Author remains a mystery amid all the novel’s hoopla

Scripps Howard News Service Takes A Peak at Dan Brown. So who is novelist Dan Brown? How will his beliefs affect “The Da Vinci Code” movie that will roll _ tsunami style _ into thousands of theaters next weekend?

It’s hard to answer these questions, because Brown rarely agrees to serious interviews. Entertainment Weekly recently resorted to running a feature entitled “10 Things We Learned About Dan Brown From His Recent Trial.”

Who is Dan Brown? He grew up in the Episcopal Church and was a regular at church camps. His mother was a church musician. His father taught mathematics at Phillips Exeter Academy, so Brown lived and studied there before going to Amherst College. During his college years, as often happens, Brown veered away from faith.