What a year this has been, starting with the release of the new, completely revised 3rd edition of White Lie in January and my second book The Eye of Ra in February. I've done interviews for several radio shows and over the Spring, Summer and Autumn I was a tour guide for hundreds of people from around the world. I also started writing the first 2 chapters of a new book, planning to complete the story this Winter.
However, on November 21st my darling mother passed away and I had to go to Holland, where I arrived just on time to be with her during her last few days. We are all heartbroken and it will take some time to heal. Also, my 'normal' day job in tourism here in Cathar Country already starts at the end of March 2016. Therefore, this third book of my 'time travel trilogy' won't be published until 2017.
Of course I am still researching and plotting, excited about the subject of my new book, very happy with the first 2 chapters and eager to continue when I get the chance. I have also come up with a new title, which will be revealed soon. However, realistically, I won't be able to finish the story and have it edited within the next 12 months. It needs my full attention and must not be rushed.
Plans for 2016
Following the advice of a New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry and his wife Liz (ITW), I decided to release my books on E-book after all, so this Winter I will release both White Lie and The Eye of Ra on Kindle. In January I will be working on the formatting, hoping to have the books online and available before the Spring season starts. I am also looking forward to a future interview for the ITW magazine "The Big Thrill".
What Steve Berry wrote about 'White Lie':
"This story resonates with spirit and history, seamlessly blending myth with reality into a chilling and foreboding read."
Thank you Steve!
The new paperback version is now online, so make sure you don't buy second hand copies if you want to order the paperback edition. Personalized, autographed bookplates are available on request.
From 6th January onward I will be available for interviews and guided tours through Cathar Country, France. More info and contact details are on my website:
It's been an amazing Summer, touring Occitania and meeting wonderful people! One of the highlights was meeting New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry, during his 'Templar Legacy Tour' here in southern France, for which I was the local guide.
With Steve Berry in Rennes-le-Château, September 2015 (photo credits top photo, Liz Berry).
New developments
After mid October I will be busy with several new projects, but I will mainly be working on my third novel, which currently has the working title "The Uncharted Kingdom". It will be interesting to see how the book will develop and I can't wait to get back into 'the zone'. ;-)
Join me on Facebook for all the latest news and check out my website www.jeannedaout.com for more info about my books and tours.
Latest photos:
At Roquefort des Cascades, southern France (photo credits: Ida van Ek).
Photo shoot at Fontfroide Abbey, Corbières, France.
Discussing the history of the region with Yelena Novikov (photo credits: Alex Novikov).
Signing "White Lie" at the museum bookshop in Rennes-le-Château (photo credits: Yelena Novikov).
Guided tour with Steve Berry and his group in Montségur (photo credits: Jennifer Magyar)...
... and in Rennes-le-Château (photo credits: Shalom European Travel).
With Colum Hayward of Polaire Publishing & head of the White Eagle Lodge, taken in Quillan, France (photo credits: Peter van Deursen).
Have a wonderful Autumn! I will be back with more news soon!
Jeanne's two adventure novels, "White Lie" and "The Eye of Ra", are now for sale in at least 11 countries worldwide. Although it has only just been published, "The Eye of Ra" has already received three 5-star reviews on Amazon. If you are interested in the mysteries of the Knights Templar, Cathars, Otto Rahn, Rennes-le-Château, the ancient Mystery School of Egypt, Gnosis, the Urim and Thummim, Akhenaten and the Holy Grail legends, then be sure to check them both out! To find an online store near you, visit Jeanne's new website: www.jeannedaout.com.
Also Barnes&Noble are now selling both books on paperback. B&N customers can now buy them online or order them at a nearby B&N store.
On the Radio:
Jeanne has done several radio shows during these past few weeks, which can be downloaded safely by following the links below:
Tours:
Apart from writing, Jeanne also takes groups and individuals on fascinating tours through Occitania, southern France. In the past few years, she had the honour of being the private guide for several VIPs and celebrities from around the world.
