Demelza Carlton

Biography

Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish.

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.

Sensationalist spin? No - Demelza tends to take a camera with her so she can capture and share the moment later; shipwrecks, sharks and all.

Demelza now lives in Perth, Western Australia, the shark attack capital of the world.

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.

Smashwords Interview

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in Western Australia, where everything's trying to kill you. The little spiders want to bite and kill you. The big spiders scare the hell out of you, but they're okay, because they eat the little spiders. My cat used to bring home live, venomous snakes and leave them on the doorstep. Sometimes the beaches are closed because there are 5 m long sharks swimming close to shore. The local birds are so big, they use my cat for target practice with their pine-cone grenades. You don't drive at night outside the city unless you're willing to have your car taken out by a kamikaze kangaroo - and I've seen a big buck 'roo write off a four wheel drive.

My writing has a distinct Aussie flavour, which includes the local wildlife. I mean, even my romance has whales, possums and snakes in it.
When did you first start writing?
I think I started trying to write books when I was twelve, with the faint beginnings of what is now my Nightmares trilogy. I submitted the first manuscript to a publisher when I was twelve, too - which, thankfully, was rejected, because it was terrible.

I didn't seriously start writing again until I was thirty, when I was inspired to write the story that became Ocean's Gift. It spawned a whole series...and even I don't know how many books are in it.
Read more of this interview.

Where to find Demelza Carlton online

Series

Romance Island Resort
One hot Aussie rock star looking for love in paradise. Why did he have to pick HER hotel?Welcome to the Romance Island Resort, where the romance is as hot as the weather and the tides aren't all that's surging beneath the surface.

Books

Once Upon A Time: A Collection of Folktales, Fairytales and Legends
Price: Free! Words: 85,890. Language: English. Published: April 2, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » Fairy tales, Fiction » Romance » Historical » General
(4.00 from 1 review)
A collection of folktales, fairytales and legends from all over the world, from Ancient Rome to the present day. Be warned: these are the original tales, before they were censored to be suitable for children.
Enchant: Beauty and the Beast Retold
Price: Free! Words: 41,920. Language: English. Published: April 2, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » Fairy tales, Fiction » Romance » Historical » General
A beastly prince. An enchanting beauty. Only love can break the spell. You think you know the tale of Beauty and the Beast? You're wrong. Once upon a time...
Maid for the Rock Star
Series: Romance Island Resort, Book 1. Price: Free! Words: 71,390. Language: English. Published: August 3, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » New adult, Fiction » Romance » Contemporary
(4.33 from 3 reviews)
A maid at the exclusive Romance Island Resort, Audra knows how to handle rock stars, billionaires and celebrities. She keeps their secrets, cleans up their mess and makes sure their holiday is a memorable one. There's just one rule: no relationships with guests. And Audra never breaks the rules. Then she meets rock god Jay Felix...and all bets are off.

Demelza Carlton's favorite authors on Smashwords

Smashwords book reviews by Demelza Carlton

  • Tales From the Easter Quadrant on Jan. 26, 2013

    A story about an ordinary bloke making the best of what life gives him, finding his own place in the universe. Spaceships, experimental weapons, a host of ladies with no end of unusual qualities…yeah, Ecks doesn’t really have it so bad, unless you count his prison time and the comrades he loses along the way. He’s no pure hero, as he’s more in the mould of Han Solo than Luke Skywalker, but it’s the realism of his character that makes him so easy to relate to. Even as he’s lighting a cigarette and picking his preference from Xax Girls TV, dodgy though it might be. It’s like Stargate with strippers, Star Wars with steampunk and yet…it’s in a class all its own. If only Ecks didn’t smoke so much.
  • A Gift in the Dark on May 17, 2013

    Pratchett, Poe and the Apocalypse From Death to the apocalypse to mining in Cornwall – Gavin Wilson can certainly spin a yarn. In the satirical style of Pratchett, with some of the horror elements I liked in Poe, he managed to keep me from reading anything else until I’d finished his book. I picked this up on the train and didn’t want to put my Kindle away when I reached work. I can’t even say which story I liked best, as it’s a close competition between Godmother and Blood Red Moon. I think the worst bit of the whole book was my audible disappointment as I reached the end – the apocalypse, indeed! Given the price, it was worth every cent, but I admit I’d have liked to be reading for longer. Any chance of a second Gift, Mr Wilson?
  • Dangerous Tension on Aug. 25, 2013

    Not a straightforward romance... Of course, I didn't expect a straightforward shipboard romance - and not just because the couple in question aren't straight, either. L V Lloyd isn't one to write a standard plot without twisting it at least a little. Funny in places, sweet in others...lovely light reading for sure. I would say it's more romance than science fiction, as it's easy to get lost in the story and forget it takes place on a space ship. I admit I was disappointed it was so short - I was 80% through it before I realised it was almost over.Luckily, I already have the sequel - and I hope it's as good as this, the first book in her Aurigan Space series. I'd love to see what the Star Trek writers would do if they saw this one...especially with Lloyd's example of just how impractical one-piece uniforms can be.
  • Regency Masquerade on Sep. 15, 2013

    I had difficulty putting this one down - and I don't read romance, as a rule. So to find Peter Francis - a character I already liked from the beginning - wasn't a man at all, I thought of my favourite Shakespeare play, Twelfth Night. Yet the style was more like something out of one of Jane Austen's books, as the title tells you exactly when it's set - Regency England. While maintaining a careful balance between description, romance and action, Vera Loy kept me riveted from start to finish. Poor, confused Richard Carleton...ah, but I won't spoil it for you, as this story does have surprises in it that I certainly didn't expect. I think the bit that disappointed me most was discovering that Peter Francis wasn't a man, for he was the character I loved most throughout the book. For that I blame Ms Loy - she wrote the character far too well. It didn't detract from the story in the slightest, though, as the gender contrasts are clearer in this book than in any of Austen's and make for some very funny plot twists. Well worth reading, I'm pleased I purchased this book, so I can read it again.
  • Kyrathaba Rising on May 27, 2014

    A cool concept, mashing science fiction and fantasy along the lines of Tad Williams in his Otherland series. Of course, Mr Miller takes us one step further - into a Matrix-like necessity where the humans who don't tap into the virtual reality face the prospect of uncertain death in a post-apocalyptic world. Adding an element of sleeper agents, or non-humans infiltrating the human population, like in Battlestar Galactica, just ups the suspense factor in what is a fascinating science fiction thriller. There's a huge amount of technical detail in this book, so if you're passionate about knowing precisely the model number of the weapon used...this is definitely for you.