Dalal Arya is a Turkish writer, translator, and editor from Italian to English. Born in Istanbul, her father was a captain and spent her childhood on ships. Her sea adventures with the monkey and parrot who joined her in Nigeria, and the atmosphere of distant lands, have had a lasting impact on her writing. She began writing during those years, on the top side of the bunk bed she shared with her older sister in their small cottage. If the sea holds half of her soul, Istanbul holds the other half. She grew up in Istanbul, where she attended Italian schools. She spent her time exploring the hidden passages under her school buildings and the historic part of the city where she lived, trying to unravel the meanings of strange inscriptions on the walls and listening to spooky stories about the city told by sailors. Her interest in secrets and ancient civilizations inspired her to study archaeology. She writes her books in exotic locations, such as a container ship bound for Africa or a cabin in a snowy forest teeming with wildlife. She currently lives in Minnesota, USA with her husband and twin children.