Diane Duane Author Study
Created | Updated Apr 14, 2003
Author Study
Chapter One
“In Life's name, and for Life's sake, I say that I will use the Art for nothing but the service of Life. I will guard growth and ease pain. I will fight to preserve what grows and lives well in its own way; and I will change no object or creature unless its growth and life, or that of the system of which it is part, are threatened. To these ends, in the practice of my Art, I will put aside fear for courage, and death for life, when it is right to do so---till Universe's end.”
--The Wizards Oath from So You Want To Be A Wizard
For my author study, I picked Diane Duane. She has written many science fiction and fantasy books, as well as other books and TV scripts. I picked her because I have been reading a series of books she has written: the Young Wizards series. The books in this series are some of my favorite and I will be analyzing the first book, So You Want To Be A Wizard, later in this report.
I will discuss Diane Duane’s life and writing career. I will also analyze a book that she has written. I decided to analyze So You Want To Be A Wizard because it is my favorite book in the series. It is a very interesting book about a girl named Nita who becomes a wizard. I suggest you read it.
Chapter Two
Diane Duane was born May 8 in 1952. Her father was Edward David. He was an aircraft engineer. Her mother was Elizabeth Kathryn. 1952 was a Chinese Year of the Dragon.
Diane Duane was raised in the New York suburbs. More specifically, she was raised in Nassau county, Long Island. This may explain why the Young Wizards series is set in New York (When it is not set somewhere in outer space). She attended Roosevelt Senior High, and graduated in 1970. She then went to Dowling College in Oakdale, NY, and later attended Pilgrim State Hospital School Of Nursing.
In 1974, Diane Duane became a registered nurse at Pilgrim State Hospital in Brentwood, NY. Between 1974 and 1976 she worked as a psychiatric nurse. She worked at Payne Whitney Clinic in New York. Between 1976 and 1980, because she had been told that she should publish her work, she was a writer’s assistant for a writer named David Gerrold. In 1978, she became a freelance writer and hasn’t stopped yet.
In 1980 Diane Duane moved to Pennsylvania. Then, in 1985, School Library Journal named Diane Duane’s Deep Wizardry one of its Best Books. Voice of Youth Advocates’ put Deep Wizardry on its list of best science fiction and fantasy titles for Young Adults in 1986. The Door into Shadow was also put on that list in 1986. This is simply more testimony that Diane Duane is a wonderful author.
Diane Duane has been married to Peter Morwood since 1987. Peter Morwood is also a writer. The year after they got married, the pair moved to Ireland. They sometimes work on books together. They even wrote a book on their honeymoon.
Today, Diane Duane and Peter Morwood “live in a townland set in the hills near the little Irish town of Baltinglass, along with four cats and four seriously overworked computers, in a recently renovated hundred-year-old cottage”. This is “an odd but congenial environment for the staging of space battles and the leisurely pursuit of total galactic domination.” Diane Duane likes to travel. This is made easier by going to lots of science fiction/fantasy conventions. Diane Duane enjoys cooking and web surfing. She likes to talk to readers and read other authors’ science fiction and fantasy books.
Chapter Three
It could be argued that Diane Duane’s writing career began at age 8. She began to write for her own enjoyment. She told a writer named David Gerrold that she wanted to become a writer. He “rolled his eyes when I told him I wanted to write, and said, 'Oh Lord, not another one' — and I was so furious I went off and wrote a novel.” This novel was The Door Into Fire, and it was first sold in 1979.
Over the course of her writing career, she has written 30 novels, including the Young Wizards series that many people like. She has also written two books about cat wizards that actually coexist with Nita and Kit in the world of the Young Wizards series. A complete list of Diane Duane’s books can be found at http://www.owlsprings.com/dbibl.htm.
Saying that many people like the Young Wizards is an understatement. There are so many fan web sites out there that it is almost impossible to find any useful information. Just typing “Diane Duane” into Google yields over one hundred thousand results. Most of the time that I spent taking notes for this report was spent sorting though the deluge of fan sites for good reviews and biographies. However, I did find them.
Diane Duane has written extensively for TV. She has written at least 50 TV scripts. Many of these scripts were for shows like My Little Pony, Transformers, and Spiderman. She has also written for Batman and Scooby Doo. She has worked with the people at Star Trek on a number of occasions.
