Lovely to see, on my return from France the other day, the ARCs (Advance Reading copies) of A Secret Garden in Paris–exciting to hold it in book form, even if it’s not yet final!
The ARCs of A Secret Garden in Paris are out!
adult fiction
Cover reveal for A Secret Garden in Paris!
I am thrilled to reveal the gorgeous cover of A Secret Garden in Paris, my second novel under the name of Sophie Beaumont, which will be out in October with Ultimo Press. Isn’t it just absolutely beautiful!
Here’s the blurb:
Springtime in Paris … the perfect time to turn over a new leaf
In the heart of a city blooming with flowers, three women face life-changing challenges. Driven by grief over the sudden death of her mother Corinne, Sydneysider Emma Taylor has taken refuge with her Parisian grandmother, Mattie, in her house with its secret garden. Determined to unlock the mysteries of Corinne’s past, Emma’s only clue is an enigmatic photograph.
Celebrated garden designer Charlotte Marigny believed she had a happy marriage, until her husband Tom inexplicably started to withdraw from her. Needing time to think about the future, she has fled their home in London for her native Paris.
Meanwhile, widowed Parisian florist Arielle Lunel had finally managed to get her life together, after her husband’s death and the discovery of his crippling debts three years earlier changed everything for her and their young twins. Now, her world is again turned upside down when her controlling parents-in-law arrive with a disturbing proposal…
Drawn together by loss and the romantic gardens of Paris, the paths of the three women begin to intersect as they develop an unexpected friendship that will transform their lives.
From the author of The Paris Cooking School comes a captivating story of loss and love, romance and revelations – and the pleasures of a secret Paris garden.
You can pre-order the book here.
The Paris Cooking School is out in Portugal!
I’ve just heard that the Portuguese edition of The Paris Cooking School has just been published, in Portugal of course, and is now in bookshops there. Very exciting!
Announcing A Secret Garden in Paris!
I have had to keep this exciting news quiet for quite a while, so now I’m absolutely delighted to be officially able to share it with you!
Ultimo Press will be publishing A Secret Garden in Paris, my second novel under my pen-name of Sophie Beauumont, in November!
Here’s the official announcement from Ultimo Press:
Quelle surprise! 
It’s time to pack your bags for a new Parisian adventure!
We are thrilled to be publishing A Secret Garden in Paris by Sophie Beaumont 
It’s a captivating story of unexpected revelations, romantic discovery, hope—and the pleasures of a hidden green world in the heart of Paris. Ooh la la! 
Sophie says, ‘Something that’s always struck me about Paris whenever I’ve been there: its many gardens, offering vistas to admire, havens to take refuge in, places to play in, moments to draw breath in. But not all of them are well-known or obvious, and you might come across a green oasis in a little backstreet square or down some narrow stone steps or hidden behind an unassuming door. And Paris loves flowers, decks itself in them, revels in them…So you see, how could I resist?’
A Secret Garden in Paris will publish in November 2024.The deal was brokered by Margaret Connolly.
Writing about my characters against the joyful background of the gardens of Paris has been an absolute delight, and I hope everyone who loved The Paris Cooking School–and everyone still to discover it–will take this book to their hearts too!
In conversation event about The Paris Cooking School
I’m so looking forward to talking about The Paris Cooking School at the lovely Makers’ Shed in Glen Innes on April 20–such a beautiful venue, and always such a warm welcome!
The event will my talk plus Q and A, morning tea with coffee and cake, and of course the opportunity to buy a signed copy of the book. Here’s a link to book tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/author-sophie-masson-in-conversation-april-20
My piece in The Australian today!
Absolutely delighted to see in The Australian newspaper today that my contribution, as Sophie Beaumont, to their annual Summer Cookbook feature, has been published! The theme this year was ‘My Last Meal’ 😁 and I have contributed a description of a menu plus a recipe for the centrepiece dish, a delectable Paris-style roast chicken.
Thrilled with the positioning too–the piece is flagged on the front page, just under their masthead, and has a full page inside–very exciting!
Bilingual interview on Matilda Marseillaise
I was interviewed recently for the fabulous bilingual blog, Matilda Marseillaise, and the interview has now been published, in both French and English (I spoke to Matilda in French and she translated back into English). Centering on The Paris Cooking School and its influences, it also focuses on my background and experiences, the creative process, and Paris itself. Here’s a short extract:
The book has three narratives, you might say, because the book tells the stories of the three main characters. Did you write them in the order we read them? Did you write separating the chapters of each character’s story?
No, I wrote it chronologically. So I knew I wanted to write one chapter from Gaby’s point of view and then one chapter from Sylvie’s point of view, and one chapter from Kate’s point of view.
And then, at the beginning, so in the first chapter, you’re introduced to the 3 characters, they’re in the same chapter, but then they each have a chapter until the end when they all come back together. I always write chronologically. I know there are writers who write a chapter here, a chapter there and then they put it all together. But I can’t.
I can’t because my experience is almost like watching a film and it has to unfold chronologically. I can’t simply make a flash here, a flash there and then put them together to make an image. I have to follow the story and so I say, OK, today I’m going to write the chapter from Gaby’s or Kate’s point of view and that’s it, that’s where it’s going to happen.
Often what I do is, I’ll go for a little 5-minute walk or something. It’s just to start the first paragraph of the chapter I’m going to write that day and then there it is, so Gaby does this, or Kate does that. I even talk to myself about everything. It’s a good thing there aren’t too many people passing by, otherwise they’d think I’d lost my mind!
You can read the whole interview here.
Great new interview re The Paris Cooking School
There’s a really nice interview with me on writer and reviewer Cindy L Spear’s blog, about The Paris Cooking School, writing, food, and other matters! I really enjoyed doing it, her questions were really interesting. Here’s a short extract:
What inspired you to write The Paris Cooking School?
Paris itself! I love the city and have been there multiple times, several members of my family live there, plus I had the great good luck to be awarded a writer’s residency there for 6 months some years ago, so I really got to know it well. Also, of course, another inspiration is the food I grew up with as I’m from a French background (though we are from south-west France, not Paris). I loved putting my characters in the midst of this amazing city, discovering more about French food culture, and history, walking all over Paris—and falling in love.
You can read the whole interview here.
The Paris Cooking School in Australian airports
Seems that The Paris Cooking School has been making a prominent appearance in airports around the country, and friends have been sending me pictures of it to illustrate that! Here’s a selection, just for fun 🙂
Audio edition of The Paris Cooking School now out!
I’m delighted to say that the audio edition of The Paris Cooking School is now out, and available on all audio book platforms. It’s very engagingly narrated by Anthea Greco and produced by Wavesound. At the moment it’s available as a digital download, but a CD version will also be available later.
I love audio books and it’s so exciting to hear my novel in this very appealing form!
Feathers of the Firebird 