1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE YOUNGER WOMAN
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Gabby’s just starting to adapt to life as an empty nester, when she makes a stunning realization: she can't stand her husband! One night, after too many cocktails, she meets an enigmatic younger woman called Ellis and blurts out that she wishes her husband were dead. Obviously, she didn't mean it and the next day, she wants to take it back, but when she tries to contact Ellis, she can't find her. Gabby begins to get the nasty feeling that she wasn't who she said she was...
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The setting was an important part of the story so it sort of decided for me! It was inspired by Sandbanks, on the south-west coast of England, one of the most exclusive places to live in the world. If you read the book, you’ll see why it had to be there!
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Yes. Because despite what people may think, I like her and I think she would have my back and vice versa.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Fifty. Well-meaning. Overwhelmed.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That fifty is a bit of a no-man’s-land in fiction, but it’s only by writing about it and drawing other people into the space that we will start seeing it as an incredible time of life.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Ah…great question! I edit as I go. And then afterwards too.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Dark chocolate. Today, tomorrow, forever…!
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I used to be upstairs in a little study, but during the pandemic my husband started working from home and never went back! With my teenage sons both in full-time education, it’s a full house, so now I sit in the corner of our front room, nestled by the bookcase, with a view of the city. I love being next to books as I write, with a scented candle flickering away.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Jodi Picoult.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Naomi Wolf’s The Beauty Myth. Like many teenage girls, I was struggling with self-image and her words gave me hope in a way that changed everything for me. From then on, I realized books could teach and heal.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
It was in 2015, when my soon-to-be editor at Little, Brown UK rang me to say she was going to publish my suspense debut, Blind. She was drinking champagne in her office by the Thames in London. I thought it was so chic. I went outside and just stared around my back garden, stunned, trying to take it all in.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Smart thrillers. But I also love women’s fiction that celebrates female friendships or shows women in a positive, relatable way.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Oh gosh. Argh! Probably Pretty Woman because I have a thing about Richard Gere!
15--What is your favorite season?
Autumn (fall). Cardigans, coffee, cookies…
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
My mum and dad always visit and take me out for lunch.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I just watched all 3 seasons of Broadchurch, a British crime thriller. It’s a few years old, but the acting is superb, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Italian. Preferably in a restaurant. But more often cooked at home.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Free time? Can I get back to you when I have some?!! Seriously though, I love an indulgent bath with scented oils. And reading will always be a huge pleasure.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
Something completely different. My latest thriller is with my agent for editing. I can’t say too much now but I’m super excited about it and hope to be back again soon to tell you more!
A woman’s confession about her husband sparks a dangerous cat-and-mouse game in this riveting domestic thriller
Gabby and Fred have just begun to adapt to their new life as empty nesters when Gabby makes a stunning realization: she can’t stand her husband.
One night at a bar, Gabby meets an enigmatic younger woman named Ellis, and in a haze of drunkenness, she confesses that she wishes Fred dead. Surely she didn’t expect anything to come of it, but when she tries to track Ellis down again, she realizes that Ellis might not have been who she said she was.
As Gabby begins to unravel the truth about Ellis, and what Fred might be hiding, she is thrown into a whirlwind of lies and manipulation. How much is she willing to risk to expose the truth? And who is the real target?
Thriller Domestic [Park Row, On Sale: February 25, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9780778368335 / eISBN: 9780369760920]
Cate Ray knew from a young age that she wanted to be a writer. The author of four novels published in the UK as Cath Weeks, she was named an “Author to Watch” by ELLE. Her US debut, Good Husbands, was a Barnes & Noble Bookseller’s Favorite. Her suspense thrillers pack an emotional punch, shining a light on power imbalances, inequality, secrets and fears. She lives in Bath, UK, with her family.
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