Best-selling author Dan Brown says writing his new book changed his mind about what happens after people die. Eight years after his last published book “Origin,” Brown released “The Secret of Secrets” last week. The American author is famous worldwide for writing “The Da Vinci Code.” In an interview with CTV Your Morning on Monday, he said he started writing his new book eight years ago when his mother died. During that time, he said he found himself asking: “What does happen when we die.” Brown said he previously believed there was “nothing” after death. But he uncovered scientific information while writing the book, which ultimately changed his mind about the subject. “I just spent eight years researching this topic talking to noetic scientists, physicists, philosophers and a lot of people who’ve had near-death experiences, and I’ve come out the other side with a totally different mindset on death,” Brown, 61, said. “I did not have a near-death experience. I’ve had no mystical or religious experiences. This is based purely on the science that is happening right now in the world of noetics and physics that is bubbling to the surface. It’s pretty exciting.” Noetic comes from the Greek term noesis or noētikos, meaning “inner wisdom” or intuition, according to the Institute of Noetic Sciences on its website. It also refers to philosophy, psychology and consciousness studies, the organization wrote. It may involve “deep insight or intuition beyond ordinary sensory perception,” the group added. In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Brown said he no longer fears death because of what he learned from researching his book. He was raised as a Christian, he told the news agency, but moved away from the organized religion as he got older. However, he said he has “always been spiritual.” “And now I do sense there’s something else. And that is from an intellectual standpoint,” he told The Associated Press. Brown said he likes tackling “big topics” in his books, and “The Secret of Secrets” is no different. In the new novel set in Prague, Robert Langdon, a recurring protagonist in Brown’s books, finds himself ensnared in mystery and adventure again. This time, the professor of symbology is in search of his love interest Katherine Solomon, a noetic scientist. After someone is murdered, Solomon mysteriously disappears along with her manuscript for a book that contains “startling” revelations about human consciousness. “There’s no bigger topic than human consciousness,” Brown told CTV Your Morning. “It is the lens through which we see the world. We react with other people through our consciousness. It’s how we perceive reality.” Brown has sold more than 250 million copies of his books worldwide, according to his U.S. publisher Penguin Random House. He said his latest novel, “The Secret of Secrets,” is his “most intricately plotted and ambitious novel” so far, AFP reported. Brown was a high school teacher before he gained global acclaim as the author of 2003’s “The Da Vinci Code.” Watch the video above for the full interview. With files from AFP and The Associated Press
