
Every year the medieval village of Crundall has a fair. This year there’s a new a merman. When Jack Fisher sees him, he’s as surprised as everyone else, but unlike the others, Jack doesn’t just see a mythical sea creature—and stranger still, looking back at him, the merman doesn’t just seem to see an ordinary teenager. So begins Jack’s discovery of his real origins and the watery green kingdom where all is not well… First published in 2000, the following year The Green Prince was adapted for the stage and shortlisted for the Aurealis Awards for Science Fiction and Fantasy. Sophie Masson AM is an award-winning author of over 70 books for children, young adult and adults across a range of genres including fantasy, mystery, history, thrillers, ghost stories and fairy tales. Her most recent books include the YA speculative fiction novel, The Ghost Squad (2021), and Magical Tales from French Camelot (2021). She was awarded AM (General Division) in the Order of Australia in 2019 ‘For significant service to literature as an author, publisher, and through roles in industry organisations’. For more information visit www.sophiemasson.org
Author

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 seventy books, for children, young adults and adults. 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. Sophie holds a BA and M.Litt in French and English literature, and a PhD in Creative Practice. A former Chair of the Australian Society of Authors, she is the current Chair (2021) of the New England Writers' Centre and of the Small Press Network. She is also the President committee of the New England and North West sub-branch of the Children's Book Council of Australia, NSW branch. Sophie has received several awards for her creative work, including the Patricia Wrightson Prize in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, and the YA category of the Aurealis Awards. In 2019 she received an AM in the Order of Australia for her significant service to literature as an author, a publisher, and through service to literary organisations. Sophie's website is at www.sophiemassonauthor.com She has a writing blog at www.firebirdfeathers.com Her You Tube channel, with trailers to many of her books, is at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWLa... She is also a regular contributor to the popular authorship blog Writer Unboxed, www.writerunboxed.com