Clio Gray was born in Yorkshire, and, after a childhood spent first in Saltburn-by-the-Sea and then Devon, she went to London to study philosophy, then Leeds, where she completed a degree in the History of Art. Finally she took a Post Grad Dip Lib, and went into the public library service, where she remains now, after upping sticks to settle in the Highlands of Scotland. 

A life-long lover of books, she kept on in her established career in libraries, and now works in Tain Library in Easter Ross. Inspired by the Highlands and its unique Nordic connections, she finally settled down to write, beginning with the short story circuit, before moving on to novels. Since then she has won a number of prestigious awards and competitions, including the Harry Bowling First Novel Award in 2004 and The Scotsman Orange Short Story Competition in 2006, nominated for the Man Booker in 2015 and longlisted for the Bailey's Fiction Prize 2016. (See Awards). 

Clio is the founder of HISSAC, the Highlands and Islands Short Story Association, (www.hissac.co.uk) and is Chair of the Judges of HISSAC’s Annual Open Short Story and Flash Fiction Competitions..., which closes on the 31st of July of each year. The main aim of HISSAC is to encourage new writers from all over the world, and the standard of the winning entries has been remarkable. To read those stories, or to get details of the competition, and the mentorship schemes HISSAC offers, go to www.hissac.co.uk

There is now an anthology of winning stories available as ebook and paperback edited by Clio and a marvellous celebration of the short story form.

She also sat on the founding committee of Bloody Scotland, the first International Crime Writing Festival of Scotland, which now rivals the hugely successful Crime Fests held in Harrogate and Bristol each year. The inaugural Bloody Scotland Festival took place in Stirling, September 2012 and is going strong. For more information, go to www.bloodyscotland.com