Many visitors to the Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées go home without having had the chance to explore the Land of Oc. Only having seen the highlights, they missed the secrets, the unknown stories. As an official tour guide (guide accompagnateur) in Occitania, Jeanne knows the paths, the unknown places, the stories behind the stories and can explain the underlying history of this turbulent region, that plays such a significant role in her first book, "White Lie".
"I've fallen in love with this land, not just for its incredible history and stunning landscapes, but also because it contains in its sites and power places all the tools I need to explain the deeper layers of ancient knowledge and mystic wisdom, the esoteric basis of Gnosis, the story of the Cathars and Knights Templar and the real cause of the religious conflicts in the Middle Ages that led to the Albigensian Crusades. It is my real-life power point presentation."
The Lure of the Languedoc
In June, Jeanne will accompany author and lecturer Tim Wallace Murphy on an intriguing tour through Occitania. There are still seats available on this unique tour. For more info, go to The Lure of the Languedoc webpage.
Take a look at our new website: www.jeannedaout.com and discover all about author Jeanne D'Août.
NEW! "The Eye of Ra" - OUT NOW!
It all starts with a ring, inlaid with a seemingly insignificant black stone. Discovered on its own by the famous archaeologist Flinders Petrie, the stone had not been recognised for what it was, for up until the fall of Jerusalem in the 6th century BCE it had always been one of a pair.
As a pair, these stones had been used for divination in Biblical times. Together they are known as the Urim and Thummim.
Determined to find the highly valued, lost stone and bring the separated pair together once again, a powerful secret order sends a team of intrepid researchers back in time to the era of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten, only to discover a much greater enigma.
Akhenaten has always tickled people’s imagination; the heretic pharaoh of Egypt, who boldly changed a religious system that had been around for thousands of years. Alas, his courageous attempt to convert his people to monotheism had plunged Egypt into economic disaster and his reign only lasted seventeen years. After Akhenaten’s mysterious disappearance from his Egyptian capital, Akhetaten - the Horizon of Aten - Egypt quickly returned to the much more profitable multi-deity worship and the temporary disturbance in the Egyptian history would literally be hacked out immediately after Akhetaten was deserted and destroyed. Egypt’s disrupted economy and religious system was restored and in a few years’ time, it was as if the heretic pharaoh had never existed. Unfortunately, what has survived for us to study leaves much to be desired. Who was this man? What had made him risk everything for monotheism? In “The Eye of Ra”, Jeanne D’Août throws in a theory that might answer these questions.
Wearing the hedjet crown of upper Egypt, pharaoh Ramses II is better known as Ramses the Great of Egypt. He had immense statues made, depicting himself and once upon a time, two of those large statues stood at the entrance of the Temple of Ptah in Memphis, Egypt. While one of them will be placed at the entrance of the new Egyptian Museum in Cairo in 2015, the other is known as the Colossus of Memphis. In “The Eye of Ra”, this statue, along with his guardian, accidentally ends up in the harbour of a French coastal town named Collioure.
The pyramid of pharaoh Djoser is known as the oldest giant manmade building on earth. Often visited from Cairo on a day trip, the Memphis open-air museum and the vast necropolis of Memphis-Saqqara never ceases to amaze the wandering visitor. Mercilessly tortured by sand-storms, the ruins of what was once the city of the dead are eroding slowly, but yet, after thousands of years, the buildings still stand as silent witnesses to forgotten pasts. Not far from the site is Soongh’s creepy antiques shop, one of the locations in “The Eye of Ra.”
Ancient Egypt has many mysteries and the Egyptian Mystery school teachings were once so immensely popular, that the old Greek philosophers traveled to the Nile to be educated in what they would call ‘The Hermetic Teachings’. Physics and metaphysics were seen as inseparable in an ‘All that is All’ and the’ All that is in the All’. Pythagoras even tried to introduce the fifth element on top of earth, water, air and fire; namely, spirit. Spirit as in the Godflame that has its origin in the spiritual world and which is being transferred through the sun onto all living beings on the earth, creating life. For scientists, ‘holism’ will soon be impossible to ignore. In “The Eye of Ra”, the early years of the Egyptian Mystery school and its basic teachings are explored, as some of the book’s main characters journey back to the time of Akhenaten, in search of a precious relic that was once called: "The Eye of Ra".
