Roseanna M White pens lovely historical novels that tie together the worlds of her prior novels, and still stand alone to tell a stunning story of love, loss, faith, and hope. Her upcoming release is a WWII love story, set in the heart of the French Resistance and finding spies in the most unexpected of places. Here's a bit about the book.
Few would suspect a young widow and mother of two small children of being a spy. Fewer still would believe she leads the largest intelligence operation in France.
Marseille, France, 1941. Zelie Bellerose never fit the mold of an army officer’s wife. She was too passionate in her convictions, too indifferent to societal expectations. After her husband is killed in the war, Zelie focuses on securing a brighter future for her children, hoping to help free her country from the Nazi regime by joining the Resistance. She is soon one of the most trusted operatives in Alliance, and when their leader is imprisoned, she takes command, hiding her identity from all but a few. With enemies closing in, Zelie must earn the trust of her network and prove herself to those who doubt a woman’s place at the helm of France’s largest spy ring.
Marcel Laurent was a renowned concert pianist before joining the French army and being sent to a POW camp. Freed in a prisoner exchange by a wealthy businessman with ties to the Resistance, Marcel agrees to spy for Alliance by conducting a youth orchestra, gathering intelligence from patrons who are loose-lipped Nazi sympathizers. Marcel’s weekly radio broadcasts introducing the orchestra’s performances give him the perfect cover to send coded messages over the airwaves.
As Zelie and Marcel grow closer through their shared love of music, she begins to rely on him. But betrayal from within Alliance puts everything they’ve fought for at risk. When a double agent infiltrates their ranks and the two are captured, their bond faces its greatest test . . . and any misstep could jeopardize not only Alliance but the very outcome of the war.
As part of the launch team, I had access to ask some questions for you, my readers. Here's how that went:
1. What was your inspiration for this story?
I brought two different inspirations together for this one. The first was the
real life of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, the historical head of Alliance,
France’s largest intelligence network in WW2. All the adventures in my
fictionalized version were taken directly from Marie-Madeleine’s life. But I
was also inspired by contemporary classical musicians who do surprise concerts
for people in public—how fun, I thought, would it be to have a concert pianist
who went to out of the way bistros to do this, especially in an era where his
usual concert hall audiences would have been filled with Nazi officers? What if
he resisted returning to the stage and was content to bring the joy of music to
his own people instead? And what if he became Alliance’s liaison to the arts
sector? These are the things that mashed together to form The Spy Keeper of
Marseille.
2. You mentioned awhile ago that Zelie was based on an
actual person (a female "spy keeper"). Can you expound on the real
life woman? How was she like Zelie and how was she different?
Yes, of course! Marie-Madeleine Fourcade was the wife of a
military officer…but their marriage was rocky. In history, they divorced during
the war. Because I wanted to create a whole different romance for her, I had my
version widowed at the start of the war instead. Marie-Madeleine was one of
those people that commanded a room when she entered it, because of her
vibrancy. She was “a copybook beautiful spy” according to historians, who could
charm information out of people…and also play the “helpless woman” card when
called in for questioning. She was a mother to two small children, who she
loved immensely—and who remained the reason for all she did, even when it meant
sending them out of France for safety’s sake, when she had a target on her
head. All of this I preserved in Zelie, my fictionalized version. But I think
the thing I loved most about Marie-Madeleine and which I really dove into in
Zelie, was her humility. She ran this enormous organization, but she always
questions whether she was “the man for the job.” At every juncture, she
wondered if someone else might not do it better. But at every juncture, her
people sought to protect her, keep her safe, and keep her working—because they
knew that she was the one for the job.
3. Did anything surprise you as you were writing this
story? Or did anything change the trajectory of the story as you were writing?
Because of how closely my story paralleled real history,
most of the story itself didn’t surprise me. But during edits I had to
consolidate a lot of secondary characters (history gave me far too many!), and
I was definitely surprised at how much better it worked once I did that!
4. Marcel seems a bit too "perfect",
particularly in how he loves. I read him as a sort of Christ figure in the
book. Did you intend for that to be the case?
I did indeed want Marcel to love Zelie with the love of
Christ—just as men are instructed to do in the Epistles. After her rocky
marriage, Zelie needed someone who would love her selflessly, love her for who
she was, love her when she pushed him away. And that love is a big part of what
shows her that she can put her hand back in Christ’s after years of drifting
away.
I don’t think of Marcel as perfect—he struggles with anger
and forgiveness after a betrayal that hits close to home. But yes, he loves
well. This is very much inspired by how my husband loves me—he isn’t
perfect. But his love knows no bounds.
5. Which character was the easiest to write, or who did
you relate to the most?
I really loved writing Marcel. I’m a pianist (definitely not
his caliber! LOL), so writing him through that lens of music was especially
fun—how he sees everything, feels everything, with musical notation in mind.
And I especially love the “love letters” of song he plays for Zelie.
6. Which character was the most difficult to write? Why?
There’s a character based on a real person who betrays
Alliance. In reality, Marie-Madeleine and her crew suspected him from the
beginning but couldn’t get their allies to believe them. This just didn’t work
for my story, and it was tricky to try to both bring in the real history and
also make him believable—because it was definitely a case of truth being harder
to believe than fiction.
7. Was there anything interesting you learned during the
research for this story?
So much! It was fascinating to learn about the youth
orchestra that I have Marcel leading—and how it really did have ties to the
Resistance. Most fascinating, though, was reading about how Marie-Madeleine got
out of the scrapes she got herself into, especially one that involves a risky
escape out of France into Spain. I won’t spoil it, but it was definitely a
“Whoa, no way!” moment. And totally factual.
8. What are you hoping readers will glean from this
story?
I hope that readers come away understanding that no matter
what challenges we face, God will equip us to do the work He wants us to do.
That we can and should live boldly, love boldly, and embrace the gifts He gives
us.
9. Do you have any “behind the scenes” trivia you'd like
to share with my readers?
I mentioned my inspiration for Marcel—it’s a fellow by the
name of Julien Cohen, and this video in particular delighted me so much that I
used it as the base for an early scene with Marcel, where he’s setting up his
best friend. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=saved&v=1106324723940704
10. What is coming next and when can we expect it?
Oh my goodness, there’s so much! LOL. In the world of WW2
fiction, I have a Christmas novella coming in October, called The Christmas
Courier; my next full length is coming next July and is tentatively
entitled The Memory of Freedom (though the title hasn’t been finalized
yet, so that could change). I am SO excited to bring this one into the world!
It’s also based on a true story, and it’s really special.
From Guideposts, I have several mysteries in the works; one
more in Blackberry Valley Mysteries called Someone Old, Someone Knew,
and then I’m the launching author for a new series, Beach Rose Cottage
Mysteries, which will launch with Secrets by the Sea.
And in my fantasy world, I just put out the digital of Consecrated,
a short novel, and will be releasing the paperback compilation of all three
novellas in the series so far this summer as Fathomed: The Awakened Mer
Novellas. This December, book three, Amazed will release.
Oh my goodness! I can't believe the scene referenced in number 7 was factual. How cool! And so much to be looking forward to!
About the author:
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.
This book releases July 7, 2026 wherever books are sold. Be sure to check this one out! For more information, check the following links:
Roseanna M. White's website: https://www.roseannamwhite.com/
Roseanna M. White's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RoseannaMWhite
My full 5 star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8629868182
