Writer Unboxed

Take Five Interview: Sophie Masson and the Thomas Trew series

WU contributor Sophie Masson’s latest release, the delightful Thomas Trew fantasy series for early readers, hits the bookstores March 13. We asked Sophie to do a Take 5 interview to tell us about this latest project, and she agreed. Enjoy!

Q: What is the premise of your new book?

The books which are being released, simultaneously, are the last three of my six-book Thomas Trew series for younger readers. They are Thomas Trew and the Selkie’s Curse, Thomas Trew and the Flying Huntsman, and Thomas Trew and the Island of Ghosts. They follow the story of Thomas, a ten year old London boy who’s always ”seen and heard things other people don’t”, and who in the first book, Thomas Trew and the Hidden People, has been taken into a magical world called the Hidden World, there to follow his destiny as a Rymer. The Hidden World is the source of dreams, imagination and magic, and it is a big world, with lots of different parts. In each book, Thomas travels to a different part and has various adventures. In these three, he has some of the most dangerous adventures of all–in the country of the Seafolk, under the ocean; in the country of the Ariels, in the sky; and on the strange island of ghosts.

Q: What would you like people to know about in this story?

They are gripping, magical, exciting adventures for children aged between 6 and 11. They’re beautifully illustrated as well, by Ted Dewan.

Q: What problems and challenges do your characters have to overcome in this story?

Thomas has to overcome lots of challenges–in the Selkie’s Curse, he has to dodge the spell of a Siren, travel under the sea, and take care the fin-folk don’t get him; in the Flying Huntsman, one of the most frightening adventures of all, he is captured by a wicked wizard and turned into a bird, while a false ”Thomas” is put in his place and his friends Pinch and Patch have to try and save him; and in the Island of Ghosts, he comes face to face with the loving ghost of his mother–and the scary presence of Mr D, lord of death.

Q: What unique challenges did this story present you, if any?

These are part of a series, so momentum has to be maintained towards the climax of the series itself–but also the books should be able to stand up on their own. Those were some of the challenges I faced but I think they worked out very well. Readers seem to think so, anyway!

Q: What has been the most rewarding aspect of this book?

These are some of my top favourites of the series, especially the last two, which had me breathless as I was writing them. But I’ve loved writing the entire series. The Hidden World came to me in a dream, literally, and it has felt very much like an enchanted process, writing them, and exploring the Hidden World with Thomas and his friends.

Thanks, Sophie!

Visit http://thomastrew.blogspot.com/ to learn more about this delightful series.

Kathleen Bolton is co-founder of Writer Unboxed. She has written two novels under the pseudonym Cassidy Calloway: Confessions of a First Daughter, and Secrets of a First Daughter--both books in a YA series about the misadventures of the U.S. President's teen-aged daughter, published by HarperCollins.