AustLit logo

AustLit

person or book cover
Photo courtesy UQP.
Sophie Masson Sophie Masson i(A50370 works by) (a.k.a. Sophie Veronique Masson)
Also writes as: Isabelle Merlin ; Jenna Austen
Born: Established: 1959 Jakarta, Java,
c
Indonesia,
c
Southeast Asia, South and East Asia, Asia,
;
Gender: Female
Arrived in Australia: 1963
Heritage: French
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Works By

Preview all
1 The Silver Apples of the Moon Sophie Masson , 2021 short story
— Appears in: South of the Sun : Australian Fairy Tales for the 21st Century 2021; (p. 96-102)
1 y separately published work icon The Ghost Squad Sophie Masson , Adelaide : MidnightSun , 2021 20488421 2021 single work novel young adult thriller fantasy

'Imagine a world where all seems normal yet nothing is -a world very much like our own yet jarringly unlike. A world where two clandestine organisations, the Ghost Squad and the Base, are engaged in a secret battle for control of information so dangerous it could literally change life as humans have always known it…

'A bold, exciting novel with thrilling twists and turns, The Ghost Squad is a novel that will keep readers guessing – and keep them awake at night!' (Publication summary)

30 y separately published work icon Where Happiness Hides Anthony Bertini , Jennifer Goldsmith (illustrator), ( trans. Sophie Masson with title Là Où Se Cache le Bonheur ) Orange : Dirt Lane Press , 2020 21055127 2020 single work picture book children's

'Happiness can be found in little things.

'Where Happiness Hides is a story we often tell our children and ourselves. It is about children who find pleasure in small things: in a bowl of soup, in beetles, in discovery, in sunshine and shadow, in disappointment and in hope. Meditative and inspiring, this story invites readers to savour the moments and minutiae of everyday life.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 1 y separately published work icon French Fairy Tales Sophie Masson , Waikiki : Serenity Press , 2020 20964673 2020 selected work short story fable

'France is classic fairytale territory. Not just because it’s where many of the most well-known and beloved fairy tales were first written down in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, or because it’s where the term ‘conte de fées’ was invented. France, with its fascinating regional cultures, glorious castles, gorgeous countryside and tumultuous history, lives and breathes fairy tale in a uniquely powerful way.
'French Fairy Tales gathers five stories from different parts of France: some well-known, others newly translated into English. Full of adventure, magic, mystery and romance, with a light-hearted dash of humour and a sprinkling of surprise, these stories feature unforgettable characters: tragic shape-shifters, monstrous creatures, mischievous tricksters, witty youth – and many different kinds of fairies!
'Chosen, translated and superbly retold by award-winning French-Australian writer Sophie Masson and enchantingly visualised by acclaimed illustrator Lorena Carrington, these stories will transport readers into the potently magical heart of the French fairy tale tradition. (Publication summary)

1 y separately published work icon A Country Christmas Beattie Alvarez (editor), Sophie Masson , Jenny Blackford , Goldie Alexander , Armidale : Christmas Press , 2020 20915758 2020 single work children's fiction 'The Eliots at Bluewren House always host a big Christmas party for all the village, which includes a massive feast, a big Christmas tree, presents for all the children, carols, and a visit from Santa. It's a big, fun, glittering occasion and everyone always looks forward to it, especially the children. But this year, everything is much more subdued-the Eliots are not making their usual preparations, planning, ordering things from the village, sending staff on secret errands and so on. The gardens are brown. The dams are dry. The drought has been going for two years. The adults are busy creating fire breaks and making the town safe from bushfires. No one in the town has any money or heart for Christmas. Gloom has settled on the big house. Christmas is only six days away, but it seems there won't be a party, for the first time ever, as Mr Eliot announces the festivities are cancelled. But the youngest Eliot daughter, nine-year-old Bessie, who fervently believes that Santa will bring rain, is determined that the Christmas party must go ahead, and so does her best friend, Katie Phelan. They start by talking Bessie's siblings into helping with their plan, then all of them go to talk to the other village children: and everyone agrees they have to take matters into their own hands and start planning the best Christmas party ever, with the help of some of the adults who learn about what they are doing. It's a secret to everyone else. Or so the kids think. One by one the grown-ups are let into the secret until most of them know, but are all sworn to secret, so they all think that no-one knows. In the finale, all ends well-and there's a lovely Christmas surprise in store, as Santa shows up after all?' (Publication summary)
1 Signing on the Dotted Line : the Lived Experience of Book Contracts in Contemporary Australian Small-press Publishing Sophie Masson , 2020 single work criticism
— Appears in: New Writing , vol. 17 no. 4 2020; (p. 471-482)

