Karin Maatman

Karin is an autistic mathematician, and writer of (cosy) science fiction, fantasy and thrillers. After twelve moves within the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and the UK, she settled in the Garden of England (a.k.a. Kent).
As a writer/reader, she is passionate about diversity – any kind – but, more than anything, she loves neurodivergent protagonists (as unadulterated heroes) and female protagonists with an interest or career in STEM.

When Karin isn't juggling data or words, you can find her in her garden or strolling around Hever Castle – the prettiest castle in England and childhood home of Anne Boleyn. Both activities boost the pebble collection on her desk.

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About Karin's manuscripts

Between Scylla and Charybdis
“Seeing humans removed from Earth because of an Event I rubber-stamped... How do you think that felt?”

As the world teeters on the brink of a human-induced apocalyptic war, an Assembly of extra-terrestrials instructs accident-prone mathematician, Caila, to vote on mankind’s (non)future. As if things couldn’t get worse, they instruct her to select seven companions for a restart.
The Reset would have gone off without a hitch, were it not for the accidently surviving MP-with-PM-ambitions, who rekindles one of politicians’ favourite pastimes: war. As violence erupts, can Caila convince E.T., humans still deserve a second chance??

Adult, cosy, contemporary SFF
'Eternals' meets 'Survivors' caper, with a hint of T.J. Klune
Between Scylla and Charybdis is a standalone parallel to The Second Choice Den.

The Second Choice Den
Six autistic teens and a whale watching boat captain are all that stands between human extinction.

After an alien Alliance resets Earth, autistic teen Sarah and her classmates become the last line of defence against human extinction. Armed only with DIY weapons and wit, they must outsmart a vengeful CIA, and ... persuade E.T. not all humans are aggressive, and that they deserve a second chance on their planet.

Young Adult/Crossover, Contemporary SFF
Eternals meets Neurodivergent Survivors
The Second Choice Den is a standalone parallel to Between Scylla and Charybdis.

PARSIDUS
Blood is thicker than water ... Or not, when your mum tries to kill you (trice) before razing the world to oblivion.

21st century Earth: all but a few are oblivious of extra-terrestrial life.
Teen Misha is recruited by UWAP, an interplanetary organisation who assess stewardship and security risks on developing planets. Earth is up next.
When she uncovers a plot to grab world power, only Misha’s too close for comfort connection to the conspirators can save Earth from dictatorship or ... oblivion.

Young Adult, Contemporary SFF
A United Nations of 'Eternals' assess Earth on stewardship and security risk.

Rebecca’s Diary
Running away from home with her horse Flock,12-year-old Rebecca achieves independence, but far more than she bargained for when the world around her blinks out. People, houses, everything, gone in a fraction of a second.
She rides across the country, aiming for London but ending up in Kent. In a castle with seven strangers, she rebuilds her life and helps forge a new future for humankind.

Rebecca’s Diary is a Companion novelette to Between Scylla and Charybdis.

Dig Two Graves
When a young A.I. fights for her life, her friends, her freedom, all bets are off.

Morgan has no memory of being abducted by the people she believes to be her parents; the people who are grooming her to become a spy. Then Yǔzé, her new philosophy tutor, challenges all she has been taught. Morgan escapes, but when Yǔzé is murdered, she embarks on a journey of revenge. If she fails, she knows, none of her new friends will ever be safe again.

Adult, CrossOverYA, Contemporary Thriller
Klara and the Sun by Ishiguro Kazuo x Echo Boy by Matt Haig

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Next?
'Current' folder:
- Polish WIP, 'Dig Two Graves', about an A.I on a mission.
'What's next' folder:
- 'The Symbionts', a YA Fantasy.
- Sequels and parallels to completed novels.
- Lots of fresh ideas.