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Cate Quinn Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author

Cate Quinn

Cate Quinn

Cate Quinn Biography

Cate (Catherine) Quinne was a travel and lifestyle journalist for The Times, The Guardian and The Mirror, alongside many magazines. Prior to journalism and fiction, her background in historic research won prestigious postgraduate funding from the British Art Council.

Combining research skills with far-flung travel experiences helped her delve into different communities and worlds to create page-turning thrillers in interesting locations. She is currently a novelist both as an independent author and with Amazon publishing. Her novels have sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide.

Cate is based in Brighton, England.

Cate Quinn's website

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Interview

Cate Quinn discussed her US debut, the thriller Black Widows.

What was your starting point for Black Widows? What did you draw on as you developed the story?

The idea just came to me, and with it, all three characters appeared as if by magic. Once it was there, I just couldn't stop writing. It was like a book that couldn't wait to be written. I wrote a lot from Rachel's perspective but always bookmarked by what the other wives might think or feel about the same given moment. There's probably a whole other book edited out; I wrote so much.

Those women felt so real that it felt very natural to draw them out. I also did a lot of research on the LDS faith and in particular more fundamental branches.

How does Black Widows compare to your other books? Did you have to change your writing process at all?

It's a very different book. The structure is entirely new. Other books I've written have been thrillers with a very linear plot, so this one, which bounced around characters, represented a completely new process for me.

Rachel, Emily, and Tina are all very distinct. Did you have a favorite while you were writing? Which was the most challenging?

I love them all, and I think they're probably subconsciously all parts of my character. I'd probably like to identify with Tina the most, but in real ...

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Books by this Author

Books by Cate Quinn at BookBrowse
Black Widows jacket
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  • "Beyond the Book" articles
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  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
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