Some great news from our long term friend, Dan Koon about his wife (Mariette Lindstein)’s prize-winning, best-selling book.
For those unfamiliar with Mariette, I asked Dan to provide us with a short biographical sketch. I have known Mariette for many, many years, in fact it was me that brought her to “Int” to become Watchdog Committee Scientology in 1983.
Mariette grew up on Sweden’s southwest coast in Halmstad. She became involved in Scientology after graduating the Swedish equivalent of high school around 1978. Soon, she was working at the Malmö Org where she and a couple other Div 6 people put copies of DMSMH into the hands of commuters coming out of the busy train station and 10Xed the central files. Within a year or so she was the ED. She and her former husband Billy Lindstein were recruited into the SO around 1983 and both were soon at Int and part of WDC. In 1989 David Miscavige made Mariette the CO of the entire HGB (the Int Liaison Office or upper middle management located in the Hollywood Guaranty building in Los Angeles) but brought her back to the base in 1991 and made her the AVC Int Authorization In Charge (meaning she approved all iussues, evaluations, programs and anything else that required clearance before publication). For the next several years Miscavige was her direct senior and she worked closely with him. As with literally anyone forced into that orbit for long, she was squirted out like a watermelon seed between the thumb of DM’s sociopathy and the forefinger of his management “style,” and found herself twinned with Ray Mithoff on the RPF. After graduating she wound up on Marketing and worked with Jeff Hawkins and me to assemble the books and lectures marketing that became known as the Golden Age of Knowledge, or GAK, which is the redheaded stepchild of YECCH. After I blew in late 2003, Mariette became one of the charter inductees into The Hole. From there she devised a brilliant plan to be sent off the base down to the PAC RPF, and from there she escaped in 2004. She and I moved to Sweden in 2011 and instead of flipping burgers at McDonalds is now making her mark in the literary world.
This is Dan’s report on Mariette’s successful book:
Gotland is a beautiful island lying off the east coast of Sweden in the Baltic Sea. Visby is the island’s only real town and it has a rich history as part of the Hanseatic Empire and stretching back to medieval times. In an effort to support and further the Scandinavian crime genre made world famous by Henning Mankell’s Wallander novels and Stig Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy they have begun awarding prizes in Sweden for the best suspense novels of the year.
This year’s award for the best debut novel has a strong Scientology connection: Mariette Lindstein’s novel, The Cult on Fog Island, won the prize as the book of the year. Mariette spent 25 years working in the Sea Org at the Int base and spent several years with David Miscavige as her direct senior.
After her escape in 2004 she settled into a new life but was plagued by nightmares of her time under DM. When Lawrence Wright was researching his book Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief he contacted Mariette for information about working under DM. Larry was insistent that Mariette do something about the abuses of Scientology and speak out about what she knew. That is what inspired Mariette to tell her story but in a way that could reach a very large audience.
As Picasso once said, “Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth,” and she decided that fiction would be the vehicle she could use to tell the truth. Around March this year Mariette received word that she had been nominated for the prize but insisted that she had no chance of winning because her publisher was very small (in fact, it is a one woman operation) compared to the other nominees who are represented by the largest publishers in Sweden and, of course, they were throwing their PR and advertising clout behind their authors. It is a big deal to win the prize, which carries a good deal of prestige.
This afternoon they held the event to announce the winners in the different categories. The other nominees had all written other books before, just not crime or suspense novels. The Cult on Fog Island was Mariette’s first shot and she hit the bull’s-eye. The book was released almost exactly one year ago and generated a lot of media attention because of Mariette’s long connection to Scientology, the Int base and David Miscavige. People in Sweden (and elsewhere) are fascinated by the craziness of Scientology, particularly under DM.
There were five jury members who each had a vote with the sixth vote being comprised of readers who could vote for their favorite. Mariette won all five jury members and the reader’s votes, which was gratifying to her in particular.
Mariette, second from left, receiving the award
The jury wrote their reasoning for their vote and Mariette translated it from the Swedish:
The jury’s reasoning:
”Over 500 pages are completely devoured. Both the jury and the many readers who voted were unanimous – the book is impossible to put down. The language is unpretentious. The feeling of a documentary novel makes it stick out on the overcrowded crime novel shelves. The author writes about a secluded world in a way that is extremely believable and fascinating. A suspense novel about what makes people go through hell and high water because of the desire to belong. This is the first in a new fiction trilogy – we really look forward to the continuation.”
The Cult on Fog Island is the story of a young university graduate who joins a New Age movement called ViaTerra. The group’s charismatic leader Franz Oswald offers her a job and being adventurous she accepts. At first things are wonderful. But when a reporter writes an article that ridicules the group, Oswald erupts and begins taking it out on the staff. A completely wrong target, but something became used to in her Sea Org career. Finally, she decides she has had enough and escapes and—this is fiction, remember—Oswald is arrested and jailed.
Her second book, The Cult Rises Again, which was just released this week, is the story of what happens when the heroine leaves ViaTerra and begins speaking out about the abuses she and others suffered under Oswald and his minions. There will be a third book in the ViaTerra trilogy but we’ll leave that for another time.
The news today is that The Cult on Fog Island has become an award-winning hit here in Sweden, which hopefully will bring it to a language near you soon. Many suspense and crime novels are written for entertainment. Mariette’s books have another agenda: to let people know that the cult mindset exists not just in insular bubbles such as Scientology, but in segments of the wider society as well. The people who join ISIS, for example, are of the same mindset that Mariette encountered among some people in the Sea Org. People in abusive relationships, those who have sociopathic bosses at their jobs and other examples are indicative of the attitudes and behaviors Mariette saw and experienced under DM. The Cult on Fog Island is just one more chicken coming home to roost for David Miscavige.
Some info from a swedish symphatizer:
The first book has met a great reception; all major dailies, some weeklies and a couple of TV-shows has paid attention to it. The reviews are raving. More will follow as No 2 in the triology is just published. The subject of No3, to be published next year, is children in a cult. A psychologist actively helping people escaping from cults, Håkan Järvå, has written a foreword to The cult on Fog Island, making the book even more valuable.
Mariette is of course making many interviews and also lectures. And make no mistake about it, although the book is a novel that formally is not about scientology, every article, review, interview etc mentions scientology.
Mariette has worked as a translator, hopefully she and husband Dan will spend some qualitytime together translating the books to english…:-) (And while they are at it, why not translate Ruthless to swedish as well!)
I hope all of you do know that Mariettes son, born into the cult, has blown and now lives in Los Angeles.
Finally, I really like your blog Mike, and try to follow it everyday.
Thank you SW Friend!
Just to say that it’s good to hear that Mariette’s son is also out.
Oh, and I bought a copy of the book.
Whoo. Cool. I am enjoying the book right now. I also live in Halmstad. Maybe there is inerest (From Mariette and the people reading here) for a video intreview.
Hi Mike, Thank you for this.I cannot wait to read her book,the whole trilogy when it is translated.Sounds fabulous! xo
Well done!
Great news.Sweden is a very literate county.If you make this type of impact in Sweden then it is a total no brainer that it will pull well on the English market.Just imagine if it hits the Beyond Belief range.
What needs to be done to get it out in english as fast as possible?
Great! I hope it’ll come -all three- in french and obviously, in English. Bravo Mariette! One more person who knew a lot on the criminal leader of the cult.
Congratulations for the award Mariette and than you for the good narrative Dan.
Please do let us know once is translated to english so we can spread the word and sell many more.
This is on the top of my Must Read list now, as soon as there’s an English version!
Me, too! Me, too! Me, too!! What a treat is in store for us all.
I would expect, too, that all the larger publishing houses in the English speaking world would be already leaping at the chance to publish the book. Make it so, Number One!!! Success if the best revenge, Miscavige!!! LOL
Mariette, a big congratulations. You took a nightmare and turned it into a creative endeavor. You are now a published writer. Being in for as long as I was, I have huge respect for SO who not only made it out but succeeded in a field of dreams.
From the darkness comes the light.
Can’t wait till the book is translated into English. 🙂
Damn, there goes Dave’s flipping burgers theory.
When will the books be translated into English and available?
I’m a voracious reader and look very forward to the English version.
Gratz to Mariette on her unanimously supported prize. Wonder how DM is taking the news that the novel is based on him; doing a work of fiction is a cool strategy to dodge legal ramifications by keeping it under the DM radar. Curveball or what? Kudos Mariette!
Making it to the top echelon of Scientology, escaping the prison and creating a successfull life outside the Bubble are all great achivements in its own ways and worthy of great respect. Can’t wait to read the books.
Speaking of cults and such, it’s a reflective read to look at Ortega’s site this am. I don’t normally read too much of his stuff, I find his site the perfect example of, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”. However, the antics of TC & JT at Presidential level concerning Scientology is disturbing, especially with the Clinton connection with the IRS in the 90s. Now another Clinton is center stage. Those comm lines have a life of their own and are not generally influenced from the outside.
Please, can someone find the off switch for Scientology!
Does Mariette have an English language publisher? Amazon’s AmazonCrossing imprint specializes in translated books. They actively solicit suggestions via https://translation.amazon.com/submissions.
Congratulations Mariette, and thanks, Mike, for the fascinating back-story.
To paraphrase Jerry McGuire, “You had me at “watermelon seed.”
I’m happy for you and for us. Another tool to educate our families and friends and hopefully this will show up in the schools starting with kindergarten education about different personalities and beware of false promises from the kindest, friendliest, caring, learned individuals. It’s a tough job to teach evil and still preserve the very humane trust most of us have for all – which seems to leave us susceptible to being effected by evil cons etc. None of us would have been so effected if we had better understood what we were up against.
Even children’s books would be in order. It really is an age of information we are in 🙂
“It’s a tough job to teach evil and still preserve the very humane trust most of us have for all – which seems to leave us susceptible to being effected by evil cons etc. None of us would have been so effected if we had better understood what we were up against.”
Hear! hear!
Mariette’s purpose to educate, while being free of revenge, is admirable. I will definitely buy the English version.
Dan wrote: “…Golden Age of Knowledge, or GAK, which is the redheaded stepchild of YECCH.”
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what does YECCH stand for?
It stands for nothing. It’s just an onomatopeoia of an expression of disgust, like “gak” imitates the sound of someone choking. Highly appropriate for anything dealing with the Scientology philosophy, methinks.
This is why some people here get pissed off at you sometimes. You haven’t escaped the literality the cult has induced in you. You need to relax, try to get back your sense of humor (or should I write “humour”, since I’m sitting in Montréal airport right now?), and not take every perceived slight against your precious Scientology as a personal attack. In other words, take OSD as your personal lord and savior and chill a bit.
No need to get belligerent, Espiando. I thought of that meaning of “yecch” (or “yuck”) but it doesn’t seem to fit the context of the sentence:
“After graduating she [Marriette] wound up on Marketing and worked with Jeff Hawkins and me to assemble the books and lectures marketing that became known as the Golden Age of Knowledge, or GAK, which is the redheaded stepchild of YECCH.”
A few years ago Dan wrote an open letter to Miscavige, which said something very different from “yecch” about that marketing. Here’s a quote from the letter:
“I will say that the Materials Guide Chart that Jeff and I put together and that Carrie Cook designed in 2003 was a good product and am glad that you decided to release that version with the Basics release several years later.” https://www.mikerindersblog.org/an-open-letter-to-david-miscavige/
I’ve heard that the marketing done by Jeff Hawkins (and apparently Dan and Marriette as well) was highly successful.
marketing “dan koon” scientology
Actually, that wasn’t belligerent. Anyone who remembers my work at the Bunker knows how I get when I get belligerent. The stuff that I post that Mike shit-cans is approximately 2 out of 10 on my belligerent scale. I make Donald Trump look like Pollyanna.
There’s no denying that Jeff’s marketing was successful. It was his TV ads that essentially saved Scientology from irrelevance in the 80s. Even we critics credit Jeff for his genius ads. If Dan and Mariette contributed to them, more power to them. That being said, I don’t think that Dan was talking about his contributions when it comes to the Yecch stuff. I think it’s more of a commentary on the Golden Age Of Fill-In-The-Blank crap that the Toxic Dwarf’s been force-feeding down the sheeple’s collective throat for twenty years now (can you believe this year’s the 20th anniversary of Golden Age of Tech I?). Given Dan’s postings here and there, I think he’s having a reaction to the general squirreliness of what the Dwarf turned his hard work into. Dan worked hard in RTRC to keep the Tech as Hubbardy as possible, and his comment about the Materials Guide Chart could be read as a passive-aggressive shot across Davey’s bow.
