She once deleted a character she genuinely loved — a warm, likeable hippie who was lovely in every scene — because "lovely" was all he ever did. His lines worked better coming out of someone else's mouth, so out he went. It's the kind of ruthless edit that separates a hobbyist from someone with fifteen-plus years and dozens of books behind them, and it's exactly the mindset this week's guest brings to every draft.

Catherine Cavendish writes suspense fiction steeped in the supernatural, paranormal, and gothic — ghost stories that make you check the locks twice. Her new novel, Ghost of Chantelands, arrives via Flame Tree Press on 18th August 2026, joining a catalogue that includes Dark Observation, The Haunting of Henderson Close, and her Nemesis of the Gods trilogy through Crossroad Press. Her path started with typewriters, carbon paper, and parcels of manuscripts posted off to publishers decades ago — and she's still hitting a 2,000-word daily target on first drafts today.

We get into her no-outline "pantser" process (where the first draft runs to 70–80,000 words and functions as her actual outline), the real otters and a Country Life property listing that became the seed for Ghost of Chantelands, and why she believes a good ghost story needs the haunted place to function as a character in its own right. We also talk about her decades-long relationship with editor Don D'Auria, why she refuses to write happy endings, and her genuine, unfiltered love of Rosemary's Baby.

🎙️ What we get into:

• Her one-novel-a-year publishing cycle, and the research, drafting, and beta-reading process behind it
• Why she still hits a firm 2,000-word daily target on first drafts — and cuts thousands of words without hesitation when a scene doesn't earn its place
• Cutting a character she loved because he was "lovely" and did nothing for the plot
• How two real otters at a wildlife centre and a Country Life magazine property listing became the haunted house at the centre of her new novel
• Her "pantser" approach — no outline, no chapter notes, just character and setting, then typing to keep up with the story
• The stone tape theory, and why she believes the best ghost stories treat the haunted location as a character
• Her four-decade publishing journey — from typewritten submissions in the 1970s to Sam Hain Publishing, Don D'Auria, and Flame Tree Press
• Why she deliberately avoids gore in favour of atmosphere, suspense, and dread
• Advice for her earlier self on staying in the game for the long haul, including her old English teacher's mantra: "be positive, even if you're wrong, be wrong positively"
• Her love of Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby and how it shaped her sense of a faithful book-to-film adaptation

Links & Resources:

• Catherine Cavendish: https://catherinecavendish.com
• Flame Tree Pressll
• Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
• Creature by Hunter Shea
• Litopia https://litopia.com/

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📚 About Catherine Cavendish

Catherine Cavendish writes suspense fiction steeped in the supernatural, paranormal, and Gothic — the kind of ghost stories that make you check the locks twice.

Her new novel, Ghosts of Chanterlands, lands via Flame Tree Press 18 August 2026, joining a haunting catalogue that includes Dark Observation, The Haunting of Henderson Close, and her Nemesis of the Gods trilogy, published through Crossroad Press.

When she's not writing, Catherine wanders Neolithic stone circles and explores old haunted houses — research that clearly bleeds into her fiction. She lives with a long-suffering husband and a black cat who still expects to be worshipped.

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