Toby is the orphaned nephew of the Theo Trentham, leader of a motley, down-at-heel troupe of actors touring Louisiana. They had hoped for great things in New Orleans during the Carnival. Instead a spiv has taken their money but booked them remote venues in the countryside. On Christmas Eve, the company straggle away from yet another seedy, unwelcoming town and are caught in a rainstorm. They shelter in a crumbling mansion named Illyria, occupied only by an enigmatic black woman, Marie LaRoche, and her mistress, a spirited Creole girl, Isabelle de Castelon. Toby falls desperately and instantly in love. But as Toby unravels the mysteries of Isabelle's origins, he begins to suspect something terrible will engulf them all. As the days gather pace towards the Mardi Gras festivities, magic, secrets, masks and disguises all come to a dangerous head.
Born in Indonesia of French parents, Sophie Masson was sent to live with her paternal grandmother in Toulouse, France, when she was just a baby and lived there till she was nearly five, when her parents came back from Indonesia and took her to Australia. All the rest of her childhood, the family stayed in Australia, with frequent trips back to France, and this dual heritage underpins a good deal of Sophie's work.
Sophie's first book appeared in 1990 and since then she has published more than fifty novels, mainly for children and young adults, but with several for children as well. her books have been published in Australia, the USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, and many other countries. She has also had many short stories and articles published in newspapers, magazines, and online journals. She is a regular contributor to the writing blog Writer Unboxed(www.writerunboxed.com)
Sophie Masson lives in the high, cool New England tableland area of Northern New South Wales, Australia, with her husband. She has three grown-up children. She holds a BA and M.Litt in French and English literature, and is on the committee of the Australian Society of Authors.
Sophie's website is at www.sophiemasson.org