By the way, BBC Culture did a survey of movie critics regarding the top films of the 21st Century (so far), and The Master made the top 25. How do you feel about that?
“I think it’s more of a commentary on the Golden Age Of Fill-In-The-Blank crap that the Toxic Dwarf’s been force-feeding down the sheeple’s collective throat for twenty years now (can you believe this year’s the 20th anniversary of Golden Age of Tech I?).”
Okay, that would align with his description of what they had assembled – which became GAK – as the “redheaded stepchild,” meaning that GAK was LRH (redheaded) materials and GAK was a stepchild of GAT, the yecch part.
.
You also wrote: “…The Master made the top 25. How do you feel about that?”
I have no problem with it. Here’s a quote for you:
“Glenn Kenny of MSN Movies wrote that the film is ‘Less about [Scientology’s] specific set of beliefs than about how humans rely on belief systems in general to try and lift themselves out of an elemental rage, and to assert, yes, that man is not an animal. '” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_(2012_film)#Themes_and_Interpretations
The above is similar to Marriette’s description of her book as “not really based on David Miscavige. He [the main character] has taken on a life of his own.” And I don’t think we can assume everything in *The Master* applies to Hubbard, either. Hope that doesn’t disappoint you. 😉
p.s. Here’s a link that might interest you, Espiando. It’s a youtube video of one of the speakers at the 2016 FreeZone Convention, by the name of Rey Robles. Apparently, he is gay and this is no problem for the FreeZoners – which tells me they have a broad, non-literal grasp of the materials.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHbSsRAFbx4
Marildi : “Apparently, he is gay and this is no problem for the FreeZoners – which tells me they have a broad, non-literal grasp of the materials.”
Freezoners stopped following strictly LRH materials, a VERY long time ago, Marildi. They do ALL kinds of stuff, from CBR stuff – which ISN’T LRH, but only Scn based at the most – to The Pilot’s research, Clearbird’s researches, etc, etc. So by definition they are NOT Scientologists as such, even though they might use some principles of Scn in their lives/practices.
So of course, that not being Scientologists as such – meaning “I follow KSW” kind of Scientologists – they do not have a “literal” grasp of the materials. But according to LRH “If it isn’t written, it is not true” as interpreting the Tech is concerned. So Scn in a certain way DOES demand a “literal” interpretation of the scriptures.
LRH DID wrote that homosexuals were at 1.1 on the tone scale, and he DID wrote that it was an aberrated conduct even if not said in those exact words. There is no “unliteral” way to interpret that. Yours are just lame excuses to justify criminal assertions from a con man.
If you have proof of other Indies doing that broadly and publicly as an institution, please present it or stop the silly “arguments” already.
KSW type on Indies have never ever publicly accepted that LRH was dead wrong about that and MANY others things as well. The only ones who have had the balls to PUBLICLY admit that, are Dani and Tami from DROR Center.
thetaclear: “Freezoners stopped following strictly LRH materials, a VERY long time ago, Marildi.”
That isn’t true of all freezone groups. Here’s a link to another video of the “2016 FreeZone Convention.” In the early part of it, the speaker makes it clear that their members strictly follow LRH materials. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IlsJaR9x7E
.
“LRH DID write that homosexuals were at 1.1 on the tone scale, and he DID write that it was aberrated conduct, even if not said in those exact words…KSW type of Indies have never ever publicly accepted that LRH was dead wrong about that and MANY others things as well. The only ones who have had the balls to PUBLICLY admit that are Dani and Tami from DROR Center.”
I was alluding to what Espiando likes to quote, which is the last part (in caps) of the following quote from *Science of Survival* – which Espiando should note isn’t even referring to just homosexuals or even to just 1.1 on the tone scale:
—————————–
“There are only two answers for the handling of people from 2.0 down on the tone scale, neither one of which has anything to do with reasoning with them or listening to their justification of their acts. The first is to raise them on the tone scale by un-enturbulating some of their theta by any one of the three valid processes. The other is to DISPOSE OF THEM QUIETLY AND WITHOUT SORROW.” (caps are mine)
——————————
Actually, I wouldn’t doubt that, because of societal attitudes and treatment of homosexuals back in the ’50s, a lot of them at the time were suppressed into the covert hostility level of the tone scale.
