BIO

Emma Christie was born and raised in a book-filled house in Cumnock, an Ayrshire coal-mining town.

After quitting her law degree to study literature and medieval history at Aberdeen University, she spent five years working as a news reporter with one of the UK’s top-selling regional daily newspapers, The Press and Journal.  

Her debut novel THE SILENT DAUGHTER was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2021, shortlisted for the Scottish Crime Debut of the Year 2021 and longlisted for the Crime Writers Association John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger Award 2021.

Following the release of her second novel FIND HER FIRST in January 2022 Emma was invited to appear at two of Scotland’s most prestigious book festivals, Aye Write and Bloody Scotland. Her third novel IN HER SHADOW will be published in January 2024.

All novels are standalones but based in one of Emma’s favourite places: Portobello, Edinburgh’s captivating seaside community.

Emma is founder of the popular Diary Of A Debut Novelist festival – a series of online events aiming to promote and inspire new UK authors. She also established the Caledonia Crime Collective, a group of seven Scottish writers hoping to support new voices in the tartan noir genre - and beyond. She’s also a member of the Crime Writers Association. She’s written for national UK newspaper The Independent, the Herald Scotland and the UK’s oldest book trade magazine The Bookseller. She’s been interviewed for the BBC’s The Sunday Show and popular PBS travel programme The Curious Traveller. Every month she writes a true history script for award-winning podcast company Noiser.

Emma usually lives in Barcelona but from April 2023 will spend six months living and working in her Ford Transit campervan alongside her girlfriend Mari, a yoga teacher. Starting in Spain they’ll travel Europe and the Balkans but Emma will happily interrupt the trip to appear at Theakstons Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate.