Nobles of the Mystic Shrine*

We’ve been staying pretty close to home base these days. We’re editing the SCi about why we need to believe in “the other”, working on the website, organizing the November conference and generally messing about in boats, so to speak. But of course, the elephant in the room is Dan Brown’s Lost Symbol coming out in September. The glare of a very large spotlight will soon hit us squarely in the face as people await Simon’s next best-selling companion book. The publishers expect Simon’s manuscript on their desk two weeks after Brown’s book is released. Simon won’t be getting a sneak peek or advance copy. He will simply read Brown’s book on September 15 and then work non-stop to create the unauthorized, authoritative guide in 14 short days. They want Decoding the Lost Symbol on the shelves by November 1. Oh my. Can old school publishing somehow meet the new media demands of instant mass distribution?

Simon is back in the UK right now. Sort of “in training” for the writing process. He’s been reading every book he can get his hands on that might relate to the many hints Brown’s publisher has been releasing regarding the mysterious subject matter. Freemasonry, the Founding Fathers, symbols and maps, clues and imagery – all centered in Washington, DC, the most symbol-filled city in the US. Simon reads and summarizes and cross-references and fills book margins with his own illegible “symbols” that will help him quickly create Decoding.

Of course, I’m trying to be supportive but I’m following my usual pattern of getting completely ahead of myself. I’m totally distracted by what I’m pretty sure is going to be a super fun production for Unlocking the Lost Symbol’s DVD.

See, I love Washington, DC. I get all caught up in the history and the beauty and the, well, symbolism of the place. I was a snare drummer in my high school and college marching bands, so I know all those John Phillip Sousa marches* backwards and forwards – the minute I step onto the National Mall, the piccolo part from “Stars and Stripes Forever” starts whistling through my head, and I can’t stop smiling.

I joined Henu Productions because it provided the opportunity to learn about subjects and visit places that I find deliciously evocative and enticing. Cairo and Kabul. Tiahuanaco and Taklamakan. Wewelsburg and Washington. Atlantis and Area 51. Oh, right, Area 51. Back to the editing room for SCi’s “Little Green Men and Other Strange Beliefs.” But soon, we’ll cross the Potomac…