In any case, whether LRH was right or wrong back then about homosexuals being 1.1 and aberrated – it still wouldn’t alter the way the tech is applied. The Dror Center, for example, practices what they consider to be standard LRH tech, in spite of any disagreements with LRH – which is an indication that whatever LRH may have stated about homosexuals is irrelevant to application of the tech.
Thetaclear: “Freezoners stopped following strictly LRH materials, a VERY long time ago, Marildi.”
Marildi : “That isn’t true of all freezone groups.”
I never said, ALL Freezone groups, and I DID say “strictly”, meaning that even though they might practice pure LRH, they ALSO practice a lot of other things which include WIDE variations of Scn’s Tech.
Marildi : “Here’s a link to another video of the “2016 FreeZone Convention.” In the early part of it, the speaker makes it clear that their members strictly follow LRH materials.”
I don’t care what the speaker asserted in that convention; his speech doesn’t change the ACTUAL facts which you can verify by just entering the official Freezone Website. Do your research properly instead of compulsively attempting to “win” arguments as it is your normal operating basis. Rey Robles, btw, is considered as one of the “biggest squirrels” by the MS2 people, SPECIALLY by Chris Black. I have his EXACT quote.
Marildi : “Actually, I wouldn’t doubt that, because of societal attitudes and treatment of homosexuals back in the ’50s, a lot of them at the time were suppressed into the covert hostility level of the tone scale.”
That’s a justification, even though there might be some truth in it. A VERY large percentage of the population – including me, very much – is guilty of considering the homosexuals as “aberrated” or “mentally deviated”. But most of us evolved with society’s new understanding of human psychology. LRH however, remained STUCK in SO many issues including this subject of homosexuality.
That he wrote ” 2D Rules”, does not change necessarily his beliefs about what he considered as “normal sexual conduct”. He merely wrote that bulletin as he considered – which he put it in WRITING – that it is a waste of time to take auditing hours to handle people’s alleged ” sexual deviations”, as the 2D according to him, was full of deep-seated “aberrations” which could “ONLY” be handled “very high on the Bridge”. He didn’t write ” 2D Rules” because he necessarily understood that such and such conduct was morally all right. He just didn’t want to waste time handling a deep-seated, very hard to handle 2nd Dynamic issues ; this according to him, of course; I don’t share LRH’s beliefs on that, and in almost everything else for that matter.
Marildi : “In any case, whether LRH was right or wrong back then about homosexuals being 1.1 and aberrated – it still wouldn’t alter the way the tech is applied.”
The problem with you, Marildi, is that you just CAN’T publicly accept a wrong conduct/view from LRH, as evidenced by your above comment. You never EVER say “LRH was wrong in such and such things” which I am sure you KNOW that he was wrong about MANY things. And this makes you look cultic about it, and even child-like.
People are upset with LRH/Scn because Scientologists NEVER EVER acknowledge their BPC about things that they are TOTALLY justified in feeling BPCed about. Then the charge never blows. I have tried to get you to understand the ENORMOUS simplicity of that datum to NO AVAIL. Ignore people’s originations at your own peril, Marildi. Be honest and just and INDICATE the correct BPC which LRH created by his misguided ideas and suppressive policies. One can still USE Scn and at the same time indicate the wrongness in it, which is quite a lot. You KNOW this. Yet, you as well as the KSW Scientologists, heavily resist accepting it PUBLICLY.
That’s why I gave up on you and on KSW hard-core Scientologists like the MS2 people. Because you are FAILING in your moral duty as a human being, which should ALWAYS foster Human Rights, and fight against, protest, and acknowledge all and every violations of such rights. That’s why I lost any respect and compasion for you guys and gals. Because NONE of you are worthy of it. You guys betrayed human kind by your stupid silence and fixed ideas and dramatizations of “I am right”.
Marildi : “The Dror Center, for example, practices what they consider to be standard LRH tech, in spite of any disagreements with LRH – which is an indication that whatever LRH may have stated about homosexuals is irrelevant to application of the tech.”
That’s just BULLSHIT. DROR also deliver CBR’s Excalibur which ISN’T, ISN’T, ISN’T LRH AT ALL. I know EVERYTHING about each and every OT level that has ever existed in Scn, and I know as well ALL of CBR’s. Excalibur and other CBR stuff is NOT LRH in no way, shape or form.
