Katherine Howell worked as a paramedic for fifteen years while completing her Bachelor and Masters degrees in creative writing. Her first novel, Frantic, was published in 2007 by Pan Macmillan and set a paramedic alongside Sydney police detective Ella Marconi in 'an adrenaline rush of a thriller' (Sydney Morning Herald). It won the 2008 Davitt award for best crime fiction. Her second book, The Darkest Hour, continued the pattern with Ella and another paramedic in 'a finely paced and engrossing novel' (Guardian UK). The third in the series, Cold Justice, made the Australian bestseller list, saw Katherine travelling on a P&O cruise as guest author, and was described by NYT bestselling author Tess Gerritsen as 'one of my favourite books of the year'. It also won the 2011 Davitt award for best crime fiction, making Katherine the only author to have won twice. Her fourth book, Violent Exposure, was described by Bookseller & Publisher as 'arguably her best yet - four stars', while the fifth, Silent Fear, was chosen as a 'Guaranteed Book You Can't Put Down' by the national Get Reading! programme.
Katherine's books are published in multiple countries and languages and have been likened to the work of Karin Slaughter and Patricia Cornwell. Katherine is studying female doctor investigators in crime fiction for her PhD at the University of Queensland, and teaches writing and editing. She lives in Queensland with her partner, who owns a bookshop.
Katherine is an experienced speaker. While a paramedic she taught first aid and CPR, and as an author she is a frequent speaker at libraries, bookclubs, community groups and writers festivals, including senior school student groups at Somerset. One aspect of her talks is her journey from paramedic to author, including the difficulties involved in making that change and in learning to use her often traumatic experiences as the stuff of good fiction. Another is the importance of persistence as a key quality for anyone who wants to be a successful writer.
Katherine is published by Pan Macmillan.
Testimonials
Zillmere Library had a good turnout for the Katherine Howell event. Katherine spoke really well and the audience really enjoyed the presentation. They had lots of questions for Katherine which she willingly answered, and she was happy to stay a little while after the talk to mingle with anyone who wanted to chat with her.
Overall it was a great event, and we would definitely recommend Katherine Howell for future author talks.
Katherine Howell - Zillmere Library, June, 2013Katherine was an entertaining speaker and our students enjoyed her presentation and workshop. I would recommend her and Speakers Ink, as both were professional, friendly, and excellent for our school.
Katherine Howell - Proserpine State High School, November, 2013.Katherine was great - was very interesting and well-spoken and answered plenty of questions. I would definitely book her again - would probably try and get Katherine to talk at one of our other libraries - and would have no hesitation in recommending her to other organisations.
Katherine Howell - Casino Library, NSW, October, 2013.Zillmere Library had a good turnout for the Katherine Howell event. Katherine spoke really well and the audience really enjoyed the presentation. They had lots of questions for Katherine which she willingly answered, and she was happy to stay a little while after the talk to mingle with anyone who wanted to chat with her.
Overall it was a great event, and we would definitely recommend Katherine Howell for future author talks.
Katherine Howell - Zillmere Library, June, 2013My students were particularly impressed with this aspect of her discussion and were able to see how it could be applied to a range of writing tasks.
Katherine Howell has visited Hornsby Girls High School twice to speak about Crime Writing. On both occasions, she has made a very important contribution to the students’ preparation for their HSC exams. She makes a strong impression on her listeners and presents very pertinent examples of her own work to underline the points she is making about writing within that genre. However, her approach to editing a piece of writing is also a very practical demonstration of the improvement that a few thoughtful and relatively simple changes can make to a written text.
Katherine Howell - September, 2009
Violent Exposure
Cold Justice
The Darkest Hour
Frantic
Silent Fear
Web Of Deceit
Featured Speakers
Stop Press
Welcome to Term 2
If you haven't already done so, now is the time to book your speakers for Book Week next term.
Please get in touch and we will be happy to provide recommendations for your school.
You can use the contact form, or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
New Releases See all books
Touring Speakers See all tour dates
Speaker | Location | Tour dates | Book now |
---|---|---|---|
Brisbane | 14 May - 17 May 2024 | ||
Rockhampton | 11 Jun - 20 Jun 2024 | ||
Brisbane | 08 Jul - 10 Jul 2024 | ||
Brisbane | 11 Jul - 12 Jul 2024 | ||
Brisbane | 18 Jul - 19 Jul 2024 |
What people are saying
Deb was a very engaging speaker and performer. The children really enjoyed the visit and have been madly borrowing her books. Deb pitched her talk to each year level and managed to have everyone laughing and learning at their level - including the teachers.
Year 5 thoroughly enjoyed your wonderful talk. You made Figgy come to life for the students and really put the issues facing children of Ghana into context. Your talk really inspired and motivated the students to write their own stories based on the courageous characters in your books.
This was Jane’s second book week with us and more than met our expectations. We really enjoyed her presentation.
Shannon visited my year 8 focused literacy class. Her presentation was very well organised, relevant and extremely interesting. Shannon discussed the steps she went through to write and publish her book "Was Not Me". This was closely linked to the theory behind story structures. Students had an opportunity to see early drafting notes and discuss the drafting, illustrating and publishing processes. All of this was presented in a manner that suited my class perfectly and there were lots of o [...]
I asked for recommendations of presenters in my area and received a detailed and informative response that reflected how well Speakers Ink know their presenters.
Tony was a great hit with the students (at the Primary Taster Day) and they really enjoyed his workshops.
Megan captivated her audience as she shared valuable insights into her writing process. Megan inspired our students to share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through writing. She made her books come alive as she used excerpts to highlight her ideas. Our students (and teachers) loved her session.
Thank you for yesterday - it was a wonderfully fun and informative hour. Kate was really great and seemed to have a real connection with the students.
Candice was a pleasure to work with. She had the children engaged with their writing and they all had a wonderful time working with her. Candice was well-prepared and interacted in a beautiful way with both the teachers and students. We would certainly be happy to book her again in future years.
Can you envision over 2,000 students from across Australia participating in a collaborative Zoom workshop, where they spontaneously rise and applaud after a poetry performance? Inspired and motivated, these students don't just write; they eagerly share and perform their own poetry, delving into the depths of their emotions and life experiences. Joel models the process, making it accessible for students to adopt and make their own. They're so engrossed in their writing that they don't want to put [...]
Her presentation was both humorous and informative and Yvonne was flexible in her delivery and accommodated for timetable changes. I highly recommend Yvonne to any school wishing to have an author visit.