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.
On the popular Buzz Words site, there’s a great new review, by Debra Williams, of The Key to Rome. Here’s a very short extract:
This is a first-class middle-grade historical adventure…..Multi-award-winning author Sophie Masson has carefully crafted a believable and suspenseful adventure. Her details of the period have been thoroughly researched to create an intriguing historical mystery.
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.
The Key to Rome, my historical mystery novel for middle-grade readers set in Roman Britain, has just got its first review, one week ahead of official release, and it’s an excellent one! It’s reviewed by Heather Zubek in the West Australian. Here’s what she said:
A dying man’s promise, a mysterious key, and a dangerous journey in ancient times; The Key to Rome is a story that will keep you reading until way past your bedtime. Set in the Roman Province of Britannia in AD84, the story sees 12-year-old Livia keeping a promise to her dying father to deliver a key to her estranged uncle. Along her perilous journey, Livia meets Mato, a boy who needs to see his dying mother before it’s too late. Together the two travellers make their way through ancient lands where they learn that the key may hold a dreadful secret. Multi award-winning author Sophie Masson has created a thrilling historical adventure that not only excites but teaches us about the troubled times in which the story is set. For ages 9+.
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!
Last week was a real Satin week for Lorena and I, with the fabulous official launch in Sydney and bookshop and school visits. Didn’t have time to put up pics then (was having too much fun!), but here are a few now. Satin really had a most wonderful introduction to the world–may he fly ever higher!
Feathers of the Firebird 