In total contrast to the dry, hot, desert sand of Egypt, the Channel Islands are small pieces of paradise, located just off the Atlantic coast of France. Its Mediterranean-like climate and mixed British and French culture forms the background for the location of another main character of the book; time traveller Danielle. As Danielle had returned pregnant from her last mission to ancient Judea [read: White Lie by Jeanne D’Août], she is in constant danger and kept in a safe house in a secret location on the idyllic island of Guernsey. Until one day she is found.
Attempting to escape, Danielle travels to Sark, one of the smaller islands off the Atlantic coast of France. As small as it is, the island is quite independent with its own UN country code. The biggest town on the island is called ‘The Village’ and the Lord of Sark - the ‘Seigneur’ - runs his island from his fairy-tale manor house called the’ Seigneurie’, which is an important location in “The Eye of Ra”. Sark is one of the few places on earth where cars are banned. It is a small miracle that places like this still exist in the western world.
Everything is small on Sark and the island's prison is even known as the smallest official prison in the world, but whether the bad guys in the story of “The Eye of Ra” actually end up here is no promise, for many things are about to go wrong. As the entire mission to ancient Akhetaten and the safe house mission on the Channel Islands had originally been organised by the chief of the company, his sudden illness now jeopardises the lives of all those involved and he has no choice but to let his insecure assistant take over.
Meanwhile, the time travellers have returned from ancient Egypt and need to get away from Egypt without delay. The strategic location of the Island of Cyprus has always had its advantages. Inhabited from Neolithic times, the island had been populated by most of the power civilisations of history, including the Egyptians, Jews, Greeks and Romans. Having been used as a jumping board for the crusades in the Middle Ages, in “The Eye of Ra” the island is used as a jumping board between Egypt and France to smuggle their precious relic to Europe.
Experiencing the sweet mix of a holiday-like environment, ancient history and the anticipation of a sea voyage across the Mediterranean, the team makes its way from the island’s centre to the coast at Paphos Bay, where lead character Otto Adler, formerly known as Otto Rahn, along with his boyfriend Arthur and Egyptian guide Hadi, board a clipper named ‘Laurin’, hoping that this ship would be able to finally take them to safety.
Little did they know that they were still in great danger.
What other authors say about "The Eye of Ra"
“In The Eye of Ra, Jeanne D'Août cleverly uses fiction to bring alive ancient Egypt and its magic. A most entertaining and fun book to read!”
Robert Bauval, author of The Orion Mystery
“A real page-turner, great plot, fast moving and a fun read!”
Tim Wallace-Murphy, Writer, TV Personality & Lecturer
“The Eye of Ra is a brilliant new esoteric thriller that captivates the reader from the start. Intelligent, well-informed and absorbing, it propels you on a dangerous quest to Akhenaten’s Egypt. If you are a fan of Dan Brown or Umberto Eco, then strap yourself in for a wild ride through ancient lands, intrigue and Egyptian magic. I highly recommend it.”
Andrew Gough, presenter of historical documentaries and Editor-in-Chief of the Heretic Magazine
About the author
Jeanne D'Août is a writer, historical researcher, tour guide and producer. For 40 years she has been researching the hidden history of mankind and its religious and cultural path. Ever since she was a child, she has enjoyed discovering hidden mysteries, while visiting many countries including Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Israel and Egypt. The biggest mystery, however, was discovered when she moved from the country of her birth (The Netherlands) to a region known as Occitania (southern France). As a tour guide she was able to explore the area and its many secrets to her heart's content and in 2008 she decided to start writing a thriller book to share her findings. Her first book, "White Lie", was first published in 2011.
