Catrin Collier Explained

Catrin Collier
Birth Name:	Karen Jones
Birth Date:	1948
Birth Place:	Pontypridd, Wales
Nationality:	Welsh
Occupation:	Novelist
Agent:	Marjacq Scripts

Karen Watkins (née Jones, born 1948),^[1] writing as Catrin Collier, is a Welsh novelist known for her historical works, especially those in the Hearts of Gold series, set in her home town of Pontypridd between 1930 and 1950, the first of which was adapted as a BBC drama in 2003. She also writes under the pen names Katherine John^[2] / K. A. John (crime novels),^[3] Katherine Hardy^[4] (novelisations of television programmes) and Caro French (modern fiction).

Early life

Collier is of East Prussian descent, with her mother, Gerda Salewski, born in Allenstein, East Prussia, in 1926. Her father, Glyn Jones, was a Welsh Guardsman serving in Germany when he met Gerda. They were married in Pontypridd in July 1947. Collier was born there in 1948 and grew up in the town.

As a comprehensive school teacher, she taught English and drama to A level in schools in Swansea and West Glamorgan.

Career

Her book One last Summer is based on war-time diaries kept by her mother and maternal grandmother. and is recommended by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust for young people wanting to learn about the Holocaust .^[5] It was a 2008 finalist for the Romantic Novelists' Association's Book of the Year.

Television

In 2003, Hearts of Gold was adapted by BBC Wales as a two-part drama, directed by Richard Laxton and co-written by Matthew Baylis.^[6] BBC Wales' head of drama Matthew Robinson described her as "the Catherine Cookson of Wales".^[7]

Other work

As well as novels, she writes short stories, plays and non-fiction, and has had work published in magazines including published in Woman, Woman's Own and Woman's Weekly.

Personal life

After living in Germany and America,^[8] Collier now lives in Swansea near The Gower.^[9] She is represented by the literary agency Marjacq Scripts.^[10]

She is a member of Swansea Writers' Group, which encouraged her from the outset of her career before she had published a novel.^[11]

Welsh: Ty Catrin, an adult education centre in Pontypridd, was named in her honour in 2002.^[12]

Bibliography

Collier's work includes:

• 'Hearts of Gold' series
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Hearts of Gold. 1992. Century. 978-0712646062.
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. One Blue Moon. 1993. Century. 978-0712698238.
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. A Silver Lining. 1994. Century. 978-0712658454.
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. All That Glitters. 1995. Century. 978-0712658508.
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Such Sweet Sorrow. 1996. Century. 978-0712675086.
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Past Remembering. 1997. Century. 978-0712675130.
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Broken Rainbows. 1998. Century. 978-0712679459.
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Spoils of War. 2000. Century. 978-0712684736.
• Swansea trilogy
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Swansea Girls. 2001. Orion. 978-0752832326 .
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Swansea Summer. 2002. Orion. 978-0752832340.
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Homecoming. 2003. Orion. 978-0752853116.
• 'Beggars & Choosers' series
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Beggars & Choosers. 2003. Orion. 978-0752853130.
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Winners & Losers. 2004. Orion. 978-0752853154.
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Sinners & Shadows. 2004. Orion. 978-0752866987.
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Finders & Keepers. 2005. Orion. 978-0752867007.
• Tiger Bay
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Tiger Bay Blues. 2006. Orion. 978-0752867021.
  • Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Tiger Ragtime. 2006. Orion. 978-0752867045 .
• Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. One Last Summer. registration. 2007. Orion. 978-0752885773.
• Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Magda's Daughter. 2008. Orion. 978-0752885858.
• Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Black Eyed Devils. 2009. Accent Press. 978-1906373610.
• Book: Collier, Catrin. 2. Bobby's Girl. 2011. Allison & Busby. 978-0749009298.

