And to all the readers who’ve sent letters, emails, or who’ve turned up at book signings and festivals, meeting you is the best part of being an author.
Finally, my nearest and dearest. For the phone calls I’ve forgotten to make, the headaches, the early starts, the being grumpy and begging you to look after my dogs while I go on yet another trip, I’m sorry. Most of all to my husband who, as I start the first draft of my next book, faces the process all over again. A heartfelt, gargantuan thank you.
‘Engaging and entertaining.’
Independent on Sunday
‘An adventure of old-fashioned charm.’
Sunday Times
‘Perfect for captivating the imagination.’
Mumsnet
‘Absorbing … brimming with atmospheric detail.’
Carousel
‘My go-to author for historical fiction.’
The Bookbag
‘Rich in thrilling details.’
‘Compelling.’
Metro
‘Absorbing, sensitive and genuinely magical in feel.’
Independent
‘A fast, exciting read.’
The School Librarian
‘If your middle grade kids (ages 8-12) haven’t discovered Emma Carroll yet, then they’re missing out.’
Irish Times
‘Beautiful.’
Luna’s Little Library
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emma Carroll was a secondary school English teacher before leaving to write full time. She has also worked as a news reporter, an avocado picker and the person who punches holes into Filofax paper. She graduated with distinction from Bath Spa University’s MA in Writing For Young People. Secrets of a Sun King is Emma’s eighth novel. She lives in the Somerset hills with her husband and two terriers.
Frost Hollow Hall
The Girl Who Walked on Air
In Darkling Wood
The Snow Sister
Strange Star
Letters from the Lighthouse
COPYRIGHT
First published in 2018
by Faber & Faber Limited
Bloomsbury House,
74–77 Great Russell Street,
London WC1B 3DA
All rights reserved
Text © Emma Carroll, 2018
Photo p.288 © Red Photographic, 2017
Cover illustration © Julian de Narvaez, 2018
The right of Emma Carroll and Julian de Narvaez to be identified as author and illustrator of this work respectively has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly
ISBN 978–0–571–32850–5