'The publishing contract is the central legal feature of any publishing professional's life, whether creator, literary agent, or publisher. And with small press becoming an ever more important part of the Australian publishing scene, the contracts landscape has diversified and become more complex. There's a wealth of information on what you should and shouldn't do, and what the perfect contract looks like. But what's it like in reality, beyond the clause and sub-clause? For though it's an important legal document, the contract also represents an intense lived experience for all those who are a party to it, especially in the small-press sector. This article, based on interviews with a range of creators (authors and illustrators), literary agents, small-press publishers and industry body representatives, presents an illuminating snapshot of the contemporary contract experience in the Australian small-press sector. Not intended as a formal analysis of the contracts landscape but rather as an intimate insight into the individual lived experience of contemporary Australian contracts, whether that be for creators or publishers, the article addresses questions covering the contemporary challenges and opportunities of ‘signing on the dotted line’.' (Publication abstract)

1 y separately published work icon The Snowman's Wish Sophie Masson , Ronak Taher (illustrator), Orange : Dirt Lane Press , 2020 20360467 2020 single work picture book children's

'THE SNOWMAN’S WISH is the story of a snowman who so loves the sights, smells, touch and sounds of the children playing in the park around him, he wishes he could stay forever. When springtime comes, the snow melts and the snowman vanishes, but a beautiful flower grows in his place, showing that wishes can come true, but not always in the ways we expect.

'A story of hope and transformation.'

Source : publisher's blurb

1 y separately published work icon Four on the Run Sophie Masson , Cheryl Orsini (illustrator), Armidale : Christmas Press , 2020 19755763 2020 single work novel children's

'Maxie, Fergie, Flash and Lady are good friends who live in Mrs Brown’s farm shed. Life isn’t exciting, but they’re happy. Until the day they learn that Mrs Brown wants to sell them–to the scrap yard! So they decide to run away, and life suddenly becomes very exciting for the four lovable machines in a series of adventures that puts them in more trouble than they ever imagined!

'Written by award-winning author Sophie Masson, with lively, appealing pictures by acclaimed illustrator Cheryl Orsini, Four On the Run is a fresh, funny and original chapter book which is great fun both for reading aloud and for young readers to read by themselves.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

1 y separately published work icon Santagram Sophie Masson , Shiloh Gordon (illustrator), Richmond : Little Hare Books , 2020 19680375 2020 single work picture book children's

'Santa’s mailbox is overflowing.

'Santa loves getting letters, but the elves are FED UP with sorting through the huge piles of mail. Surely an app would be better – quick, easy and heaps of fun! They’ll call it ‘Santagram’.

'But once the letters stop arriving, will they be missed?

'Can Santa use social media? And should he? This is a Christmas story with a twist that will have the whole family laughing out loud.' (Publication summary)

1 y separately published work icon A House of Mud Sophie Masson , Katrina Fisher (illustrator), Armidale : Little Pink Dog Books , 2020 18549841 2020 single work picture book children's

'Building a mudbrick house is an adventure for everyone—Mum, Dad, kids and even Tess, the family dog! Heading out to the block to help make bricks, seeing their house take shape week by week, the children decide that Tess needs her own house too…

'With warmth, sensitivity and liveliness in words and pictures, this book recreates the fun–and work!–of a special family experience, building your own unique house.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon Join the Armidale Parade! Sophie Masson , Kathy Creamer (illustrator), Armidale : Little Pink Dog Books , 2019 18549782 2019 single work picture book children's

'It’s Festival time in Armidale, and everyone’s getting floats and costumes ready for the big street parade. For the new family in town, it’s even more exciting: for this is their first time to join in the colour and magic and fun!'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 Wearing Many Hats : Literary Creative Practice in New England Sophie Masson , 2019 single work criticism
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , June no. 54 2019;

'It’s never been easy making a living as a writer or illustrator, of course, but in the last fifteen years or so, literary creators have experienced significant disruption and change, due to the transformation of the publishing industry and the challenges – and opportunities – of the internet and other technological developments. Wearing many hats, for most writers, is no longer an option; it is a necessity. For those living in regional areas, who face additional issues related to geographic distance from major publishing centres, it is even more important.

