Sometimes the Girl

Sometimes the Girl

Coming in Spring 2025

Eighteen-year-old Holiday needs to sort her life out. She’s still shaken from her brother’s recent suicide attempt; still pining over her ex, Maya; and still struggling to write again after a long dry spell. To earn enough money for a rebalancing trip with Maya, Holi gets a short-term job: organizing the attic of acclaimed author Elsie McAllister.

It’s an unglamorous gig with a difficult boss. Elsie—whose fame rests on a single novel published decades ago—is in her nineties, in failing health, and fiercely protective of her privacy. But as Holi sorts through the attic’s surprising contents, she realizes there’s much more to Elsie than the novel that made her a legend.

Unearthing Elsie’s secrets will change how Holi sees art, life, and the way they intertwine as she grapples with choices that will define her own path.

STARRED REVIEW
“A magical-realist adventure laced with folk guitar and outcast drifters unpacks the bonds of family—those we are born into and those we choose.”

Kirkus

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STARRED REVIEW
“First-time novelist Mason-Black delivers a subtle, delicate tale reminiscent of the work of Charles de Lint, a magical realist journey of self-discovery and hidden depths, with fascinating characters and a captivating narrative.”

Publisher’s Weekly

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STARRED REVIEW
“In Devil and the Bluebird, the universal question of a soul’s worth feels uniquely American, drawing on the folk legend of the devil and Robert Johnson. Mason-Black’s story lives on society’s fringes, tangling around small-time musicians, lost souls and street kids, highlighting the beauty and brutality of wandering the world alone. Older teens will especially appreciate this allegory for finding one’s voice, finding one’s own kind of family, and the danger of playing “a tune that’s not your own.””

ShelfAwareness

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“An eclectic mash-up of contemporary fiction and fantasy…Teens will enjoy this work for its colorful and memorable cast of transient characters. Fans of Andrea Seigel and Brent Bradshaw’s Everybody Knows Your Name and David Arnold’s Mosquitoland will enjoy this debut.”

School Library Journal

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“The odd and intriguing concept, the southern gothic backdrop, and the inclusion of nontraditional families and LGBT characters will endear this to many. Mason-Black’s writing, lyrical and woven through with song and warmth, marks her as one worth watching.”

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