Carmel is a prize-winning author, academic and presenter on ‘all things medieval’. She has a PhD in Medieval Literature and a 1st Class Honours degree in Early English, and her specialist area is Medieval Mystics.
Her publications include the influential academic book Mysticism and Space (Washington: CUA, 2008), the prize-winning novel Grasping at Water (Odyssey Books, 2018), and the creative non-fiction The Mystics Who Came to Dinner (New York: Orbis, 2022) which was awarded 2nd Place in its category at the 2023 Catholic Media of America Awards.
Carmel has written articles, book chapters and encyclopedia entries on subjects including Julian of Norwich, Hildegard of Bingen, Geoffrey Chaucer, Oscar Wilde, and Australian poet Bruce Dawe. She is a regular speaker at libraries, museums and interest groups throughout Australia, has been enrichment lecturer on the Princess Cruise line, and has regular chat spots on ABC radio nationally.