As Katherine John

• 'Trevor Joseph' series:
  • Book: John, Katherine. 2. Without Trace. 1990. Century. 978-0712634472.
  • Book: John, Katherine. 2. Six Foot Under. 1993. Headline. 978-0747207290. (aka Midnight Murders)
  • Book: John, Katherine. 2. Murder of a Dead Man . 1994. Headline. 978-0747240471.
  • Book: John, Katherine. 2. The Corpse's Tale. 2006. Accent Press. 978-1905170319.
  • Book: John, Katherine. 2. Midnight Murders. 2006. Accent Press. 978-1905170272 . (aka Six Foot Under)
  • Book: John, Katherine. 2. Black Daffodil. 2008. Accent Press. 978-1906125004 .
  • Book: John, Katherine. 2. A Well Deserved Murder. 2008. Accent Press. 978-1906125141 .
  • Book: John, Katherine. 2. Destruction of Evidence. 2010. Accent Press. 978-1906373832.
• Book: John, Katherine. 2. By Any Other Name. 1995. Headline. 978-0747212188. (aka By Any Name)
• Book: John, Katherine. 2. The Amber Knight. 2007. 978-1905170623.

As K. A. John

• Book: John, K.A.. 2. Wake Wood. 2011. Hammer. 978-0099556183.

As Katherine Hardy

• 'The Grand'
  • Book: Hardy, Katherine. 2. The Grand . 1997. Simon & Schuster. 978-0671005191.
  • Book: Hardy, Katherine. 2. The Grand II - Under New Management. 1999. Simon & Schuster. 978-0671015961.
• Book: Hardy, Katherine. 2. Coronation Street: The Complete Saga. 2004. Granada Media. 9780233000879. registration.

As Caro French

• The Farcreek Trilogy
  • Book: French, Caro. 2. Lady Luck (Farcreek 1). 1995. Pocket Books. 978-0671853563.
  • Book: French, Caro. 2. Lady Lay (Farcreek 2). 1995. Pocket Books. 978-0671853570.
  • Book: French, Caro. 2. Lady Chance (Farcreek 3). 1995. Pocket Books. 978-0671853587.

External links

• • Collier's works on Goodreads
• 'Hearts of Gold' at the BBC website
• BBC 'Hearts of Gold' press pack

Notes and References

1. Web site: Catrin Collier – novels. 1 June 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130818002228/http://catrincollier.co.uk/novels.php. 18 August 2013. dead.
2. Web site: Catrin Collier – links. 1 June 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20110611224938/http://www.catrincollier.co.uk/links.php. 11 June 2011. dead.
3. Web site: COLLIER, CATRIN – List of Writers. The Writers of Wales Database. Literature Wales. 2 June 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20140302052537/http://www.literaturewales.org/writers-of-wales/i/129559/. 2 March 2014. dead.
4. Web site: Catrin Collier: Books, Biogs, Audiobooks, Discussions. Amazon.com. 1 June 2013.
5. Web site: Bibliography. 1 June 2013.
6. Web site: Hearts of Gold, Episode 2, "You've been found out". BBC. 1 June 2013.
7. Web site: BBC snaps up 'new Catherine Cookson'. Deans. Jason. 5 June 2002. The Guardian. 1 June 2013.
8. Web site: One Blue Moon by Catrin Collier. 1 June 2013. dead. https://archive.today/20130703160227/http://www.randomhouse.co.nz/books/catrin-collier/one-blue-moon-9780712615037.aspx. 3 July 2013.
9. Web site: Catrin Collier. Accent Press. 2 June 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120503124222/http://www.accentpress.co.uk/Contributor/547/Catrin-Collier.html. 3 May 2012.
10. Web site: Catrin Collier. Marjacq Scripts. 2 June 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130106022517/http://www.marjacq.com/books/catrin-collier. 6 January 2013.
11. Web site: Catrin Collier . 11 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140413142347/http://www.catrincollier.co.uk/news.php . 13 April 2014 . dead .
12. Web site: Catrin Collier. ContactAnAuthor. 2 June 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20081014173409/http://www.contactanauthor.co.uk/authorpage.php?id=220. 14 October 2008. dead.