To celebrate June being National Crime Writing Month we’ve asked Bath-based author Cate Ray some questions, we hope you enjoy reading!
What are your top 5 writing essentials?
A view, preferably a nice one! Peace: I struggle to write with too many distractions. Coffee: only 2 a day, but they kick-start my brain. A plan: I like to know where I’m going. Deadlines: I work best when working under pressure with some urgency.
I also need peace and quiet – I can’t focus properly if people ask me questions when I’m writing and I can get a bit snappy about it, so I have to take myself off somewhere quiet where I won’t be disturbed.
Do you have a favourite fictional character?
Holden Caulfield. I read Catcher in the Rye when I was 16 and up till then hadn’t experienced a character following me around in my mind as he did with me. I loved the poignant moment in the novel when the title suddenly makes sense. But I haven’t read the book since – daren’t. It wouldn’t be the same. But Holden is still with me, 36 years on.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
My books tend to be a patchwork of snippets of conversations or things that I have heard or read about in real life or in the media. Normally I like to write about something that’s caught my eye because it’s in the press a lot – something that needs exploring in fiction.
If you weren’t writing how else would you express your creativity?
I took piano and flute lessons as a child and trained as a classical pianist. I also really enjoyed composing music. However, I suffered from stage fright and so in my late teens I turned away from music and decided on a career in writing instead. My music has lain dormant ever since, but it’s always there if I need it.
What are you working on next?
My latest novel, which will be the follow up to Good Husbands, but not a sequel. However, it will be in a similar vein: taking something topical that matters to women and exploring it in a – hopefully – thrilling way!
Ooh, we look forward to what you write next!
Learn more about Cate on her website: https://cateray.co.uk/
This interview was conducted for Crime Reading Month in 2023.