Today is the publication day of Secrets of the Good Fairy House, my new Pardalote Press production with Lorena Carrington. It’s been a real passion project for us both, and we’re so delighted to see the book out there! We hope lots of readers will take it to their hearts.
The book is available from any good bookshop across Australia, and can also be ordered directly from our Pardalote Press website, here. And to whet your appetite, here’s a beautiful review of the book, by writer and reviewer Ashleigh Meikle, of the popular Book Muse blog.
Sumptuous…Romantic..Escapist: The Paris Cooking School is now available for pre-order via the Ultimo Press website. Exciting! The book will be released in November. On the pre-order page there’s also a new author photo of me, one of a portfolio of several fabulous new author portraits, in both colour and black and white, which the very talented Lorena Carrington has created for me.
Today my new middle-grade historical mystery novel, The Key to Rome, is officially published by Eagle Books and is available in all good bookshops around Australia. It’s a novel that’s had a long gestation, since the day quite a few years ago when I spotted an ancient Roman key ring (a key designed to be worn as a ring) in an antique shop near the British Museum, and on an impulse, went in and bought it. It immediately inspired a train of thought about a story set in the Ancient Roman province of Britannia, and in time that turned into the book that is published today. And it’s just wonderful to see it out there at last!
The gorgeous cover illustrations, map and chapter decorations are by Lorena Carrington, and elegant design by Authors’ Elves.
Absolutely thrilling–my publisher has just revealed the gorgeous cover of my forthcoming adult novel The Paris Cooking School, written under my pen-name of Sophie Beaumont, and to be published by Ultimo Press in November. Isn’t it beautiful–and how about that perfect strawberry tart!
(Really love the way the book is described too: sumptuous, romantic, escapist. And delectable!)
Here’s the blurb:
Life doesn’t always serve up the perfect dish, but second chances are always on the menu
There’s nothing quite so beautiful as Paris in the spring; and when you add in the chance to learn the French way of food, in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, who can resist? Not Gabi Picabea or Kate Evans who have come from Australia to Sylvie Morel’s Paris Cooking School.
Both are at a crossroads, and learning to cook the French way in Paris, far away from all their troubles, seems like the perfect escape.
Still bruised from a shocking betrayal by her ex-husband, Kate is trying to find a new place for herself in life, and emotional peace, while French-Australian artist Gabi is struggling with a crippling creative block.
Meanwhile, Sylvie herself is facing challenges of her own – a mysterious harassment campaign against the School and a reassessment of her relationship with her commitment-shy lover Claude.
For each of the women, that extraordinary April in Paris will bring unexpected twists and transformations that will change the course of their lives.
A delectable novel about love, hope and the consolations of the perfect strawberry tart, The Paris Cooking School is a treat for the soul.
The Paris Cooking School will publish in November 2023. Pre-order from your local bookshop, or online, or via the Ultimo website, here.
It’s always exciting when you get those first advance copies of a new book–it’s a magic moment when you get to hold the real-life book in your hands! This week, copies of my new book with the wonderful illustrator Lorena Carrington, Secrets of the Good Fairy House, arrived at my place and to say I was delighted with how it looks is an understatement 🙂 It is truly gorgeous, in fact!
Here’s the blurb:
Secrets of the Good Fairy House is a unique exploration of how a beloved childhood house can grant not only a treasury of rich memories, but also spark imaginative childhood adventures, and future creative inspiration. Created by award-winning author Sophie Masson and acclaimed illustrator Lorena Carrington, this beautiful book is an interwoven mix of memoir and fiction in both text and images, taking you on a fascinating journey into a very special magic.
The book is published by our very own ‘tiny press’, Pardalote Press, and distributed nationwide through Peribo, so you can buy or order it from any bookshop. It will be officially out in June.
(by the way, the framed photo in the pic below is of the ‘good fairy house’ of my childhood in France, which was the inspiration for my part of the book)
I’ve very pleased to be part of the lineup of presenters for the Historical Novel Society of Australasia’s excellent Winter Online Workshop Program, which starts on July 1. There’s a fabulous array of workshops on all kinds of aspects of historical fiction on offer, from a wonderful array of presenters. My own workshop is on what publishers are looking for, when it comes to historical fiction, whether for adults or kids: a practical, informative and also fun look at how you might maximise your chances as a writer, of attracting the publisher’s eye.
You can see the array of workshops, including mine, here.
There’s a fabulous little trailer for The Key to Rome, my forthcoming middle-grade historical mystery novel, now up on the Christmas Press You Tube channel. The book’s coming out in May and I’m really looking forward to its release. It’s been many years in the making, ever since I found a Roman key-ring in a London antique shop. I’ve written a bit about it here but will write a bit more about it later. But today, do enjoy the trailer!
I’m heading off to Sydney in a couple of days, and one of the highlights will be the official in person launch of Satin, next Tuesday, March 14, at 4pm at the gorgeous Better Read than Dead bookshop in Newton. Lorena and I will both be there, to read from and talk about the book, sign books, and meet readers! Everyone is very welcome, we’d love to see you there! It’s a free event but the bookshop would appreciate it if people can register if possible(though of course you can also just turn up, if you run out of time) Here’s the registration link.
We’ll also be celebrating Satin through school visits, organised by the wonderful people at The Children’s Bookshop. And calling into city bookshops to say hi. It’s going to be a great week!
And those reviews just keep coming–we had another couple of lovely ones very recently, here and here. Seems readers are really taking Satin to their hearts, which warms our hearts, too…
I’m absolutely delighted to announce the forthcoming arrival of the new Pardalote Press production, my latest collaboration with the wonderful Lorena Carrington!
It’s a beautiful little book titled Secrets of the Good Fairy House, which will be out at the beginning of June and distributed nationally through our distributor Peribo. Below you can see the book’s gorgeous front and back covers which Lorena created, as well as the lovely page Peribo have for the book in their June catalogue.
Secrets of the Good Fairy House is a unique exploration in words and images of the magic a beloved childhood home can confer on people, through its sheer atmosphere and the objects in it too. Both in words and images, it’s a mix of memoir–about my childhood home in rural France and Lorena’s in regional Victoria–and fiction, to create what we hope will be an enticing, imaginative blend. Each page features a space or an object or an aspect of the good fairy house, and, as well, there are interactive elements at the end: an encouragement to create memory maps(with ours as samples), ideas on how to use the ideas and concepts in the book to create your own exploration of your own ‘good fairy house’, and a maze game, for a bit of fun 🙂 We absolutely loved creating this unique little book, and we hope many readers will take it to their hearts too. It’s for a general audience, for adults as well as younger readers, and makes a great gift too.
Secrets of the Good Fairy House is a beautiful small square book of 48 pages, in full colour, retailing at $25. The ISBN is 9780645563429. It will be available in all good bookshops across Australia, and can also be pre-ordered, via your local bookshop, or directly via our website.
There’s some great Teachers’ Notes for Satin now which include something from Lorena and something from me about the creative process behind the book, and also a range of fabulous activities of all kinds around the book. Free to download (below) and use by families, schools and libraries. All rights reserved.
Feathers of the Firebird 