The Partisan Fighter
Exciting News: the first two chapters of The Partisan Fighter are available!
I've got some thrilling news to share with you. I'm diving back into the world of De Dragoncourts from In Picardy’s Fields with my latest project, The Partisan Fighter. I'm so excited about writing Daphne’s story. Daphne is the 18-year-old daughter of Count Jacques de Dragoncourt. Do you remember the young manager of the WW1 hospital, who was so in love with surgeon Agnès? Alas, Agnès married her colleague Alan Bell instead. So, find out who Jacques married and what his daughter Daphne is like!
I'm giving you the chance to read the first two — still unedited chapters right away — completely free!
Flag of the Free France (1940-1944)
Simone Segouin during the liberation of Paris on 29 August 1944
What’s The Partisan Fighter About?
The Partisan Fighter takes us back to World War II, a time of bravery and tumultuous change in the French countryside. The story is loosely based on Simone Segouin’s story and the fight of the Partisans. This motley group of Resistance fighters was allied to the British SOE organization, which is now my main body of work, but The Partisan Fighter is a story purely about the French Resistance.
Based as always on actual facts, our protagonist, Daphne, a young couturier turned fighter, navigates the chaos of occupied territory. Her journey is filled with danger, sacrifice, and resilience, and I can't wait for you to join her on this thrilling ride.
Why Historical Fiction?
Historical fiction has a unique charm—it's like a time machine that lets us step into the shoes of people from the past. It's a chance to experience their world and understand the challenges they faced. The Partisan Fighter is my way of bringing history to life, creating characters you'll care about, and spinning a tale that'll have you hooked from the start.
Read the First Two Chapters
To give you a taste of what's in store, I'm sharing the first two chapters of The Partisan Fighter for free. Just head over to the downloadpage here to start reading. I hope these initial pages will grab your attention and leave you hungry for more of Daphne’s journey, which will be available in December. Exclusive for my newsletter subscribers! So it won’t be for sale.
Stay in the Loop
I'm super excited to share this novella with you, and I can't wait to hear what you think. Your support keeps me going and inspires me to keep telling stories.
To stay in the know about The Partisan Fighter and get updates on new chapters, subscribe to my newsletter or join my Reader group on Facebook.
Thanks for joining me on this historical adventure, and I can't wait to explore The Partisan Fighter with you.
Happy reading!
Cast off your jewels, your blue-blood, your privileges. Fight for freedom only.
Picardy, France, May 1940
Daphne de Dragoncourt simply knows she's the new French couture designer on the firmament. With her taste for risqué combinations and bold patterns, she's anything but the sophistication of black-and-white Chanel.
Inspired by the rainbow colors of her pet macaw, Liberté, Daphne can't wait to exchange her coveted countryside life in Picardy for her own atelier in Paris. Away from her depressed, alcoholic father, the 10th Count De Dragoncourt, and his complicated marriage to her Italian-Principessa mother, Marielle de Ibrio.
But Hitler's invasion of Northern France crushes all Daphne's dreams of a career in beauty and style. When her family's Château is overrun by German boots, and her beloved macaw escapes, she is forced to flee into the Picardy's fields.
Stranded and alone, she stumbles upon the wounded resistance fighter Paul Bâh, a Congolese-born merchant from Paris, with an avid taste for unruly warfare. Instead of a thread and needle, Paul presents the queen of patterns with a German-snatched MP 40 gun and teaches Daphne to wield it well.
With Paul by her side, Daphne - code name Simone - and their motley cell of partisan fighters clash with the Nazis from Paris to Picardy. Until the Partisans are finally reinforced by the D-Day landings and, together with the Allies, terminate four years of German terror.
The Partisan Fighter is the heroic metamorphosis of a capricious, starry-eyed teenager into a death-dealing resistance fighter. Buckling down in a camouflage outfit, the upper-class heiress is hell-bent on bringing Liberté back to country and castle.
