Hawkins was born and raised in
Harare,
Zimbabwe (known at the time as Salisbury,
Rhodesia), the daughter of Anthony "Tony" Hawkins and his wife Glynne. Her father was an economics professor and financial journalist. Before moving to London in 1989 aged 17, Hawkins attended
Arundel School, Harare, Zimbabwe then studied for her
A-Levels at
Collingham College, an independent college in
Kensington, West London. Hawkins read
philosophy, politics and economics at
Keble College,
University of Oxford. She worked as a journalist for
The Times, reporting on business. She then worked for a number of publications on a freelance basis, and wrote a financial-advice book for women,
The Money Goddess. Paula's second thriller
Into The Water was published in May 2017 and went on to become a
Sunday Times and
NYT bestseller. Her novel
A Slow Fire Burning was published on 31 August 2021. == Published works ==