The Door Into Fire got Diane Duane nominated for the John W. Campbell award for best new Sci-fi/Fantasy writer in the business two years in a row. Diane Duane has written or co-written several Star Trek and Net Force books. Some of her Star Trek novels are New York Times Bestsellers. What an achievement!
I wouldn’t be surprised if Diane Duane received more awards. She is currently working on “the completion of the first Middle Kingdoms series (with THE DOOR INTO STARLIGHT), the seventh "Young Wizards" novel (WIZARD'S HOLIDAY), and the completion of her present Star Trek/"Rihannsu" sequence of novels (THE EMPTY CHAIR).”
I think that Diane Duane is one of the best writers in the world. Over this prolific and successful career, she has produced 30 novels, 50 TV scripts, and a lot of fans. Diane Duane is a very good author. People love the books that she has written over her writing career.
Chapter Four
For my author study, I chose to analyze So You Want To Be A Wizard. It is the first book in the Young Wizards series. The book is about a girl named Nita. One day, when running away from a bully, she hides in the children’s section of the library. While running her hand along the shelf, she finds a book that she has never seen before. This is very odd, considering that she has read almost every book in the library.
The book is part of a series on careers. It is a “So You Want To Be A” book. All the books in the series were titled things like So You Want To Be A Scientist, So You Want To Be A Writer. But this book was odd. It said So You Want To Be A Wizard. Nita opens the book, reads the oath inside it, and, after a brief stop in New York, is sent romping around in another universe with her new friend Kit, trying to retrieve The Book of Night with Moon. It is interesting to note that The Book of Night with Moon is also the title of another book that Diane Duane has written.
According to a book reviewer named George T. Dodds, The whole Young Wizards series has detailed settings and the general tone on the Internet is that So You Want To Be A Wizard is a good book. Another reviewer, named William Greenson, says that So You Want To Be A Wizard is too short, but is part of a series, which makes up for that in my opinion. While looking for a book in the library, he was intrigued by something about So You Want To Be A Wizard. The reviewer likes the philosophical ideas in the book, as well as how a realistic New York and wizardry form a very interesting combination. The reviewer recommends the book.
I agree with him. I love the book, especially how the magic that the characters work is almost a science, with coordinates and equations. I also like how titles of books that Diane Duane has written come up in this book. This is one of my favorite books. It is, in my opinion, the best book in the Young Wizards series. Diane Duane is a remarkable writer. She has taken impossible worlds and made them real, and at the same time, she has knocked what we believe real right out of our heads.
Diane Duane has a very unique writing style. The book seems funny one moment and terribly philosophical the next. She often writes cryptically. For example, in So You Want To Be A Wizard, there is a passage in the prologue that seems to be one of Nita’s dreams. She seems to talk to someone she knows, or knew, but Diane Duane gives no explanation. She also likes to put quotes at the beginning of the book. Sometimes she says that the quotes are from The Book Of Night With Moon, but I do not know if she means that they are from the book that she has written or the book she writes about. But, these are some of the things that make me love her books, and I wouldn’t change them if I could.
Chapter Five
In my author study, I have covered the life and career of Diane Duane. I picked her because I have read the Young Wizards series she has written. I like the series. It is about two normal teenagers in modern times, who happen to be wizards. Anyway, I picked Diane Duane because I enjoy reading her work.
In this report, I also did a review of a book. I chose to review So You Want To Be A Wizard. This book is the first in the Young Wizards series that I like so much. I picked this book because it is one of my favorites. It is interesting, exciting, and highly recommended. I really enjoy it.
