,, Scarlet In The Snow ” by Sophie Masson : interview with author !

ABOUT THE BOOK :

Masson delves into the depths of two ancient Russian fairy tales and brings to life the beguiling adventure of Natasha, the rose-stealer, and the Beast, its protector

When Natasha is forced to take shelter from a sudden blizzard, she is lucky to see a mansion looming out of the snow. Inside, it is beautiful: the fire lit, the table set, but mysteriously enough there is no one there. On the walls, instead of paintings, sit 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 realize 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.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Sophie Masson is the author of several children’s novels, including The Hand of Glory, winner of the Young Adult Aurealis Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards. Her other titles include Malvolio’s Revenge; Snow, Fire, Sword; the StarMaker series; and the Thomas Trew series.

 

AND NOW , the interview XD !!!

1.) Tell us something about yourself. 

Born in Indonesia of French parents(they were there for work), I went back to France as a baby as I was ill, and my grandmother looked after me in France till I was nearly 5, when my parents came back from Indonesia, got a new job in Australia, and I went with them and two sisters. I was brought up partly in Australia, partly in France. Now I am the author of over 50 books, for adults, teenagers, and children.I still live in Australia but often go back to France–and travel a lot in other places too. My website is at http://www.sophiemasson.org

2.) How did the idea for , Scarlet In The Snow ‘ come ?

Since I was a child, I’ve loved Russian culture–music, fairytales, novels–I have now gone there twice as well which was very inspirational. But I am also very inspired by French stories and French culture–Scarlet in the Snow is a bit of both! It is based on the famous French fairytale, Beauty and the Beast, but in its Russian version, The Scarlet Flower. Fenist the Falcon is also an influence in the story and there’s even a character who’s a bit like Baba Yaga!

3.) Which character from , Scarlet In The Snow ‘ has influenced you ?

Natasha, the main character–she has quite a bit of me in her–especially when I was younger and dreamed of being a writer!

4.) What is your favorite book ?

I don’t have one favourite book–I have so many! Here are some of the authors I like: Agatha Christie, Sergei Lukyanenko, Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky, Charlotte Bronte, Herge(creator of ‘Tintin’), CS Lewis, Tolkien, lots of poets, Sigrid Unset, Tove Jannsson(‘Moomintroll’), JK Rowling, Charles Dickens, Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne..the list goes on and on and on!

5.) Why ?

Well, they’re all great writers who tell great stories!

6.) What do you think about ROMANIA ?

It sounds fascinating and beautiful and I’d love to visit it one day.

7.) Vampires are very popularized in last year . What do you think about vampires?

I’m not keen on them–they give me the creeps! I think that the traditional Romanian(and other Eastern European) idea of vampires is much more interesting than the Twilight variety.

8.) What do you think about GLEE ? What about Game Of Thrones ?

I haven’t really watched Glee; but Game of Thrones is pretty amazing. Very well-done indeed. Though I was so sad when Eddard Stark died in the first series–I could not believe they’d do that to the best character ever! And some of the scenes make me feel sick, I have to say! But it’s excellent storytelling, and looks great.

9.)  Tell us something that the rest of your readers don`t know about the book.

The Beast’s mansion, which I describe in the book, is based on the childhood home of the Countess de Segur, the great classic 19th century French children’s writer, who was actually Russian! She was born Sofia Feodorovna Rostopchina–the daughter of the Governor of Moscow, Count Feodor Rostopchin, at the time of the Napoleonic invasion of Russia in 1812. The Rostopchins had a mansion in Moscow but also a beautiful one at Voronovo, in the countryside outside of Moscow(about one hour’s drive from there.) We went there last year when we were in Russia–it’s a beautiful place.

10.) What do you think about my blog ? 🙂

It’s great! It’s great to see you are so interested in books–which can indeed change your life, plus you have lots of fun along the way.And I’m glad you’re interested in my book!

11.)  Do you have a message for my blog`s followers ?

Keep reading–and have fun!

Thank you , Sophie!

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