Leela Soma was born in Madras, India, and now lives in Glasgow. Her poems and short stories have been published in several anthologies and publications. She has published three novels, short stories and two collections of poetry; and a chapbook, ‘Chintz’, published by Dreich Press. Her poems have been published in GutterThe Blue NibAnthropoceneBlack Bough Poems, The Glasgow Review of Books and many others. She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize 2020 and has been appointed Scriever 2021 for the Federation of Writers, Scotland. She has just been added to the Scottish Poetry Library’s Guide to Scottish Poets. 

Her latest novel, ‘Murder At The Mela’, has been cited as one of the ‘9 Best Contemporary Scottish Books You Need to Read’ by BookRiot and introduces DI Patel, Glasgow’s first Asian DI, who is on the hunt for answers after a woman’s body turns up in the grounds of Glasgow’s revered Kelvingrove Park after the annual Mela festival. You can order a copy of ‘Murder At The Mela’ here.

Follow Leela on Twitter @Glasgowlee and Instagram @leelasoma now!