Scott Heim, born on September 26, 1966, is an American novelist hailing from Hutchinson, Kansas. He currently resides in Massachusetts. Heim's debut novel, Mysterious Skin, was published in 1995 and has been influential in his literary career.

Heim grew up in a small farming community in Kansas, later pursuing higher education at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, where he earned a B.A. in English and Art History in 1989, followed by an M.A. in English Literature in 1991. He further enhanced his literary skills by attending the M.F.A. program in Writing at Columbia University, where he penned his first novel.

His literary achievements have been recognized with fellowships from the London Arts Board as their International Writer-in-Residence, and from the Sundance Screenwriters Lab for his adaptation of Mysterious Skin. Additionally, he authored a book of poems titled Saved From Drowning in 1993.