this new book in the form of an escape game

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What is your background?

Originally from Loire-Atlantique, I completed my school career there, including my tourism studies. After obtaining my tourist guide card, I wanted to master English perfectly, which led me to live in England for a few months then in the United States for a year.

At 25, I felt ready, so I moved to Normandy, where I began working as a tourist guide. Through this 10-year guiding experience in Normandy, I learned to discover the region and its history.

At the same time, writing a book, particularly by combining my passion for history and fun games, is a project that I had in mind for years. Now a writer through this first work, I have also resumed the activity of tourist guide by creating my own company, “Normandy Treasure”.

Do you have a special connection with the Second World War?

I’m particularly fond of history, but I feel a particular affection for World War II. It’s a passion that comes straight from my youth. My father was a fan of history and socio-politics, so I quickly became interested in this field. Monuments like the Caen Memorial brought me a lot and helped develop and cultivate this curiosity for this period of history. This is why I wanted to move to Normandy, the cradle of a fascinating period of history which has meant so much to me.

When I discovered it, the Second World War was a revelation for me.

What is the objective of this book?

Through this work, I wanted to introduce tourists, but also local residents who do not have a guide available, to Omaha Beach. This space does not have clear explanations about the place, so the objective was to create an escape game in order to move the reader to several key locations.

Between the beach, the museums, the memorials and the bunkers, each reader sees themselves transported psychologically, but also physically through historic places in the city. Via a defined route, readers venture into several locations trying to solve all the puzzles that will be proposed to them until they find the pearl of Omaha.

Who is this book for?

I tried to reach a broad audience, I didn’t want to target a specific audience. This work is open to as many people as possible and the puzzles can be solved by several people. By integrating certain digital features such as QR codes, I wanted to make this book attractive to younger people.

However, so as not to neglect any other audience, more theoretical passages of traditional reading also appear. I find it interesting to develop an intergenerational side through this work.

A grandfather and his grandson can easily complete this journey together and pass on knowledge to each other through the different sources of information offered.

Why write it in the form of an investigation?

There are several reasons that moved me in this direction. First of all, I don’t consider myself a historian and many very good works already exist on Omaha. I did not want to produce a work that does not provide more added value than those already available.

Regarding the survey format, I find it interesting to transform the reader into a main actor in their own research. This idea mainly comes from my profession, a guide tries to bring history to life for his audience and this is exactly the objective sought through this format.

What were the design stages?

The project of creating and writing a book is an idea that I have wanted to implement for several years, however, I began to think about the project of “In Search of the Pearl of Omaha” at the beginning of the year. year 2022.

That same year, I decided to quit my job as a tourist guide in order to devote all of my time to carrying out this project. It is in March 2022 that I begin the writing phase of this book. Between the research to be carried out, the stories, puzzles and videos to create as well as the historical part to write, I had to give all my attention to the creation of this work.

I also proposed a crowdfunding campaign which allowed me to raise an additional €3,200 necessary for the creation of the project. A full year was necessary to develop this work, which was released on August 22, 2022.

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