Jeanne had discovered that some of her ancestors had actually come from Occitania and while investigating, she found a family seal with a dove, sitting on a branch, while holding a laurel twig in its beak. Apparently, the family had fled the region during a period of violent religious conflicts; a holocaust, better known as the Cathar Crusade. The family moved to the north into Flanders and translated the name Août into the local dialect. To honour her ancestors, Jeanne decided to use a nom de plume based on her ancestral name.
With the release of her second book, "The Eye of Ra", Jeanne takes her readers to ancient Egypt, on a quest to find an ancient relic from the time of Moses and Aaron. Again, adventure mixes with mysticism and hidden knowledge while exploring Egyptian Magic and the ancient Egyptian Mystery School teachings.
Apart from writing, Jeanne also takes groups and individuals on fascinating tours through Occitania, southern France. In the past few years, she had the honour of being the private guide for several VIPs from all around the world.
The truth is out there and it is much more unbelievable than fiction. Thirty years ago, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ exploded at the box office. The adventures of Indiana Jones were pure fantasy but the man he was based on was very real. His name was Otto Rahn.
- The Real Indiana Jones…
- Where the Da Vinci Code stopped…
- Mysterious coincidences
- The Knights Templar’s Secret Quest
- Grail Lore redefined
- The Cathars, the Grail and fairy tales
- The mystical message of ‘White Lie’
The Real Indiana Jones…
Indiana Jones is a pop-culture phenomenon - Spielberg saw to that - making the charismatic relic hunter, who was willing to risk life and limb to outsmart the Nazi’s and beat them to discovering the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail, impossible to forget. Was Indy pure fiction?
Not quite.
'White Lie’ is a story about forbidden history, hidden relics and the adventures of a group of people who get involved in something much bigger than themselves. It combines the mission of the Knights Templar - the warrior monks who legends claim discovered a sacred treasure beneath Solomon’s Temple - with the relic hunter Otto Rahn. Rahn’s search for the Holy Grail in the years leading up to WWII chronicled in his book ‘Crusade Against the Grail’ brought him to the attention of Heinrich Himmler. Eventually, Rahn himself became a victim of the Nazi regime, and in ‘White Lie’ he gets to tell his real story. Many respected researchers believe Otto Rahn was the role model for Indiana Jones...
Where the Da Vinci Code stopped…
Jeanne D’Aout has a bit of Indy in her, too. Fascinated by unraveling mysteries at a young age, she settled in a mysterious part of southern France where she befriended author Henry Lincoln, the man whose work inspired Dan Brown to write the Da Vinci Code. Becoming a tour guide in the region, she happened upon many incredible clues that would lead to her amazing discoveries and create the basis for her new book, ‘White Lie’, which is about finding the true Grail.
The success of the Da Vinci Code showed that the world was ready to explore what other parts of history have been hidden from us all. What Dan Brown did for the Bloodline legend, Jeanne D’Août hopes to do for the original teachings of Jesus. Jeanne has made it her life’s work to uncover what was once hidden, connect the dots and with solid research, risk–taking and rolling up her sleeves to bring its fascinating story to light.
She simply continued where the Da Vinci Code stopped...
Mysterious coincidences
Digging for the truth behind the real Otto Rahn, Jeanne read everything available on the subject and talked to people who knew him personally. Stumbling upon an amazing documentary called ‘The Secret Glory’, produced by filmmaker Richard Stanley, Jeanne felt he was someone she had to speak with. It was clear that Richard was an expert on Rahn, the man and his mission, and had gained access to those who knew him best. Mr. Stanley, however, proved virtually impossible to find.
One day, as luck would have it, a friend invited Jeanne to come to Montségur, a mysterious mountain in the South of France. He knew of someone who could show her one of the caves that Otto Rahn visited frequently. Her tour guide, however, turned out to be the elusive filmmaker Richard Stanley himself.
Later, Mr. Stanley generously opened up his Rahn archive to Jeanne, which allowed her to complete White Lie and tell the true story of Otto Rahn, the relic hunter that would one day become the role model for Indiana Jones.