Dear Dani answer this question PUBLICLY, does DROR delivers or not CBR’s stuff specially Excalibur ? I got an email that proves that you do, which I am perfectly OK with it, btw.
And DROR does not necessarily practice STANDARD LRH as Admin and Ethics is concerned, and I would like Dani to contradict me on that. He CAN’T.
“….which is an indication that whatever LRH may have stated about homosexuals is irrelevant to application of the tech.”
What a horse shit, indeed!!! Always Q&Aing with the actual subject, Marildi, ah? “Irrelevant”? You are truly work of art, lady. If you can only observe how ridiculous that comment sounds, and how it ONLY shows cult-mentality, you would never write it on a blog like this. WHATEVER LRH wrote and expressed his opinion about, DOES have great influence on hard-core KSW lunatics such as the MS2 people. Dani and Tami are the EXCEPTION to the rule, and I don’t care whether they accept it or not publicly, they DO NOT follow strictly LRH. They use what works and what isn’t against Human Rights. And that’s why people respect them. Because they can differentiate and have judgement and discernment about the Tech. 99% of the Scientologists CAN’T.
The nuttiest and most logic twisted comment of year goes to:
“Dror Center, for example, practices what they consider to be standard LRH tech, in spite of any disagreements with LRH – which is an indication that whatever LRH may have stated about homosexuals is irrelevant to application of the tech.”
Per LRH, “Standard Tech” is ONLY what he said. You disagree with El Con and you and longer “standard”.
Yes T.C. Per the OT Preps materials a person chronically 1.1 on the Tone Scale would have to be handled PRIOR to getting on Oat Tea levels. Any group doing otherwise would be considered (by El Con hisself) a Squirrel group and MAJOR Suppressive Persons.
Anyone claiming otherwise is either: 1) NOT trained or 2) A liar of considerable magnitude.
In either instance, if a person really was looking for tek the way El Con wanted it, they would stay away from such groups.
p.s. Per El Con policies, a PCO (Personnel Control Officer) who intentionally hires people below 2.0 on the tone scale is in trouble. So much for the lies that he was ok with borgs hiring homosexuals. 😉
Mike Wynski, in your post just above this one, you accused me of making “the nuttiest and most logic twisted comment of year.” I’d say you get that prize with this comment:
“Per El Con policies, a PCO (Personnel Control Officer) who intentionally hires people below 2.0 on the tone scale is in trouble. So much for the lies that he was ok with borgs hiring homosexuals.”
The above indirectly states that homosexuals are 1.1 – but apparently you aren’t logical enough to see that and (I assume) it wasn’t what you meant to say. Let’s just call it “nutty and logic twisted.”
I hear you, Winski. I would add another possibility to your list of two : “They are blindly stupid” !!!
They apparently do not understand that “Standard Tech” is following Scn EXACTLY AS WRITTEN or it isn’t “Standard Tech” at all per el con’s criteria. For example, Dani would never ever force a “PTS” public to “either handle his situation or risk being declared an SP” as LRH wrote as part of his policies on “Suppressive Acts”. In fact, Dani won’t force any public to ANYTHING at all, and he does not stress Ethics handlings based on Scn policies. Is that “Standard Tech” ? Not AT ALL. It might be workable tech, but it is certainly not “strictly LRH”.
And there are dozens more of examples like the above ones, where many parts of Scn, specially Admin and Ethics policies, are NOT being followed by Freezoners as they do not agree with them. But were LRH alive, he would have declare them ALL as ” Squirrels”, and I challenge any KSW Scientologist out there including Dani to prove me wrong on that. LRH would have declare them as Squirrels; PERIOD!!!
But Marildi would never EVER accept that as she suffers from the deadly “I am always right” disease. Such a pity; a VERY smart individual wasting her potential due to the unwillingness to learn from her mistakes in life. But that’s a quality that most Scientologists share : a stubborn blindness.
I was wondering the same thing.
The Cult on Fog Island has garnered a lot of attention in the American press. It should be best seller when published in the US.
Such exciting news. So wonderful.
Hopefully this will be translated soon. I don’t think learning Swedish is in the plans. Have enough trouble with English.
