Diana Gabaldon

Born on January 11, 1952, in Williams, Arizona, Diana Gabaldon began her professional life with a strong scientific background. She earned a Bachelor of Science in zoology from Northern Arizona University (1970–1973), a Master of Science in marine biology from the University of California, San Diego (1973–1975), and a PhD in behavioral ecology from Northern Arizona University (1975–1978). For 12 years, she served as a professor specializing in scientific computation at Arizona State University, where she also founded and edited “Science Software Quarterly” in 1984. During the 1980s, Gabaldon contributed software reviews, technical articles, and popular science pieces to various publications, including Disney comics.

Her writing career began in 1988 when she started a novel for practice, initially without the intent of publication. Inspired by a ‘Doctor Who’ episode, she set her story in mid-18th century Scotland, featuring a time-traveling Englishwoman. This novel, initially titled “Cross Stitch,” became “Outlander” upon its US publication in 1991. The success of “Outlander” led to a three-book deal, prompting Gabaldon to leave her academic career to become a full-time author. The Outlander series blends historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure, and science fiction/fantasy elements, gaining international acclaim and being translated into 24 languages across 27 countries by 2012. Her work has earned significant recognition, including the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award for Best Romance of 1991 for “Outlander” and a #1 spot on The New York Times Hardcover Fiction Best-Seller List for “A Breath of Snow and Ashes” in 2005, which also won a Quill Award for Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror.

Gabaldon continued to expand the Outlander universe with nine main series novels, graphic novels, and the spin-off Lord John series, which focuses on a secondary character from the main novels. The television adaptation of the Outlander series premiered on Starz in 2014, for which Gabaldon serves as a paid consultant and has written episodes, including “Vengeance Is Mine” (2016). Her latest main series installment, “Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone,” was published in 2021, and she is currently working on the tenth and final book in the main series, titled “A Blessing for a Warrior Going Out.” Her literary contributions have been acknowledged with awards such as the National Trust for Scotland’s “Great Scot” award and the St. Andrew’s Society of Los Angeles & Southern California “Robert Burns Lifetime Achievement Award.”