Agnes Owens was always a writer, although for the majority of her life she was preoccupied with making a living and domesticity. She married twice, brought up seven children and variously worked as a typist, cleaner and factory worker. It wasn't until she attended an evening creative writing course that she wrote her first novel Gentlemen of the West, published in 1984 by Polygon to widespread critical acclaim; she would go on to write a further five novellas, including A Working Mother and For the Love of Willie, and three short-story collections. She died in 2014.

Kirsty Logan is an author of novels, short stories, chapbooks and collaborative projects with musicians and illustrators. Her most recent books are the story collection No & Other Love Stories and the memoir The Unfamiliar. She lives in Glasgow, where she is working on film and TV projects.