Catrin Collier is a Welsh author renowned for her historical fiction, romance, and crime novels. Her debut historical novel, "Hearts of Gold," gained widespread acclaim and was adapted into a BBC mini-series in 2003, reaching an audience of 6.8 million viewers in the UK. Under the pen name Katherine John, she also wrote the crime novel "By Any Name," which was adapted into a film by Tanabi Productions and released on Amazon Prime in 2017. Collier's works have earned her recognition as one of Wales' most prolific authors.
Born to a Welsh father and a Prussian refugee mother, Collier grew up in Pontypridd, a town that frequently serves as the setting for her novels. Her writing often explores themes of identity, resilience, and historical upheaval, drawing inspiration from her multicultural heritage. Notably, her novel "One Last Summer," based on her mother's wartime diaries, was endorsed as recommended reading by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. In 2003, the Ty Catrin Education Centre in Pontypridd was named in her honor, further cementing her literary legacy.
Collier continues to write from her home on the Gower Peninsula near Swansea. She is currently working on scripts and the third installment of her "Glyndwr" series in collaboration with Tanabi Films. Her books have been reissued with new cover designs, featuring Welsh actor Julian Lewis Jones as Owain Glyndwr. With a career spanning multiple genres and adaptations, Collier remains a significant figure in contemporary Welsh literature.