A video editor by trade, Nick Carlson also harbors a strong passion for horror writing. Alongside a self-published novel and anthology contributions, he regularly pens short stories for the horror entertainment site Chilling Tales For Dark Nights. Nick's love of the genre coincides with his fascination with the natural world and its more unsavory denizens. He’ll willingly free-handle spiders and snakes (and give you a biology lesson to boot), and whenever he finds himself on the beach he’ll reel in stingrays and man-sized sharks from the sea...but it’s the safe and speedy release that he cherishes the most. On top of all that, Nick is an avid hiker, classical composer, and organist. ​In Hell's Gulf, Nick’s writing immediately engages the reader with its delicate balance of simplicity and depth. You’ll sympathise, empathise, laugh with and be disgusted by the characters he’s created, all the while enjoying this gruesome whale-of-a-time story about a writer who’s coming of age at a time of our lives often downplayed in such a tale. This isn’t about prepubescent, hormonal disarray; instead, it’s an exploration of accountability and responsibility, self-reflection and the adjusting of one’s trajectory that so many young(ish) people fail to do at such a major transition point. It’s also about family, loss, recovery, and learning what’s valuable in this world of growing apathy and exploitation. And yes, it's also about slimy, toothy creatures and blood and guts (of course!).