On the Today Show Tuesday, Matt Lauer talked with author Dan Brown about his newest book, "The Lost Symbol."
The interview was conducted in Brown's "fortress of gratitude" -- a special room in his home, complete with secret passageways, where he keeps copies of all foreign editions of his books, along with special props from the movie versions of "Angels and Demons" and "The Da Vinci Code." Lauer and Brown discussed the mystique of the Freemasons (Brown: "the topic is so interesting, so mind-boggling, so complex"), the pressure of a first print run of 6.5 million copies and Brown's writing technique. 4:00 A.M. is his preferred hour to write and if things get tough he turns to his gravity boots: "you think differently upside-down," Brown explained.
"How do you keep your sanity?" Lauer asked, and Brown chuckled. "There's some pressure," Brown admitted, then added confidently, "and I have delivered again, I believe. I'm thrilled with this book."
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"The Lost Symbol" features the same Harvard symbologist, Robert Langdon, as "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons," though Brown's latest will likely spark less controversy than "The Da Vinci Code" did. According to the Reuters report the Freemasons (the subject of "The Lost Symbol") are welcoming the book, and hailing it as the work of a "terrific novelist."
...[W]hile the fictional story lines about conspiracy and the Catholic Church in "The Da Vinci Code" caused an uproar among some Catholics and drew censure from the Vatican, a senior representative of the Freemasons in Australia called "The Lost Symbol" the work of a "terrific novelist."
"We are very pleased, there is nothing in this book that will offend my organization. It does give us the opportunity to open it up a bit," said Greg Levenston, Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory for the Freemasons
The Freemasons are so excited about it, they have now started a book club. "Of course the first book we are reviewing is The Lost Symbol, I think it's a wonderful start," Levenston said.