About the Book
Book: Secrets of the Desert Rose
Author: Marilyn Turk
Genre: Dual Timeline
Release Date: February 24, 2026
Three Women. Two generations. Their friendship survived the war. Their secret survived even longer.
Monique and Audrey, one French and one British, grow up in French Algiers on the coast of the sparkling Mediterranean Sea. Best friends, they keep each other’s secrets into adulthood when World War II changes their world and Algiers sides with the Hitler-based Vichy government. Audrey joins Charles DeGaulle’s resistance army, the French Foreign Legion, while Monique stays to work in the underground resistance aiding the Allied invasion of North Africa.
In present day, American born great-granddaughter Nicole, a graduate student in archaeology, goes to North Africa for an internship. The now centenarian Monique (Mimi), debilitated by a stroke, urges her to find the Desert Rose. Nicole finds different types of desert roses, but none are the right one until she stumbles onto information that hints the desert rose might not be a flower after all. While Sami, her instructor in Algiers, helps her find the desert rose, he also has to protect her from people who want the heirloom ring Nicole wears which has its own secret.
Will Nicole find the secret before it’s too late?
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Award-winning author Marilyn Turk has written over twenty historical and contemporary novels and novellas laced with suspense and romance. She especially likes writing World War II era books, and loves to discover information not widely known for her stories. In addition to fiction, Marilyn is also an annual contributor to Guideposts’ Walking in Grace and other Guideposts anthologies.
Marilyn enjoys helping other writers and founded the Blue Lake Christian Writers Conference. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Faith, Hope and Love Christian Writers, AWSA, Word Weavers International and the United States Lighthouse Society.
Marilyn’s most recent books have been Secrets of the Desert Rose, The Escape Game set in World War II, and a novella, The Gilding of Minnie Tucker, set in The Gilded Age..
She and her husband Chuck have a blended family of four sons, one daughter and four grandsons whom they enjoy spending time with. Marilyn and Chuck are lighthouse enthusiasts and have visited over 100 lighthouses in the United States and other countries. They also served as volunteer lighthouse caretakers at Little River Light off the coast of Maine. As a result of her interest in lighthouses, Marilyn wrote Lighthouse Devotions, 52 Inspiring Lighthouse Stories.
More from Marilyn
Why did I write Secrets of the Desert Rose by Marilyn Turk
Because I enjoy reading novels set during World War II, I also enjoy writing them. Most of the novels I’ve read are set in Europe – England, France, and surrounding countries. But we know the war impacted the whole world, so I look for stories set in places we don’t know much about.
Why did I set this book in North Africa? My sister-in-law’s mother was French and was born and lived in Algiers until sometime during World War II. Unfortunately, I waited too long to ask her about it, even though she lived to the age of 94. However, she left journals which gave insight into her life in Algiers and opened my eyes to what happened there before and during World War II. Monique is modeled on her stories.
While researching Algiers though, I came across another woman who was British and also played a role in North Africa during the war. Her name was Susan Travers, and her autobiography provided more interesting information. Although the two real women may have never met, her life was the basis for Audrey’s character.
I always find historical surprises when I research a novel and discovering the story of Cleopatra Selene was fascinating to me, so I had to include her in the book as well. And since there was so much secrecy involved in the true stories, I thought my characters needed secrets of their own, and my present-day character, Nicole, would have to discover them.
Interview with the Author
- What does the first part of your writing process look like?
Since I write historical fiction, I do a lot of research first about the place and time period of the story. I’m different, in that I choose the place (setting and time) before I know what the story will be about. Once I know those things, the characters emerge and begin to tell me their story.
- Do you write with a pen and paper first, some by hand and some electronically, or all electronically?
I make a lot of handwritten notes, but I have to write the book on the computer.
- How long does it typically take you to finish a book?
It takes about six months for the research and another 3-6 to write the story, depending on the deadline.
- What’s your favorite part of the writing process?
Having written it when I finish. But I also love the research and am often surprised about how the story comes together.
- What made you choose to write this book when you did?
My sister-in-law’s mother was French and grew up in Algiers. Since I like to discover what happened in various places during World War II, I realized she was in Algiers during the war and wanted to know how it affected her. Unfortunately, she had already passed away, but I was fortunate to get her journal from her grandson’s wife, who had the most contact with her before she passed.
- What was the hardest part of writing this book?
Working the three timelines together.
- What part of this book came most naturally to you?
Identifying with the characters.
- What is the biggest thing you hope readers take away from this book?
We often look at others’ strengths and think we are lacking. But we are all different and have our own strengths that manifest themselves in different ways. For instance, Monique thinks Audrey is brave, but later we discover Monique is brave too, in a different way.
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, September 11
Sylvan Musings, September 12
Simple Harvest Reads, September 13 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, September 14
Artistic Nobody, September 15 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 16
Guild Master, September 17 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, September 17
For Him and My Family, September 18
Fiction Book Lover, September 19 (Author Interview)
Life on Chickadee Lane, September 20
The Bookish Ledger, September 21 (Author Interview)
Connie’s History Classroom, September 21
Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, September 22
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, September 23 (Author Interview)
Lily’s Corner, September 24
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Marilyn is giving away the grand prize of a $15 Amazon Gift Card and an eBook copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://gleam.io/nuBqc/secrets-of-the-desert-rose-celebration-tour-giveaway