A north-east author will battle with Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh for a prestigious literary award.
Mike Shepherd has been nominated for the Saltire Scottish History Book of the Year for his historical account of the politics of the North Sea.
The winner of the gong will then be in the pool for the overall Scottish Saltire Book of the Year and a £10,000.
Also in the running for the overall prize is Irvine Welsh, for his latest novel The Blade Artist, and Booker Prize nominee Graeme Macrae Burnet.
Last night Mr Shepherd, of Cruden Bay, said: “My book Oil Strike North Sea has been nominated for the Saltire Scottish History Book of the Year. This is one of the categories in the Saltire Society’s annual literary awards.”
The winners of each category as well as the overall prize will be announced at an awards ceremony in Edinburgh on Thursday, November 24.
Mr Shepherd added: “I’ve been inspired and encouraged by the response to the book and I’ve started writing a new book, also with a geological theme.”
The Saltire Society have described Mr Shepherd’s work as an original look at the issue. The organisers’ nomination said: “There have been many studies of the economics and even the politics of oil extraction in the North Sea.
“This however is different: a vivid, first hand account of how geologists and the drilling teams search for, identify and then (if they’re lucky) strike oil bearing rock.”
The description adds that Mr Shepherd’s combination of “personal testimony” and “geological expertise” shed new light on the topic.
Oil Strike North Sea is shortlisted for the history award, alongside an account of Shetland during World War I and a history of St Kilda.
Mr Shepherd’s work was also shortlisted for a literary prize organised by the Maritime Foundation, but the exploration of the politics and economics of the oil industry was not successful.
