| HUGHFOULIS | Pen name of Scots author Neil Munro (4,6) |
| VITALSPARK | The ?, 1906 story collection by Neil Munro featuring the mariner Para Handy |
| IRVINE | Scots author of the 1993 novel Trainspotting, _ Welsh (6) |
| HANDY | Skipper of the Vital Spark in stories by Neil Munro (4,5) |
| PARA | Skipper of the Vital Spark in stories by Neil Munro (4,5) |
| PARAHANDY | Skipper of steamboat the Vital Spark in stories by Neil Munro |
| VALMCDERMID | Scots author who wrote a series of mysteries around the fictional character Lindsay Gordon (3,8) |
| NAOMI | Scots author, also a tribal mother in Botswana (5,9) |
| MITCHISON | Scots author, also a tribal mother in Botswana (5,9) |
| WELSH | Irvine _, Scots author who wrote the 1993 novel Trainspotting (5) |
| ACHE | Rachel's pain when Scots author leaves (4) |
| TYSON | "The Pluto Files" author Neil deGrasse __ |
| OMENS | Good _, adapted for Amazon Prime by author Neil Gaiman (5) |
| GAIMAN | "The Sandman" author Neil |
| ONLINEGAIMAN | Author Neil, when he uses Facebook or Twitter? |
| VITAL | 'The -- Spark', 1906 book by Neil Munro (5) |
| JOHNSPLENDID | 1898 novel by Neil Munro (4,8) |
| DICKENS | Returning hero knows Scots writer (7) |
| BURNS | Robert ---, 18th-Century Scots writer whose works include Auld Lang Syne (5) |
| GAIMANSANDY | Like horror/sci-fi writer Neil after going to the beach? |
