Drumroll ... I Have a Beautiful Cover to Reveal!!!
Here's the stunning cover for THE MADEMOISELLE ALLIANCE!
You, my newsletter subscribers, are in for a treat today! You get to see the North American cover of THE MADEMOISELLE ALLIANCE several hours before anyone else does (I won’t be showing it off on social media until later), which is kind of a “thank you for subscribing” bonus.” So yes, thank you for being here!
When your book finally gets a cover, the whole process starts to feel real. As if the book will actually be in bookshops and people might even read it. I know I’ve published a few books by now and should be used to the process but, even so, until I get to this point, it still feels as if the book exists only in my head.
THE MADEMOISELLE ALLIANCE will be published in North America by my new publisher, Ballantine (part of Penguin Random House) and their love for the story and their attention to every part of the publishing process has been incredible.
They contacted me a few months ago to ask what I thought if they were to commission a French illustrator to create the cover for THE MADEMOISELLE ALLIANCE. My response was: wow!
It means the cover is essentially a work of art; it’s been specially drawn and designed by renowned illustrator Sebastien Plassard, rather than created from stock photo images. And it is divine! I’m going to get a poster made of it to hang on my wall because I just love the 1940s/1950s style.
Before I show off the North American cover (covers for other regions are coming soon), I just want to say a word about the book, which is based on the true story of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, a young Parisienne mother, celebrated for her beauty and glamour, who came to lead the largest Resistance network in France during WWII.
On Writing THE MADEMOISELLE ALLIANCE
When I began writing, I thought to myself: this will be a little easier than my other books because I’m writing about the life and events of a real person from history. So the plot already exists, and I just have to work that into a story.
How wrong I was!
It is so much harder to write a bio-fiction, especially one based on a woman who lead a network of 3,000 agents, all of whom have codenames as well as real names. That’s 6,000 names to grapple with! And just about every second person’s real name was either Jean, Henri or Pierre!
Added to that, the Alliance network that Marie-Madeleine Fourcade lead was chased so relentlessly by the Nazis that they moved headquarters dozens of times, sometimes several times in the space of a week. There were so many people, so many places, so many dates and so many missions to distil into one gripping and comprehensible narrative that I honestly believed, many times, that it would actually be impossible.
This was by far the hardest book I’ve ever written. But it’s also the most important and inspiring story I’ve ever told. I wept for these characters. I cheered for these characters. I want the whole world to know at least some of the 3,000 people from the Alliance network who were more courageous than anyone else I’ve had the honor of writing about.
And I most especially want everyone to know Marie-Madeleine.
We look for heroes everywhere, but Marie-Madeleine is right there in the margins of the history books, waiting to be discovered. I hope you enjoy discovering her in THE MADEMOISELLE ALLIANCE.
Here’s the Cover!
Without further ado, I present the North American cover for THE MADEMOISELLE ALLIANCE …
What do you think?! I hope you love it as much as I do! And the good news is that, if you’re in North America, you can preorder now using the button below!
What’s the Book About?
THE MADEMOISELLE ALLIANCE will be available in North America on April 8, 2025. Here’s the blurb for the book, which will hopefully whet your appetite even more!
How did a young Parisian mother, celebrated for her beauty and glamour, come to lead the largest spy network in France? A heartbreaking story by the New York Times bestselling author.
Morocco, 1928. Eighteen-year-old Frenchwoman Marie-Madeleine is not the kind of woman who goes through life sitting down, and it's a trait that not everyone is a fan of—including her husband. Her unconventionalities – rally car driving, flying planes and dabbling in intelligence work for the government – earn her a reputation, but she knows who she is at heart: an adventurer.
Paris, 1936. As Europe teeters on the brink of war, a chance encounter with a mysterious man codenamed Navarre turns Marie-Madeleine’s life upside down. Recruited to help build a resistance network known only as Alliance, she conceals her identity – and gender – as she navigates a perilous double life away from her children and the man she loves. Capture and death are only a heartbeat away for both Marie-Madeleine and the agents under her care. But she rises above expectations at every turn, achieving seemingly impossible feats of espionage that help turn the tide of the war. But the most impossible, and dangerous, of them all? Falling in love.
Natasha Lester passionately brings to life the true story of one of history’s unsung heroes: Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, the only woman to lead a resistance network in WWII France. This is a powerful, heartbreaking tale of resilience that reminds us all of what it means to cherish those we love and to fight for them with every breath.
You Can Preorder Now!
Preorder links are up now for my North American readers, and for my Australian readers too.
I know that preordering in advance is a lot to ask. But preordering is such a powerful gift to an author. It shows booksellers that readers are interested in the book. That in turn gets booksellers excited about it. When booksellers are excited, they tend to display the book in a better position in their bookshop, order more stock, make nice displays, feature it in their newsletters and then the momentum starts to build.
The publishing industry is difficult for everyone at the moment. But we all want the industry to not just survive, but thrive. So, if you’re able to preorder, it does so much wider good, beyond just supporting an individual author and an individual book. It lets the industry know that books are still special, relevant, important and desirable.
You have my heartfelt thanks if you do place a preorder and, if you’re not able to do so, you also have my heartfelt thanks if you make a note of the release date and plan to buy it from your local bookshop or to borrow it from your local library.
Update For My Australian and UK Readers, and Those in Other Markets
We are very busily working on the Australian cover and are getting close to something that is equally as beautiful as—although very different to!—the American cover. In a newsletter very soon I’ll be able to show it off to you.
For now, mark the date in your diaries for THE MADEMOISELLE ALLIANCE’s release in Australia and New Zealand: 26th March 2025, which is a week or so before the US release date of April 8, 2025.
In the UK, we’re publishing THE MADEMOISELLE ALLIANCE under a different title: THE PARIS CODE. I know this can be a little confusing, but the simple explanation is that in every country, I have a different publisher. So, those publishers select the covers and titles based on what they think will work best for their markets.
The ebook will be available in the UK on 1 April 2025, with the paperback to follow a few months later.
Upcoming Events and Workshops
Before I close out this newsletter, here’s some info about a writing workshop I’m running in August and an event I’m appearing at this week.
Great Big Book Club
24 July, 6.45pm-8pm, AH Bracks Library, Melville
I’ll be discussing the captivating new edition of If I Should Lose You with fellow author Emily Paull. This book was published back in 2012, but Fremantle Press have recently re-released it with a brand new cover.
We’ll be discussing the writing of fiction; the complex relationships between mothers and daughters; the quiet heroes I encountered when writing this story; and the lessons I learned about writing characters living with chronic illness.
This evening will be hosted at AH Bracks Library + Creative Space in Melville. Light refreshments will be provided. Book sales and signings will be presented by Typeface Books.
Tickets to this event are free, but there are a limited number of spaces.
Writing Your Novel
17th and 24th August, 12pm-4pm, Wanneroo Library
ONLY 3 PLACES LEFT!
Join us for two Saturday afternoon sessions focussed on beginning to emerging writers. I’ll cover topics such as:
Creating memorable characters
The fundamentals of fiction
The importance of voice
Crafting atmospheric scenes
Writing process and getting the words onto the page
Lots of writing exercises and encouragement
I’ll be back again next week with a more regular edition—I have lots of great book recommendations to share, as well as pics from my recent holiday to Japan and lots more. Hope you’re all having a great week. And please let me know what you think of the cover in the comments!
The cover is fabulous! I can already feel what kind of book it is - how exciting 👏🏻
Spectacular cover for your new book, I adore your writing, Natasha … Laurie Blum, dedicated fan from Michigan!