Blythe Brown

Blythe Newlon Brown (born c. 1952) is an American writer and illustrator, and a collaborator on bestselling novels with her husband Dan Brown. During a plagiarism trial in England in March 2006, it was revealed that she is one of the primary researchers for the art and history in his novels, such as "The Da Vinci Code".

Biography

Newlon was born in Palmdale, California. She lived and worked in Los Angeles, where she was director of artistic development for the National Academy of Songwriters. It was there that she met Dan Brown, a struggling artist 12 years her junior, who was working as a Spanish teacher at Beverly Hills Preparatory School and trying to write some songs. She took on the unusual task of promoting his work, writing press releases for him, and setting up meetings with people who could be helpful to his career.

When Brown moved back to his hometown in New Hampshire in 1993, Newlon accompanied him. They were married in 1997 at Pea Porridge Pond, a remote location near Conway, New Hampshire.

In interviews, Brown has said that his wife is an "art historian" and "painter".Fact|date=October 2008 Newlon is also credited as illustrator for "The Bald Book".

Newlon occasionally appears with her husband in various films. In the 2005 film "Be Cool", they are in the front row of the audience at the Aerosmith concert, and both are in the background of the booksigning scene of the film "The Da Vinci Code".

Da Vinci Code trial

In 2006, Brown's husband was involved in a plagiarism trial in England, where he was accused of having stolen elements of the book "Holy Blood Holy Grail" for the novel "The Da Vinci Code". Blythe Brown's name came up several times during the trial, as one of the chief researchers for her husband's novel. However, she never appeared herself at the trial, and her non-appearance was criticized by the judge when he issued his ruling.cite web |url=http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/judgmentsfiles/j4008/baigent_v_rhg_0406.htm |title=High Court Judgment |publisher=Royal Courts of Justice |accessdate=2008-10-05] Dan Brown, who eventually won the case, said that he was able to answer any questions that could be put to her and that he did not want to trouble her with attendance.

Works

Newlon and her husband collaborated on several works, with the listed authors being either one of the two of them, or a pseudonym. Specific works where Newlon was credited include:

* Dan Brown, "Angels & Demons", 1994 (Blythe is thanked by her husband for "being my tireless co-writer, coproducer, second engineer, significant other, and therapist.")
* Danielle Brown (pseudonym), "187 Men to Avoid: A Survival Guide for the Romantically Frustrated Woman", 1995, Berkley Publishing Group (co-written with husband Dan Brown [Rogak] ). ISBN 0-425-14783-5
* Blythe Brown, "The Bald Book", 1998, Pinnacle Books, ISBN 0-7860-0519-X (written and illustrated by Blythe Brown)

Notes

References

* Rogak, Lisa. "The Man Behind the Da Vinci Code - an Unauthorized Biography of Dan Brown", 2005, Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 0-7407-5642-7
* "The Guardian", March 12, 2006, [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1729079,00.html "How Dan Brown's wife unlocked the code to bestseller success"]
* "The Age" (Australia), March 16, 2006, [http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/da-vinci-author-finds-his-marriage-on-trial/2006/03/15/1142098528960.html?page=2# "Da Vinci author finds his marriage on trial"]
*

External links

* [http://phillips.exeter.edu/ei/news/news_danbrown.html "Da Vinci Code Dad Named in Multimillion-Dollar Gift"] , November 1, 2004, "The Exeter Initiatives" (includes photo of Blythe)