Caroline (C. J.) Tudor is a British author whose books include ''The Chalk Man'' and ''The Hiding Place'' (titled ''The Taking of Annie Thorne'' in the U.S.).

Early life and career

Tudor was born in

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

, England but grew up in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

. She left school at 16 against her teachers' advice, and in spite of her good grades. She states that she was inspired to write by her English teacher, and names

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

among her influences. She worked in a variety of jobs, including "copywriting, television presenting and dogwalking", before becoming a full-time writer. She says: "I’ve always loved writing but didn’t really knuckle down to it until my mid-thirties." Her first novel, ''The Chalk Man,'' was published in January 2018 by

Crown Publishing The Crown Publishing Group is a subsidiary of Penguin Random House that publishes across several fiction and non-fiction categories. Originally founded in 1933 as a remaindered books wholesaler called Outlet Book Company, the firm expanded int ...

. Reviews were mixed. ''

The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...

'' said " udorweaves a complex and captivating story in her first novel.". The ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray backgrou ...

'' said the book "has an intriguing and creepy premise — but ultimately falls apart after a series of improbable, shading to outlandish, plot twists." The book received the 2019 Barry Award for Best First Novel. This was followed by ''The Hiding Place'' in 2019, ''The Other People'' in 2020, '' The Burning Girls'' in 2021, ''The Drift'' in 2023, and ''The Gathering'' in 2024. In 2023, '' The Burning Girls'' was adapted for as a TV series by Hans Rosenfeldt and Camilla Ahlgren. It was developed by Buccaneer Media for

Paramount+ Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...

, starring

Samantha Morton Samantha Jane Morton (born 13 May 1977) is an English actress. She is known for her work in independent film with dark and tragic themes, particularly in period dramas. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including the BAFTA Fellowship ...

and

Ruby Stokes Ruby Stokes (born 4 September 2000) is an English actress. On television, she is known for her roles in Netflix series '' Lockwood & Co.'', the Paramount+ series '' The Burning Girls'' (both 2023), and the BBC One drama '' The Jetty'' (2024). Sh ...

. CJ Tudor lives in Sussex with her partner and daughter.

Bibliography

Novels

* ''The Chalk Man'' (2018) * ''The Hiding Place'' (''The Taking of Annie Thorne'') (2019) * ''The Other People'' (2020) * ''The Burning Girls'' (2021) * ''The Drift'' (2023) * ''The Gathering'' (2024)

Collections

* ''A Sliver of Darkness'' (2022)

Short stories

* "The Man in the Box" - included in ''The Other People'' audiobook * "The Lion at the Gate" - included in ''The Other People'' audiobook * "The February House" - included in ''The Other People'' audiobook * "Butterfly Island" in ''After Sundown'' anthology

References

External links

''The Hindu''

Associated Press

''Kirkus Reviews''

''Kirkus Reviews''

''Publishers Weekly''
Living people Year of birth missing (living people) English women novelists Barry Award winners 21st-century English novelists People from Salisbury Writers from Nottingham Writers from Wiltshire 21st-century English women {{UK-novelist-stub