Fans have been eagerly awaiting the follow-up to Dan Brown’s blockbuster novel, “The Da Vinci Code” for over six years. His new novel, “The Lost Symbol”, isn’t due out until September 15, but if the sales are anything to go by, this novel is on track to become another blockbuster for the author. It’s already ranked number one in sales at Amazon.com, pushing Mark Levin into the number two position and Stephanie Meyer into number three.

 

In “The Da Vinci Code”, Brown reintroduces us to Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon. The novel opens after the chief curator at the Louvre in Paris, Jacques Saunière, has been murdered, his body posed like Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawing, the Vitruvian Man. If that wasn’t puzzling enough, a pentacle has been drawn on Saunière’s stomach … in his own blood and a mysterious message is beside the body.

 

Langdon receives a late night call that draws him to the scene. With the help of the curator’s granddaughter, cryptographer Sophie Neveu, Langdon sets out on a quest to solve the mystery. The journey takes him from the halls of the Louvre, through France, to England and into history itself.

 

After such an adventure it’s hard not to wonder what Brown has up his sleeve for “The Lost Symbol”.

 

From the official Dan Brown website:

“This is a great day for readers and booksellers,” said Mehta. “The Lost Symbol” is a brilliant and compelling thriller. Dan Brown’s prodigious talent for storytelling, infused with history, codes and intrigue, is on full display in this new book. This is one of the most anticipated publications in recent history, and it was well worth the wait.”

 

Brown’s longtime editor, Jason Kaufman, Vice President and Executive Editor at Doubleday said, “Nothing ever is as it first appears in a Dan Brown novel. This book’s narrative takes place in a twelve-hour period, and from the first page, Dan’s readers will feel the thrill of discovery as they follow Robert Langdon through a masterful and unexpected new landscape. “The Lost Symbol” is full of surprises.”

 

Some interesting facts about Dan Brown’s novels:

·         “The Da Vinci Code” is the bestselling adult hardcover novel of all time. There are a staggering 81 million copies in print.

·         With a first print run of 5 million copies, “The Lost Symbol” has the highest first print run in Random House history.

·         Brown released three novels before The Da Vinci Code. Digital Fortress in 1998, Angels and Demons in 2000 (The film adaptation to Angels and Demons is due out on May 15), and Deception Point in 2001.

Ever wonder why women gain weight when they get in a relationship? Me too. What is up with that?

Case in point. I weighed 123 lbs when I met my boyfriend. I was svelt, slim and wearing a size 5. That was a pretty big deal for me since I’d lost about 40 lbs a year earlier. Well, fast forward another year and guess what…I didn’t gain it all back (I won’t let myself) but I did gain 13 lbs!!! WTF! How could I gain 13 friggin’ lbs? Yeah, I know, that only pubs me at 136 lbs, but that’s 11 more than I want.

So to combat this little hike in my weight I’ve implemented some changes in my life. No more eating after nine just because my boyfriend (a martial arts instructor who burns calories like a mad man) wants a late night snack. No more burgers at McDonalds or fried nuggets at Sonic. No more eating 10 million times a day just because he’s always hungry. And no more sitting around working on my computer for hours on end without getting up and doing something physical. It’s time I got my body back.

So, starting Monday I started each morning with a jog/squat thrust ritual. I take a break every few days to go on a brisk walk. Today I weigh 134 lbs. Only 9 more lbs to go till I get to 125 lbs (my ideal weight).

Anyone else experience this annoying phenomena?  

 

On the evening of August 20 I had the pleasure of seeing Barack Obama live at a local high school. When I heard, the day before, that Barack was coming to town I never imagined I’d be one of the lucky few who’d be able to score a ticket. Well, I never imagined such a thing would happen after I got over the fact that he was actually coming to town. What lottery did he lose, I wondered. LOL! Just kidding.

I got the ticket because a good friend of my boyfriend managed to secure two. Her husband didn’t want to go and she knew I wanted to, so she rang me up and invited me to tag along.

I got to the school around 4, Susie was there a little after three. When I arrived I was thunderstruck by how long the line to get in was. It ran down the front of the school and down the sidewalk out front. I figured in about an hour it would be curving around the school’s property. Since Susie had gotten there so early I got to walk to the near front of the line and wait with her.

The mood of everyone there was upbeat and excited. A few McCain supporters were passing out documents comparing the two candidates…which is to be expected. Not long after I arrived, the door opened and people were allowed in.

There was about an hour and a half wait once we were inside, and I couldn’t complain about that. Many people who hadn’t gotten there as early as us weren’t allowed in because the gym was full. When Barack arrived, however, he spent time outside with them.

A funny thing about that evening was how whenever the announcer introduced a speaker, everyone thought that speaker was going to be Obama. Everyone would leap to his/her feet and start cheering, only to be deflated when someone else’s name was announced. It was funny and sort of sad for those who were announced, but they didn’t seem to mind. There was an overall feeling of celebration in the air.

When Barack took to the stage the audience went crazy. With rolled up sleeves and an empty platform he walked and talked with everyone. He spoke for about 40 or 50 minutes then had a 25 minute question period after that. He covered topics like the economy, saying that at the end of President Clinton’s term per family income had risen $6000 but at the end of President Bush’s term people are making $1000 less than they were at the end of Clinton’s term. He reiterated how similar Bush and McCain’s economic and foreign policies are and stated what he would do to make college more affordable for people.

All in all it was a great night. I’m so grateful to Susie for taking me.

According to Forbes Magazine, Will Smith pulled in a cool $80 mill this year! Can you imagine making $80 million?!? I never thought I’d hear myself say this but I think that’s more money than I could spend.

Not doing too bad himself, Johnny Depp pulled in $72mil.

What would I do with that much money? I’d buy a house on a lake or on a beach. My dream house will look just like HGTV’s 2005 Dream House. I LOVE that house. I’d get a recording studio built into the house and a dojo for Andy. I’d have a library and….we’d take really cool vacations. And maybe I’d get a penthouse in Baltimore. Other than charities and investments for my descendants, I can’t think of anything else.

What would you do with $80 Million? 

So I hear everyone thought I fell off the side of the earth somewhere, never to be seen again. Nope! I could never stop writing. It took a little longer than I’d envisioned to get my life reorganized as a singleton. But a funny thing happened on the way to adjusting to single life…I fell in love. Funny how that happens when you least expect it.

Don’t you love this website, designed by Mari LaCroix (www.mariannelacroix.com). She designed it for a new series I’m writing. It’s an urban fantasy that takes place in 2098 and features a totally kick-ass heroine. I told Mari I wanted a city scape and to capture the kick-ass nature of my heroine. I think she got my meaning. The really funny thing is the city where my story takes place is covered in water. I didn’t tell her that, but she used an image of Baltimore (my former city) with a view of the Inner Harbor. It’s a water view & fits with my story perfectly.

Fans of Adrienne Kama will be sad to note that this book won’t have any sex in it. For sex you’re going to have to wait for the next Stella Rice installment. This book (my working title is The Book of the Dead) has enough action, though, to keep Stella fans occupied. It also has some pretty sexy male characters, so readers won’t be disappointed in that regard.

As for Stella Rice… For those of you who don’t know, there are a lot of shady things going on at New Concepts Publishing. It’s unfortunate because once upon a time they were a fantastic publisher. In any case, I don’t feel comfortable releasing any more books with them. The entire Stella Rice series will be moved to a different publisher as my contracts expire. By mid 2009 they’ll be moved to a larger publisher with a history of treating her authors well. In the mean time I may post an excerpt or two of the third installation here.