characters
The years in HR, with all the opportunity to observe conflict, inform how Caroline writes characters. She believes people generally operate with the best of intentions, but life gets in the way. She believes people behave at their worst under pressure.
She likes finding comedy in the gaps between how people see themselves and how others see them, and the gaps between what people say and what they mean.
Caroline doesn’t write bad guys, even though her character behave terribly at times.
limited online presence
Caroline is loud in person but quiet online.
She’s not aloof, it’s just social media is not her preferred way to communicate. She is only on Instagram and Twitter occasionally, and only to give brief updates and to respond to readers.
She wasn’t on social media before she got a publishing deal and found, as she expected, it didn’t suit her. Not least because she’s so easily distracted.
surprising height
Caroline is 183 cm — six feet tall.
She must look smaller in photographs, because people are often surprised by her height when they meet her.
love of games
Caroline loves pointless competition and plays board games and cards at every opportunity. Her current favourites are Camel Up and Power Grid, but she reckons she’s unbeatable at Cluedo.
She used to play poker seriously and could be found in casino poker rooms a few times a week, but she plays much less now. She can’t take the late nights anymore, and the dog doesn’t like it when she comes in late.
dog worship
Seven fluffy kilograms of canine dictator, the dog is easily affronted, has severe separation anxiety, and has a bundle of Napoleon issues. She runs Caroline’s life.
But look at that entitled little face!
How could anyone not worship that?
THIS is the dog, in four of her standard modes:
