Would you give up your life and put everything on the line for your country? If you were plucked off the street and asked to serve as a secret agent overseas during wartime, would you say yes? These are the decisions that The Special Operations Executive agents had to come to terms with.

SOE was formed in 1940, and the organisation’s F section sent more than four hundred agents into France. But while some are widely known – others have had their stories largely overlooked. In her new book ‘Mission France’ Dr Kate Vigurs uncovers the stories of the 39 female agents of SOE.

In this episode we discover the importance of shedding light on the overlooked heroes of our stories, we find out how the threat of that ‘next knock on the door’ can build suspense and anxiety in your writing, and we examine the topic of motivation - how a character’s personality might fundamentally change when left with no choice.

Find out more about Dr Kate Vigurs here.

Your host is inkjockey founder Mark Heywood.

Behind The Spine is an inkjockey production, and the audio accompaniment to The Writing Salon. Sign up to the newsletter here.

You can view the full transcript here.