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London - Author Dan Brown revealed yesterday that a punishing work regime and a determined wife are key parts of the formula that produced the block-buster "The Da Vinci Code." In a 69 page witness statement he gave a detailed picture of his unusual literary routine, saying he writes seven days week starting at 4 a.m., using an antique hourglass to remind him to take a break and do push-ups and sit-ups every hour."I find it helps to keep the blood (and ideas) flowing," the statement says.

Brown, 41, of Exeter, N.H., also took the stand in High Court yesterday to reject charges by authors Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, who are suing his British publisher, that he had copied the central themes of their 1982 book, "Holy Blood, Holy Grail." Both books explore theories - dismissed by theologians - that Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute but Jesus' wife and that the couple had a child. The author, son of a boarding school math teacher who passed on a fascination with secret codes, said he wrote the main outline for "The Da Vinci Code" at his parents; house "inside this tiny laundry room, sitting on a lawn chair that had been set up at a makeshift desk made out of an ironing board." His wife wasn't in court, but her presence loomed large all the same.

Brown freely acknowledged he was flopping as a song writer when he met Blythe, who is 12 years older. She pitched "187 Men to Avoid." a book he had writen about bizarre characters in Los Angeles, to literary agents and was published under a pseudonym Danielle Brown.

Later she helped organize his publicity and did much of his research.

"I am not much of a details person, I lke the big ideas," Brown said under cross-examination. His wife "was reading entire books, highlighting exciting ideas and urging me to read the materials myself and find ways to work the ideas into the plot." He said she first told him that Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute.

He vehemently denies copyright infringement, saying that he was "astounded" by the suit over his 2003 novel, which has sold 40 million copies worldwide. He never even finished "Holy Blood, Holy Grail," he said, and had written the outline of the book" The Da Vinci Code" before ever looking at the earlier book.

Though his wife's role was the focus of the discussion yesterday, Brown protested that he is his own man. "I most certainly do not do everything my wife tells me to do," he told a jam-packed courtroom.