A CUMNOCK author has been longlisted for a major writing prize alongside a whole host of other literary stars for her debut novel.

Emma Christie has been nominated for the Bloody Scotland McIllvanney prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year for her book The Silent Daughter, released last year.

The former Greenmill PS and Cumnock Academy pupil joins writers including Val McDermid, Stuart McBride and Christopher Brookmyre as nominees and says it is “amazing” to feature alongside such “triumphs of the Scottish writing scene”.

READ MORE: Cumnock author longlisted for international award

Emma, who now lives in Barcelona, said: “I’m so chuffed to be nominated for this award. The great one about this one is that it’s not just for debut novelists, there are such big names and I’m in there beside them which is really amazing.

“Val is the queen of crime and I remember reading one of Christopher Brookmyre’s books at uni thinking wow, this is a totally different style. Their names are always associated with Scottish crime so it’s really amazing to think I’m in the same grouping as them.

Cumnock Chronicle:

“My next book is coming out in December so I’m working on edits for that. The title is ‘Find Her First’ and I’m revealing the cover quite soon.

“It’s another psychological thriller set in and around Portobello in Edinburgh.

“I don’t think anyone else writes about Ayrshire in crime so I would quite like to bring Cumnock into one of my stories.”

Bob McDevitt, Director of Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival said: "The McIlvanney Prize longlist once again reaffirms that our crime readers love great books by well-loved authors they are familiar with but are always on the lookout for new voices and new ways to tell a crime story.

"It's a testament to the breadth and depth of Scottish crime writing."

The award ceremony is on Friday, September 17. Good luck, Emma!