International Bestselling Author
About
Dr Caroline
Cauchi
Reader in Creative Writing · University of Hull · PhD
Caroline Cauchi is an international bestselling author who gives voice to remarkable women written out of history. Her historical novels are published by HarperCollins in the UK, US and Canada, and have sold in over ten countries.
Her debut novel In Search of Adam was published in 2007. She has since written over ten novels, a short story collection, two novellas and a libretto. The feature film of The Drowning of Arthur Braxton won Best UK Feature at Raindance Film Festival 2021.
Her last 3 HarperCollins releases — Mrs Van Gogh, The Woman Who Went Over Niagara Falls in a Barrel, and Daughter of the Titanic — have all been international bestsellers.
10+
Novels
Published
10+
Countries
Published In
2021
Raindance
Best UK Feature
2007
Debut
Novel
What people are saying
Press & Reader Reviews
A truly impressive book and a great talent.
Caroline CorcoranSunday Times Bestselling Author
Brings to vivid life an extraordinary woman… a story that deserves to be told and widely known.
Essie FoxBestselling Author
Magical, weird, wonderful, dark unique Northern brilliance.
Matt HaigBestselling Author
Cauchi takes us on an enjoyable ride of a tale, told from the heart.
Historical Novel Society
A brilliantly fictionalized account of the life of a woman who the world needs to know better.
Lit Hub
I am endlessly drawn into novelized versions of real-life people and this story about Vincent's sister-in-law is totally enchanting and incredibly illuminating.
Heather ReismanFounder, Indigo Books
Career highlights
From debut to international bestseller
In Search of Adam
Debut novel published — winner of the Michael Schmidt Prize, launching a career spanning experimental and historical fiction.
Early HarperCollins titles
Black Boxes (2008), Like Bees to Honey (2010), 99 Reasons Why — an experimental digital novel with 11 endings (2012), Freaks short story collection (2012), and Disraeli Avenue (2013).
The Drowning of Arthur Braxton
Published by HarperCollins. Later adapted into a feature film (HarperCollins film edition & Audible, 2016).
The Finding of Martha Lost
Published by Transworld (UK). Translated into six languages across Europe and beyond.
The Unwrapping of Theodora Quirke
Published by Red Door.
Raindance Film Festival — Best UK Feature
The feature film of The Drowning of Arthur Braxton wins Best UK Feature at Raindance Film Festival.
Mrs Van Gogh — HarperCollins
International bestseller published in UK. Selected as a Heather's Pick in Canada. Translated across Europe.
The Woman Who Went Over Niagara Falls in a Barrel
International bestseller. Named one of Indigo's Best Books of the Year. Published in UK, US and Canada (as Queen of the Mist).
Daughter of the Titanic — HarperCollins UK, US & Canada
Latest novel — a moving reimagining of loss, legacy and memory inspired by the true story of Helen Smith, daughter of the Titanic's captain.
Academic & Research
University of Hull
Academic Background
Caroline holds a PhD in Creative Writing and is a Reader in Creative Writing at the University of Hull. Her research spans four interconnected areas: reading for pleasure, creative writing practice, diaspora and displacement, and the ethics of narrative representation. This includes leading a national prison reading and writing programme, exploring how individuals reconnect with books in contexts where reading has been disrupted or excluded.
Her academic work directly informs her novels, which reimagine the lives of women marginalised within dominant historical narratives — exploring voice, agency and visibility. She is particularly interested in how storytelling functions within multilingual and diasporic communities, where language may be inherited, partial, or shared across generations.
Running through all of her research is a sustained focus on the ethics of representation, including cultural appropriation, othering, and the responsibilities involved in writing about real lives — explored through projects such as Ethics in Ink: Navigating the Moral Terrain of Writing About Real Lives.
University of Hull Profile →PhD in Creative Writing
Doctoral research in creative writing practice
Reader in Creative Writing
University of Hull
Royal Literary Fund
Royal Literary Fund Fellow
Research Focus
Women erased from historical narratives
Ethics of Fiction
Fictionalising real lives responsibly
Maltese Heritage
Maltese mother, British father — place as identity
As seen in
Publishers, awards & features
Published by
HarperCollins
UK · US · Canada
Film award
Raindance
Best UK Feature 2021
Book of the year
Indigo
Best Books of 2024
Recommended read
Heather's Picks
Canada 2023
Fellowship
Royal Literary Fund
RLF Fellow
University
University of Hull
Reader in Creative Writing
Latest Release — April 2026
Daughter of the Titanic
HarperCollins · UK · US · Canada
A moving reimagining of loss, legacy and memory — inspired by the true story of Helen Smith, daughter of the Titanic's captain.
Get in touch
Events · Press · Speaking Engagements
For press enquiries, speaking engagements, events or any other requests, Caroline would love to hear from you.