When international bestselling author Natasha Lester started researching the subject of her latest book The Mademoiselle Alliance about French war heroine Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, she realised little was known about the only woman to have led a French resistance network during World War II.
“I had seen her mentioned just briefly and in passing in a couple of accounts that I read about World War II because I have written several books set in that period,” Natasha, who lives in Perth, tells Have a Go News.
“I looked pretty extensively into that time and she didn’t appear very often. I was familiar with Jean Pierre Moulin and many other high profile resistance leaders.
“It wasn’t until one day I thought, I wonder what this Marie-Madeleine Fourcade was like, who was she? I’ve seen her name a couple of times. I wondered if she is going to be one of those women who only get briefly mentioned as a kind of footnote but is actually pretty interesting.
“So, I did a bit of digging and bought a copy of her memoir and started to read it and it was like: “oh, my goodness, how has her story not been extensively told because she was amazing.”
Natasha has spent the past few years writing The Mademoiselle Alliance, her biggest story to date.
Marie-Madeleine Fourcade was a mother, a car rally driver, a pilot and journalist who became known as “the beautiful spy.” A woman at the top of the Gestapo’s most wanted list known under the code name Herisson (Hedgehog).
Marie-Madeleine married young, with the future colonel Edouard Meric and had two children. But the couple became estranged. In 1936 she met and impressed the former French military intelligence officer Major George Loustaunau-Lacau, code name Navarre.
“Marie-Madeleine was absolutely amazing and brave and all those things,” Natasha says. “It was a story that had everything a narrative needs. Her life was actively exciting and interesting as well as being this really inspiring story, perfect material for fiction, which sounds terrible because it was such a really difficult time, but, hopefully, that side emerges in the book.”
In October 2022 Natasha went to France and walked In Marie-Madeleine’s footsteps, visiting Marseille where she was born and where she had her headquarters for several months. Natasha then visited other locations including the port du Vallon des Auffes which she describes as quite beautiful.
“Then you think of what was actually going on. I drove through the centre of France, down through where the planes would come in and pick up the agents and take them out and where Marie-Madeleine spent one Christmas-New Year’s eve.
“I also visited her grave in Paris, sadly very unkempt; you can read her mother’s name quite well but Marie-Madeleine’s name is almost completely effaced, eroded by time.
“I only knew it was her grave because I knew her parents’ name, otherwise I wouldn’t have had a clue. It made me feel how unjust and unfair it was that Marie-Madeleine had been kind of wiped away and so many other agents have been too.
“If it hadn’t been for them, the world would be a much different place and so the experience gave me the strength and range to write some of these scenes and honour them.”
Natasha says she tends to start writing after carrying out minimal research. “Because it is a work of fiction, I need to imagine Marie-Madeleine as a character even though she was a person.
“If you just write the facts of her life then it’s a non-fiction book and that wasn’t what I was doing. You have to be careful about doing too much research before the first draft because it can sound quite dry and flat.
“The whole time I was writing, I kept thinking, what would I have done? If you are in that situation, would you be able to squeeze your body out through the bars of a prison cell.
“I don’t know if I would have had that kind of grit and fortitude, but I think Marie-Madeleine had that selfless ability to suffer terrible physical and emotional pain in order to do the right thing. I don’t know if many people have that ability anymore, I don’t think we are so unselfish to be able to put the world ahead of our own personal needs.”
A lover of fashion herself, Natasha says Marie-Madeleine liked a good dress.
“I liked bringing out that part of her because otherwise the story becomes too heavy and sad.”
A self-confessed Francophile, fluent in French, Natasha has three children including a 14-year-old son currently on an eight-week student exchange in France.
“We’re very jealous of him being over there, he’s having a great time,” she says.
Natasha’s next book, The Chateau on Sunset, is due for release in 2026.
The Mademoiselle Alliance by Natasha Lester ($34.99, Hachette Australia) is out this month.
Morning Tea with Natasha Lester
Come and enjoy morning tea with WA’s very own bestselling writer… Natasha Lester – Author and hear about her new book The Mademoiselle Alliance based on the gripping true story of an inspiring French woman during WWII.
Special guest at the event is children’s author and journalist Chenée Marrapodi
Tuesday 25 March, 9:30AM-12:30PM
RAAFA WA Air Force Memorial Estate, 2 Bull Creek Dr, Bull Creek
Bookings – https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1347976
Exclusive Book Club Opportunity with Natasha Lester
Have a Go News will be holding a book club discussion with Natasha Lester on Wednesday May 28 at 2pm. If you would like to be a part of this event – please register your interest at info@haveagonews.com.au.