The Knights Templar’s Secret Quest
From 1129 to 1307, the Knights Templar fought fiercely alongside the Crusaders to conquer Jerusalem and take back the Holy Land from the Muslims. The Templars, however, had a second agenda; a secret quest which would later create the far-reaching and romantic myth that they had actually found the Ark of the Covenant beneath Solomon’s Temple. But was it simply a myth, or could there be some truth behind it? ‘White Lie’ looks beyond the myth, following historical clues which would eventually lead to great discoveries.
Grail Lore redefined
The period between the 11th and 14th century was a violent time: the age of the crusades, of wars and plagues. Because life was so bleak during this time, people tended to hold on to their beliefs in the supernatural to give them hope, like the relic of a saint or the tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, especially the tale of Parsifal and the Grail. In this atmosphere, the Grail legends were born. Grail lore was popular because it was a means to hold on to dreams, hope and the possibilities of miracles in a medieval Europe where life itself was hard and short.
The travelling minstrels called the Troubadours were popular all over Europe and especially in the southern provinces of France. They sang of courtly love and chivalry. Thanks to them, the Grail legends were spread all over Europe through their songs. The first story of Parsifal and the Grail and the Wounded Fisher King was told by troubadour Guiot de Provence sometime in the 12th century. Then it was copied and shaped by Chretien de Troyes and only a few decades later by the German writer Wolfram von Eschenbach. Centuries later, Otto Rahn became enamored with the Grail myth and believed there was more to the story than a minstrels song. He felt they were very real and set out to find proof.
The Cathars, the Grail and fairy tales
Otto Rahn followed the Grail path to the south of France, in one hand holding the Parsifal story by Wolfram von Eschenbach and in the other the story of the Cathars of Occitania. To Rahn, the Cathar Castle of Montségur was the Grail castle Montsalvasche from the Parsifal story, and the Cathars themselves were the legendary guardians of the Grail. But instead of a physical Grail, Otto found something much more profound and life-altering. The female principle had been lost since the beginning of Christianity, because from that moment on, God would be seen as a male diety. This original belief in a God that was both divinely male and female has always been guarded by storytellers, artists, painters, sculptors, masons and many secret brotherhoods throughout the centuries, hidden cleverly in paintings, sculptures, architecture and most profoundly in fairy tales.
Otto found out that this lost female principle of God is the true Grail, kept alive in the Hermetic Teachings and by those who had chosen to hold on to a much older form of Christianity. One of these groups, the Cathars, known as the ‘pure ones’, were burned at the stake by the church for these beliefs. Many centuries later, Rahn was transformed by what he had learned and counted himself a believer. His patrons, however, wanted a physical grail and the power it was purported to hold. A relic Rahn just could not find…
The mystical message of ‘White Lie’
Eventually, the path of the author has led her to write ‘White Lie’, weaving these seemingly separate subjects into one big adventurous web. But the book also contains a mystical message for the reader to discover...
The ‘Da Vinci Code’, ‘Angels and Demons’ and ‘The Lost Symbol’ spent many weeks on the NY Times Bestseller list proving there is a critical mass curious about what has been hidden and fiction has proven a clever way to present the facts.
L.J. Marini - New York
“Throughout the ages, good and bad have always fought. The black army against the white army, millennium after millennium, believing that the world would end at some point in time. But what is it all about? Not religion or politics. Not power or possession. It is about conduct. About choice. Love knows no religion, race or politics, for it rules the realm of the heart. The Universe bends because of Love, and the Earth kneels before it, for Love is God.” – Jeanne D’Août
“White Lie reveals more shocking truths than any book since The Da Vinci Code, including the identity of the real Indiana Jones. It would not surprise if it was adapted for the big screen soon.” - Andrew Gough, Writer, TV Personality and Editor in Chief of Mindscape Magazine
On camera The author is available for interviews and documentaries.
Jeanne has already been interviewed for many radio shows, a TV documentary and a live TV talk show. There are many stunning locations in southern France. Jeanne knows many fabulous places and can help any film crew to get the best shots. We also have a ground operator to help organize film trips (transportation, accommodation, meals, logistics) and have the possibility to open doors (churches and other places that are normally closed to the public).
