Author: Katherine Hardy
Alternate names: Catrin Collier; Katherine John; K. A. John; Katherine Hardy; Caro French
Born: 1948
Bio: Karen Watkins (née Jones, born 1948), writing as Catrin Collier, is a Welsh novelist, of East Prussian descent on her mother's side, 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/ K. A. John (crime novels), Katherine Hardy (novelisations of television programmes) and Caro French (modern fiction).

As well as novels, she writes short stories, plays and non-fiction, and has had work published in magazines including Woman, Woman’s Own and Woman’s Weekly. She is a member of Swansea Writers' Group, which encouraged her from the outset of her career before she had published a novel. Ty Catrin, an adult education centre in Pontypridd, was named in her honour in 2002. -wikipedia