Sophie Masson – författare

A girl in a tower. An underground kingdom. A crystal heart split in two, symbolising true love lost . . . When Kasper joins the elite guard watching over a dangerous prisoner in a tower, he believes he is protecting his country from a powerful witch. Until one day he discovers the prisoner is a beautiful princess – Izolda of Night– who is condemned by a prophecy to die on her eighteenth birthday. Kasper decides to help her escape. But their hiding place won’t remain secret forever. Will they find their happily ever after?''A deftly woven tale of warring kingdoms and the redeeming power of love. Another winner from Sophie Masson.'' - Juliet Marillier, author of the Shadowfell series

Snow White, as you’ve never heard it before. Bianca and her glamorous model stepmother are preparing for Bianca’s Presentation Ball. Bianca is so looking forward to it. She only wishes her father could be here with her, instead of away on business. When she hears after the ball that her father is ill, she doesn’t notice that newspaper The Mirror has summed up the ball guests with this fatal sentence: ‘Lepmest has a new Fairest Lady, and her name is – Bianca.’ But though Bianca doesn’t notice, her stepmother certainly does. And very soon Bianca will learn the true nature of the woman whom she trusted and who she thought loved her and her father. Plunged into a terrifying world that will turn her from a daughter of privilege to a hunted creature in fear of her life, Bianca must find allies if she is to survive . . . Dark secrets. Darker magic. Sophie Masson''s reimagined Snow White will leave you breathless.

Omar didn’t choose to be the tyrant’s heir - but if he has courage, he can choose his fate...Omar didn''t ask to be the nephew of the ruthless dictator of Mesomia - and he certainly doesn''t want to inherit a country whose people are in fear for their lives. He hasn''t a choice, though - until the day he is saved from a deadly ambush by Latifa, a beggar girl. When his uncle places Latifa under a Spell of Darkness, Omar can''t stand by and watch his rescuer die. Neither can Ketta, Latifa''s white cat and a jinn in disguise. Together, the two embark on an extraordinary adventure to find the spell''s antidote - through the eerie, hostile marshlands, then flying on an enchanted carpet to the perilous mountain stronghold of a rebel werewolf clan. But they must face their greatest danger when they return to the palace. Balancing on a knife-edge - at the mercy of the tyrant''s terrifying mood swings and cruel punishments, the evil Secretary''s machinations, and the rebels'' own plans for the fate of the country - Omar will learn the true meaning of courage before his journey is over.

A mischievous ghost, Bollywood glamour and a Maharajah''s palace. Life will never be the same for the Penny twins . . .Anusha and Maya are the 12-year-old twin daughters of the widowed Mrs Penny, who runs the family business - a ghost-hunting detective agency. Since their father''s death, the agency has fallen on hard times. The brand new Two-Stars Agency, owned by glamorous Bollywood stars Sweetie Suseela and Sonny Khan, is taking over all the city''s ghost-hunting business with their modern, scientific methods and fawning media.But to the twins, and their mother''s, amazement, a new client knocks on their door after hearing about them. It is the Maharajah, or High King, of Jadudesh! He has a ghost haunting his palace, and he doesn''t want the publicity that the Two-Stars Agency would be sure to create. The Penny family set out to stay at the palace and investigate. Why is this troublesome ghost haunting the Maharajah''s palace, and who is controlling the ghost? Their task is made harder when jealous Sweetie Suseela has Mrs Penny arrested under false pretences. It''s up to the twins to solve the case!

Revenge, magic, love and hatred - and a curse so powerful it has lasted for centuries.In the desert kingdom of Ameerat, the al-Farouk family lives in luxury in a beautiful palace. But their great wealth comes at a terrible price - the curse of Zohreh, laid on the family 100 years earlier by another merchant who was cheated of her riches, and manifesting itself in a horrible death by fire that strikes certain members of the family. Khaled al-Farouk, the eldest son of the family, is desperate to make amends for the wrong done by his ancestor, but Zohreh''s descendants are nowhere to be found. Or so they think. For far away in Parsari, Soheila, one of the younger members of Zohreh''s clan, has vowed to revenge her ancestor. She leaves her home early one morning, dressed as a boy, and makes the long journey across land and sea to Ameerat, where she manages to inflitrate the al-Farouk household to await her moment of retribution. And so begins an amazing, exciting, moving, scary, and humorous adventure that will take Khaled and Soheila right into the heart of the Arabian Nights, into the strange world of the jinns as well as dangerous human intrigues, to great danger, suspense, and a stunning climax.

