Stories that haunt you long after midnight.
I’m Caroline Crane — bestselling author of gothic suspense & psychological thrillers. 9 novels • 2M readers • 14 languages. I write about crumbling manors, buried secrets, and women who refuse to be ghosts in their own lives.
The Glass Orchard
“A masterclass in dread and desire.” — 384 pages of family secrets, poisoned apples and a house that remembers.
Hi, I’m Caroline. I write books you read with all the lights on.
Born in coastal Maine and raised on ghost stories, I spent my childhood in my grandmother’s Victorian house — the one with the locked attic and the orchard no one talked about. That house became every house in my books.
For two decades I’ve explored what scares us and what saves us: grief, sisterhood, obsession, home. My novels blend old-school gothic atmosphere with razor-sharp modern suspense — think Daphne du Maurier meets Gillian Flynn, with a dash of Shirley Jackson.
When I’m not writing, I restore antique keys, walk windswept cemeteries for “research,” and answer every reader letter by hand. I live in Vermont with my husband, two ravens (real, loud), and 4,000 books.
Nine novels. One haunted universe.
Each book stands alone, but sharp-eyed readers will find connecting doors — a shared town of Hollow Creek, a recurring black moth, and the Crane family curse that echoes through generations.
The Glass Orchard
Three sisters return to sell the family orchard — only the trees won’t let them leave. My most personal book yet.
Black Moth House
A true-crime podcaster rents a murder house for one night. She stays for a year. 320k copies sold.
The Drowning Tide
Two best friends. One lighthouse. One lie that surfaces after 20 years. Edgar finalist.
From nightmare to novel in four seasons
Readers always ask where the dread comes from. Here’s my honest, messy, candle-lit process — the same I teach in my sold-out Hollow Creek Workshops.
Haunt
I collect houses, letters, dreams. 90 days of walking, photographing, eavesdropping. Every novel starts with a place that won’t leave me alone.
Possess
First draft in 100 days, longhand, no editing. 80k words of glorious mess. I light the same cedar candle until it gutters.
Exorcise
Three brutal revisions. I cut 20%, add dread, interrogate every motive. Beta readers + my ruthless editor Mara.
Release
Copyedit, cover séance, midnight launch in a real haunted house. Then I hand the nightmare to you — and start haunting again.
The Widow’s Attic — written in a freezing cabin, sold in 3 days, still my most borrowed library book.
Hollow Creek — 500k copies, TV option, the town readers tattoo on their arms.
The Drowning Tide — Edgar finalist, Goodreads Choice Top 5, translated into 9 languages in one year.
The Glass Orchard — national tour, immersive orchard experience, secret alternate ending hidden in first editions.
Critics shiver. Readers stay up.
“Crane doesn’t write houses — she conjures them. I checked my locks twice and still kept reading.”
— The Midnight Review on Black Moth HouseBook of the Month, 2024
“A masterclass in slow-burn dread. The Glass Orchard is her Rebecca for a new generation.”
— Literary GazetteStarred review, 2026
“I finished at 3am, woke my husband, and made him promise we’d never buy a farmhouse. Five stars.”
— Maya R., verified reader48,212 five-star ratings
An evening in Hollow Creek: live reading + séance Q&A
12 cities, candlelit bookshops, secret excerpts, and the infamous key ceremony. 80% sold out — Vermont finale just added.
Hollow Creek Workshop: write your haunted house
6-week online intensive. Plot, atmosphere, dread pacing. Includes live critiques from Caroline. Next cohort: November.
- Weekly live sessions + replays
- Private circle of 40 writers
- Final reading + publication guide
Fresh from the desk
Writing diaries, deleted chapters, tour confessions, research trips to real haunted houses — plus first dibs on ARCs and secret endings. Click any story to read the full entry.
New entries brewing in the attic…
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Deleted scenes, early covers, tour presales + annual ghost story only for subscribers.
Everything readers ask at midnight
Do I need to read the books in order?
No — every novel stands alone. But if you love Easter eggs, read in publication order: Widow’s Attic → Hollow Creek → Salt House → Drowning Tide → Black Moth House → Glass Orchard. You’ll spot the black moth and the Hollow Creek map evolving.
Is Hollow Creek a real place?
It’s inspired by five real Maine and Vermont towns, plus my grandmother’s house. I publish a hand-drawn map in each book — collectors frame them. The 2026 tour includes a real-life Hollow Creek walk in Stowe.
How do I get a signed copy or book club visit?
Every first-edition hardcover from the tour is signed and stamped with the orchard key. For book clubs (10+ readers), use the contact form below — I Zoom into 8 clubs a month, free, wine optional.
Are the houses really haunted?
The houses I research are — I only write about places I’ve slept in. Black Moth House was drafted during three nights in a supposedly haunted rectory. I heard footsteps. My recorder caught a whisper. It’s in the audiobook.
Can I adapt your books for film / stage?
Rights are handled seasonally — write via the contact section with your company, vision and timeline. Student and community theatre adaptations have a fast-track form; I say yes whenever I can.
Invite Caroline, say hello, confess a ghost.
Events, press, rights, book clubs & reader mail. I read everything — replies take 5–7 days during tour.
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