'This article explores the lived experiences both of individual creators based in the New England region of northern NSW, and that of the local Writers’ Centre, which for over twenty years has provided creative and professional development opportunities for writers and illustrators in the region. Against a background of the history of the New England Writers’ Centre and a description of the author’s own career, it profiles how several other New England creators, interviewed by the author, view the advantages and disadvantages of being based regionally, and the role of their local Writers’ Centre. This presents an intimate insight into what it’s like to work as a creator within the literary ecosystem of a distinctive regional area with a rich cultural fabric, but which also faces issues of geographic distance common to most nonmetropolitan areas.' (Publication abstract)

1 y separately published work icon On My Way Sophie Masson , Simon Howe (illustrator), Lindfield : Scholastic Australia , 2019 15893907 2019 single work picture book children's

'On my way to school, Mumma, guess what I saw?

'A pig chasing a wig! A goat rowing a boat!

'A delightful story about all the extraordinary things you can see on your travels.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon There's a Tiger Out There! Sophie Masson , Ruth Waters (illustrator), Richmond : Little Hare Books , 2019 15703096 2019 single work picture book children's

'A girl frightens her little brother by insisting there’s a tiger in the garden, but when the little brother turns the tables on the older one, the older sister ends up being the most terrified … until they join forces and make each other feel brave.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon War and Resistance Sophie Masson , Lindfield : Omnibus Books , 2019 15648978 2019 single work children's fiction children's historical fiction

'In 1939, 12-year-old Sasha, inspired by the words of her father, feels she must find a way to stand up to Nazi terror. Hitler’s blitzkrieg results in the surrender of France and Sasha and her family flee Paris—learning first hand the brutality of war and how acts of resistance can make a difference. In their occupied country, fraternising with the enemy is frowned on, but necessary. It only gets more complicated when she meets Dieter, a member of the Hitler Youth and the son of her father’s best friend. How can Sasha know who to trust when the enemy becomes a friend?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon Black Wings Sophie Masson , United Kingdom (UK) : The Greystones Press , 2018 20361017 2018 single work novel historical fiction

'A historical novel both grand and intimate in scope, Black Wings vividly portrays, through the interlocking stories of Jacques and his friends and their shifting commitments, the human experience of a time of great tumult.
'It's 1788 in the Vendee in western France, and change is in the air. Reform is being talked of in the great world beyond, in Paris, and even the peaceful village inhabited by Jacques Verdun and his friends - aristocratic painter Edmond de Bellegarde, his beautiful cousin Flora, and young farmer Pierre Bardon - seems touched by new possibilities. But as events both in Paris and in the local community start to gather pace, as revolution breaks out and the traditions of centuries start to break down, friendships will be severely tested in the most unexpected of ways. And when pitiless civil war comes, who will be left to testify to old feelings, and old loyalties?'

Source : publisher's blurb

1 Mrs Hare and Her Children i "We're not like rabbits", Sophie Masson , 2018 single work poetry
— Appears in: A Boat of Stars : New Poems to Inspire and Enchant 2018; (p. 112-113)
1 My Name is Dewi : Nama Saya Dewi i "My favourite food is ayam goreng.", Sophie Masson , 2018 single work poetry
— Appears in: A Boat of Stars : New Poems to Inspire and Enchant 2018; (p. 106-107)
1 Bath Time i "Soap-fish, soap-fish, slipping through my fingers", Sophie Masson , 2018 single work poetry
— Appears in: A Boat of Stars : New Poems to Inspire and Enchant 2018; (p. 88-89)
1 Counting Chicks : Comptine des Poussins i "One little chick finds a very wiggly worm,", Sophie Masson , 2018 single work poetry
— Appears in: A Boat of Stars : New Poems to Inspire and Enchant 2018; (p. 72-73)
X