I believe Lawrence Wright’s words “you must tell your story,” is true.
And each of us in our own way. Takes time and timing.
Windhorse
I would hope that Mariette, herself, would do the translation. Faster and more true to the author’s intentions.
Awesome. Can’t wait for the English version and the movie/mini series.
Thank you Mike and Dan for such a complimentary post. As the author of the trilogy about the cult on Fog Island, I would like to make a correction. The main character and sect-leader in my books is not really based on David Miscavige. He has taken on a life of his own. He is more charismatic, in media everywhere, more good looking and more influential. It is true that much of what happened to us at the Int Base is in my books. From the beatings to the rice and beans and the brainwashing. My books are really a twisted truth. Everything happened, but in a different way. I am not writing my books as revenge towards David Miscavige or Scientology. I am writing my books to warn people, especially young people, for cults. That is my passion and my mission in life. David Miscavige is no more an inspiration for Franz Oswald (the sect leader) than other psychopathic leaders and there´s plenty of them. I´m not set on revenge. I don´t care. My only concern is to help others understand the phenomenon of brainwashing and cult mentality better. All that said I hope we will get a translation soon so you all can read! And thank you for everything you do to speak about about sects.
Thanks for clarifying Mariette. So happy for your success!
Thank you for writing it, Mariette. I can’t wait to read it in English! Can you please tell us your story of how you were able to get a transfer from Int RPF onto the PAC RPF and then escaped from there. I’d love to hear it.
Hi Mariette,
I assume you are referring to your main character when you refer to ‘He’ ………..
” He has taken on a life of his own. He is more charismatic, in media everywhere, more good looking and more influential.”
You are doing great work and gratz, once again, on your success with this and I hope the other two books.
How great, congrats. Can’t wait to read it please keep us updated when it’s due to come out in English.
Congratulations Mariette! In the tough world of publishing it isn’t easy at all to do what you have done.
Your success and future successes will always hold a special place in the hearts of the good willed people ravaged by the betrayal of what Scientology became.
Wishing every success to you and yours.
Congratulation! What an achievement!
Looking forward to reading it. By the way, in addition to Dave always remembering to dress for success, he never forgets this little gem: suppress to impress.
Dave,
Looks like there is a new film in the pipeline. Better give Tommy Davis a heads up; his ‘In Harm’s Way’ venture with your cronies and the UN might be doomed to failure when this one comes down the pike.
Dan and Mariette rose back to the surface as better people, will Ray and others do the same?
This is great news! And a great accomplishment for Mariette.
Fantastic! Now it needs to come out in English.
I want an English copy..
Does the Cult leader have a movie star Bromance
who has a daughter named Suri ?
No, the cult leader in this book doesn’t have movie star Bromance who has a daughter named Suri, but he invents a type of rpf, has some members clean floors with a toothbrush and orders cold water to be poured over a woman, the member’s mail is being checked and TVs and personal computers confiscated and forbidden, etc. Just like on the Int Base, but in a fictional story.
The only thing that isn’t in there is the musical chair’s incident, I think. Almost everything else is in there in one way or another, like they set up alarms on the fences, set up a blow drill and a system to track down and bring back defectors.
All included in a very credible and well-planned fictional story.
Time for Dave to change his title from Chairman of the Board to Warden of The Hole.
I still like “dickwad” as his name.
Dave is many things to many people.
I kind of like a wimp of religious Mafia, abbreviated Worm.
Nice!
I favored Numb Nuts once, but nuts are good, so Dickwad is better. Dipstick rates an honorable mention.
Absolutely!
That was funy
Close enough.
FBI style raids that result in 10 execs going to Prison.
Public drugged and shocked that commit suicide.
Over the top escapes from prison ship.
Financial Police
Masterbation Raids
Lots of material for Volume 2 “Cult of Fog Island
Congrat’s on your success. I hope someday soon I’ll be able to tell you I loved the movie.
Here’s another good read: http://gawker.com/on-smarm-1476594977
Congratulations Mariette! I really look forward to the English translation of this book.
WOW !!! What a great accomplishment. Cult awareness needs to be taught in every corner of society and
in grade schools, high schools, and the military.
It is the cancer of the spirit and the tool of the psychopath.
VVWD!!!
Glad to see such a nice person succeeding after that hell.