Tales of the young Merlin, Arthur, Lancelot and more from Australia’s best fantasy writersThe heroes and heroines of Arthurian legend have never ceased to fascinate us. But what were they like before they knew their destiny? How did they cope with the idea that, one day, they''d be on the road to Camelot, and immortal fame? Fourteen of Australia''s best writers of fantasy have imagined what it''s like to be a child of destiny with stories of the adventures and life-changing moments that help to make each of these characters the legends they become. Join Merlin, Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Morgana, Gawain, Gareth, Galahad, Iseult, Elaine, Perceval, Mordred, Nimue - and even Arthur''s jesting dwarf - as they set out on the road to Camelot. Stories from: Allan Baillie, Isobelle Carmody, Ursula Dubosarsky, Kate Forsyth, Maggie Hamilton, Richard Harland, Dave Luckett, Juliet Marillier, Sophie Masson, Garth Nix, Sally Odgers, Felicity Pulman, Lucy Sussex, Janeen Webb

A race against time to the very heart of an explosive secret... the truth about Snow, Fire and Sword.Dewi has never ventured beyond her village in the highlands of Jayangan, where she lives a comfortable life with her father, the respected village healer. But one day while working in the rice fields, she stumbles across Adi, an apprentice sword-maker, alone and hiding from the bloodthirsty bandits who kidnapped his beloved master. When Dewi''s father also goes missing, she seeks the advice of the powerful tiger-people who watch over her village, but even they can see only so far through the cloud of sorcery that hangs over the kingdom. They leave her with a cryptic message: she and Adi must discover the true meaning of Snow, Fire and Sword before they can find her father and the other missing elders and reveal the truth about the danger that threatens Jayangan.Set against the backdrop of a mythical Indonesia, in a world where magic and sorcery are an everyday reality, Snow, Fire, Sword is a gripping quest that will leave fantasy fans breathless.

The story of Cinderella as you''ve never heard it before ...A girl whose fortunes have plummeted from wealthy aristocrat to servant-girl. A magic hazel twig. A prince. A desperate escape from danger. This is not the story of a girl whose fairy godmother arranges her future for her. This is the story of Selena, who will take charge of her own destiny, and learn that her magic is not to be feared but celebrated. Pure fairytale - with all the romance, magic and adventure that goes along with it.

A child of destiny becomes an Arthurian legend. The heroes and heroines of Arthurian legend have never ceased to fascinate us. But what were they like before they knew their destiny? Award-winning author Sophie Masson imagines what Lancelot''s childhood under the Lake might have been like - and the life-changing moment that set him on the path to immortal fame and legend.

A deserted mansion. Empty picture frames. A perfect red rose in a snowy garden. There is rich and powerful magic here, and a mystery to unravel . . .When Natasha is forced to take shelter from a sudden, terrible blizzard, she is lucky to see a mansion looming out of the snow. Inside it’s beautiful: the fire lit, the table set. But there is no one there. And on the walls, instead of paintings, are empty frames. In the garden, she finds one perfect red rose about to bloom, a vivid splash of scarlet against the snow. Dreamily she reaches out a hand . . . Only to have the master of the house appear – a terrifying, gigantic creature who looks like a cross between a bear and a man – and demand vengeance on her for taking his rose. So begins an extraordinary adventure that will see Natasha plunged deep into the heart of a mystery. She begins to realise she has stumbled onto a great tragedy – a spell of revenge laid on the young man the Beast once was, devised by a powerful sorcerer.But even if she can break the spell, the Beast she has now come to love will be snatched from her. Natasha will have a long journey, and many ordeals, ahead of her before there can be a happy ending.Inspired by two beautiful Russian fairytales – The Scarlet Flower (the Russian version of Beauty and the Beast) and Fenist the Falcon, Scarlet in the Snow is a beguiling mix of magic, romance, adventure and mystery.

It was meant to be the experience of a lifetime, for Australian twin sisters Helen and Alex Dorian, to walk the famous Camino from Saint Jean Pied de Port in the French Basque country, to Santiago del Compostella in Spain. But Helen injures her leg on the very day they arrive in Saint Jean and has to stay behind in the town while Alex goes on alone.A disappointed Helen tries to make the best of things and keep up with Alex via phone calls and blog posts, but it's not easy. But an unexpected meeting with Tony Garcia, an old schoolmate who is in Saint Jean to explore his Basque ancestral roots, begins to change things for Helen, as she and Tony investigate the mysteries surrounding his family's past.And then Alex goes missing... A lively, thoughtful short novel by award-winning writer Sophie Masson, A Hundred Words for Butterfly explores family relationships and the past's effect on the present, with a light touch and a vivid sense of place.