Having gained an MA in Printmaking from the Slade School of Art in the eighties, Carol went on to teach at degree level and exhibit in the UK and Norway. A Norwegian government scholarship gave her the opportunity to work as a practicing artist in Oslo, a city that now plays a major role in her novel. She became a student again in her forties and completed an MA in Creative Writing at the UEA. Her short stories have appeared in various magazines and anthologies, including New Writing 10, published by Picador. She was one of the highly-commended winners of the Bridport prize in 2005 with her short story, 'Steady Hand'. White Space is her debut novel and was shortlisted for the Cinnamon Press literature award in 2024.

Born in Broughty Ferry, she moved to Gloucestershire when she was eleven. She currently lives in Norwich, often distracted by the wildlife in her garden-feeding birds, rescuing sick hedgehogs, and watching frogs in the pond when they think they're not being watched.