About Me

My name is Tom Christie, and I am a Scottish writer and author based in the United Kingdom. My main research interests to date have centred mostly on the subjects of modern literature, interactive fiction, digital humanities and popular cinema. As you'll see elsewhere on the site, however, I have also been active in other areas of research from time to time.

My literary representative is Professor Robert Lecker of the Robert Lecker Agency in Montreal, Canada.

My work has featured at international venues including at the Centre Pompidou in Paris as part of a major exhibition focusing on the filmography of award-winning director Richard Linklater in December 2019, and in conjunction with the Banco do Brasil Cultural Centre in Rio de Janeiro relating to an extensive exhibition on the life and films of cinematic polymath Mel Brooks in February 2020. My books and I have featured in publications including The Smithsonian Magazine, Vice, Books from Scotland, Le Temps, The Digital Bits, Dwell, The Media Education Journal, History Scotland and Retro Gamer.

In my experience as a literary professional, I have worked in collaboration with several publishing companies on both sides of the Atlantic including Applause Theater Book Publishers, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Crescent Moon Publishing and Robert Greene Publishing. I am also one of the Directors of Extremis Publishing, an independent publishing house based in Scotland which specialises in arts, culture and media non-fiction. Extremis Publishing was named Independent Publishing Company of the Year at the Scotland Prestige Awards 2021/22, and again in 2022/23 and 2023/24.

I currently present two monthly podcasts: The Extremis Publishing Podcast, where I interview different authors and figures of interest in every episode, and Traditionally Speaking, in which I discuss the many different customs and traditions of Christmas with my friend and fellow author, Joe Moore of the North Pole Press.
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A passionate advocate of the written word and literary arts, I was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2018. Fellowship to this learned society is only awarded to those who can demonstrate that they have made significant contributions to social change, progress and development, and who support the RSA's mission to find practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA Fellowship is a community of leaders in the fields of art, literature, journalism, business and the voluntary sector who have made noteworthy contributions to society, culture or the arts.

I also hold memberships with a number of national literary organisations including The Society of Authors, The Society of Authors in Scotland, The Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society, The Federation of Writers Scotland, and the Royal Society of Literature. Over the years I have produced original writing for respected organisations such as the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum and the Dementia Services Development Centre, a leading independent higher education research unit based at the University of Stirling.

In 2002 I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature with first-class Honours from the Open University in Milton Keynes, England. The degree focused upon English literature as well as foreign literature in translation. This was followed soon after by a Master's degree in Humanities, specialising with distinction in British Cinema History, also awarded by the Open University. It was while researching and writing my Master's dissertation on the subject of British film and Cold War geopolitics that I decided to put pen to paper on my first book, which was picked up for publication by Crescent Moon Publishing shortly after I'd graduated in 2006. I completed work on a Doctorate in English Studies, on the subject of modern Scottish Literature, at the University of Stirling in 2012. In the course of my studies, I had the honour of meeting legendary novelists Alasdair Gray (1934-2019) and Iain M. Banks (1954-2013), and thus had the privilege of shaking the hands that wrote Lanark: A Life in Four Books and The Crow Road - two of the most influential works of Scottish literature to be produced in the twentieth century.

I am regularly involved in public speaking events and have delivered guest lectures and presentations about my work at many locations around the United Kingdom. Additionally, I have collaborated on editorial projects as well as contributing chapters and articles on a variety of subjects which have ranged from video games and vintage computing to music and popular television. More details of my output can be found in the site's bibliography section. I've spoken about my research in interviews and on radio - including BBC Radio Scotland, Newstalk and Times Radio - and often take part in public Q&A sessions and informational events about literature and publishing. I am also an Associate Lecturer with Forth Valley College in Stirling.

On the rare occasions that I'm not in front of a keyboard, I enjoy listening to all kinds of music, retro videogames, classic pinball, stand-up comedy, live theatre, and spending time with my friends and family.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to check back later for details of new projects as soon as they are available.

Caricature by Pedro Brock at www.pedroart.co.uk.