Sophie Masson is a contemporary writer of fairy tales and novels for young adults that have earned critical acclaim for the depth of their historical detail. Amidst settings that range from medieval France to a modern-day drama club, Masson's characters all struggle with their self-identity and seek to forge closer ties with others. Masson asserted that her primary goal is "to tell a good story, mainly!" as she told Authors and Artists for Young Adults (AAYA). "To make readers escape into a wonderful world; to take them on amazing journeys, including into other people's hearts; to make them feel what it's like to be someone else. And to have fun."

Masson was born in Indonesia in 1959. "I had a bit of a strange early childhood because I was born in Indonesia," she recalled. "My parents are French, though, not Indonesian--they were working in Indonesia; but when I was...