<p>Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish.<br/><br/>She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray-drenched cliffs over a seething sea as a seven-metre cyclonic swell surged in, shattering a shipwreck below.<br/><br/>Sensationalist spin? No - Demelza tends to take a camera with her so she can capture and share the moment later; shipwrecks, sharks and all.<br/><br/>Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world.<br/><br/>The Ocean's Gift series was her first foray into fiction, followed by the Nightmares trilogy. She swears the Mel Goes to Hell series ambushed her on a crowded train and wouldn't leave her alone.</p>
