Laura Hird is a Scottish

Scottish people

The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...

 novelist and short story writer.

Hird studied Contemporary Writing at Middlesex Polytechnic and is the author of two novels, Nail and Other Stories (1997) and Born Free (1999). Hope and Other Urban Tales, a novella and short story collection, followed in 2006. All her novels and collections are published by Canongate Books

Canongate Books

Canongate Books is a Scottish independent publishing firm based in Edinburgh; it is named for The Canongate, an area of the city. It is most recognised for publishing the Booker Prizewinner Life of Pi...

. Hird's first novel was published as part of the Rebel Inc.

Rebel Inc.

Rebel Inc. was an iconic Scots counter-culture publishing company and literary journal, founded by Kevin Williamson in 1992 with the upfront but accurate slogan of "F*** the Mainstream!"...

 imprint at Canongate, where she also contributed to two anthologies alongside Alan Warner

Alan Warner

Alan Warner , a Scottish novelist, grew up in Connel, near Oban.He is the author of six novels: the acclaimed Morvern Callar , winner of a Somerset Maugham Award; These Demented Lands , winner of the Encore Award; The Sopranos , winner of the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award; The Man...

 and Irvine Welsh

Irvine Welsh

Irvine Welsh is a contemporary Scottish novelist, best known for his novel Trainspotting. His work is characterised by raw Scottish dialect, and brutal depiction of the realities of Edinburgh life...

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Hird publishes younger writers via her showcase on her laurahird.com site.

External links

• Official site (British Council)
• Laura Hird’s Literary Top 10 on Pulp Net
• 3:AM Interview
• Danforth Review Interview