Nikki Gemmell is the bestselling author of 13 novels and four works of non-fiction, including The Ripping Tree, Shiver, After and The Bride Stripped Bare. Her latest book is Dissolve. Her books have been translated into 22 languages. She was born in Wollongong, New South Wales, and lived in London for many years, but has now returned to Australia. The French literary magazine Lire included her in a list of the 50 most important writers in the world – those it believes will have a significant influence on the literature of the 21st century. Gemmell also pens a weekly column for The Weekend Australian Magazine.