The Travelling Writer

Thriller novelist Emma Christie is hitting the road on a great European adventure but her heart and inspiration still lies back home in Scotland

- DAWN GEDDES

CUMNOCK-BORN writer Emma Christie is known for producing gripping crime thrillers that simply don't let up. The author, who is currently tackling her third novel, has decided to change her writing routine considerably - by taking it out on the road!

"I've wanted to be a novelist for a long time. I worked as a journalist for The Press & Journal for five years before quitting my job in 2009. The idea was to take a year off, travel around Latin America and try to write a novel - but I've basically never gone back to work in an office," Emma says. "I wrote my first novel and got a literary agent for it, but it didn't get published. Then I wrote another book, but it still didn't get published!"

By 2016, Emma was living and working in Spain as a tour guide, but never gave up on her writing ambitions.

"I would do around eight to 10 tour guide trips a year which would pay for about seven to eight months of writing. When my third book went out to publishers, I basically distracted myself by working constantly, then after six months, I got an email from my agent saying you're never going to believe it - you've got an offer!"

The Silent Daughter was published by Welbeck in 2020 and went on to be shortlisted for a string of awards including The Mcllvanney Prize for the best Scottish Crime Book of the Year. The novel was followed up by the missing person thriller Find Her First last year.

Despite settling in Spain, Emma's passion for adventure has never quite been sated.

"I did my first campervan trip around the North Coast 500 with my girlfriend Mari and we both just loved it. When we got back to Barcelona, we bought a really terrible old van, then we bought another and another! I suppose with every new purchase, we've got a better vehicle, which has allowed us to stay away for longer.