Diane Duane has had an interesting 24-year career. Over her career, she has written many books for adults and children and at least 50 TV scripts a list of her books can be found at http://www.owlsprings.com/dbibl.htm. I have reviewed a book, given a biography of Diane Duane, and described her writing career. I hope that this answers any questions you have about Diane Duane
Bibliography
“Amazon.com Author Interview” Online. Internet. Available: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/show-interview/d-d-uaneianee/104- 7668166-0255948
“Interview: with Diane Duane (and Peter Morwood)” Online. Internet. Available: http://www.casfs.org/connote/features/interview/dianedpeterminterview.html
“Meisha Merlin Publications - Diane Duane Biography”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.meishamerlin.com/DianeDuane.html
“September: Diane Duane”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.angelfire.com/ok2/atlantica564/authors/duane.html
“SF > reviews > Diane Duane”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www- users.cs.york.ac.uk/~susan/sf/books/d/duane.htm
“So You Want To Be A Wizard”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.kidzworld.com/site/p1178.htm
“The Owl Springs Partnership: Homeward: Diane Duane's biography”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.owlsprings.com/dbio.htm
Dodds, Georges T. “The SF Site Featured Review: The Young Wizards Series”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.sfsite.com/09b/yw112.htm
Elain, Quinn. “So You Want to Be a Wizard - Diane Duane Review – ‘‘I am the Molten Heart of the World!’’”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/books_magazines/print_books/so_you_want_to_be_a_ wizard_diane_duane/_review/351598/
Greenson, William. “And the Fate of Entropy hung in the Wake”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.epinions.com/content_48256487044
Hedbald, Alan, ed. Something About The Author: Vol. 95. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998.
Kletcha, Anne. “Phoenix Convention (P-Con): Guest Profile : Diane Duane”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.slovobooks.com/phoenix/guest_profile_duane.html
McFadden, Kathleen. “Diane Duane” Online. Internet. Available: http://writetools.com/women/stories/duane_diane.html
Williamson, Hilary. “BookLoons Teens Reviews: So You Want to Be a Wizard” Online. Internet. Available: http://www.bookloons.com/Database/Teens_Review_of_So_You_Want_to_Be_a _Wizard_by_Duane.html
Chapter One
“In Life's name, and for Life's sake, I say that I will use the Art for nothing but the service of Life. I will guard growth and ease pain. I will fight to preserve what grows and lives well in its own way; and I will change no object or creature unless its growth and life, or that of the system of which it is part, are threatened. To these ends, in the practice of my Art, I will put aside fear for courage, and death for life, when it is right to do so---till Universe's end.”
--The Wizards Oath from So You Want To Be A Wizard
For my author study, I picked Diane Duane. She has written many science fiction and fantasy books, as well as other books and TV scripts. I picked her because I have been reading a series of books she has written: the Young Wizards series. The books in this series are some of my favorite and I will be analyzing the first book, So You Want To Be A Wizard, later in this report.
I will discuss Diane Duane’s life and writing career. I will also analyze a book that she has written. I decided to analyze So You Want To Be A Wizard because it is my favorite book in the series. It is a very interesting book about a girl named Nita who becomes a wizard. I suggest you read it.
Chapter Two
Diane Duane was born May 8 in 1952. Her father was Edward David. He was an aircraft engineer. Her mother was Elizabeth Kathryn. 1952 was a Chinese Year of the Dragon.
Diane Duane was raised in the New York suburbs. More specifically, she was raised in Nassau county, Long Island. This may explain why the Young Wizards series is set in New York (When it is not set somewhere in outer space). She attended Roosevelt Senior High, and graduated in 1970. She then went to Dowling College in Oakdale, NY, and later attended Pilgrim State Hospital School Of Nursing.
In 1974, Diane Duane became a registered nurse at Pilgrim State Hospital in Brentwood, NY. Between 1974 and 1976 she worked as a psychiatric nurse. She worked at Payne Whitney Clinic in New York. Between 1976 and 1980, because she had been told that she should publish her work, she was a writer’s assistant for a writer named David Gerrold. In 1978, she became a freelance writer and hasn’t stopped yet.
In 1980 Diane Duane moved to Pennsylvania. Then, in 1985, School Library Journal named Diane Duane’s Deep Wizardry one of its Best Books. Voice of Youth Advocates’ put Deep Wizardry on its list of best science fiction and fantasy titles for Young Adults in 1986. The Door into Shadow was also put on that list in 1986. This is simply more testimony that Diane Duane is a wonderful author.
Diane Duane has been married to Peter Morwood since 1987. Peter Morwood is also a writer. The year after they got married, the pair moved to Ireland. They sometimes work on books together. They even wrote a book on their honeymoon.
Today, Diane Duane and Peter Morwood “live in a townland set in the hills near the little Irish town of Baltinglass, along with four cats and four seriously overworked computers, in a recently renovated hundred-year-old cottage”. This is “an odd but congenial environment for the staging of space battles and the leisurely pursuit of total galactic domination.” Diane Duane likes to travel. This is made easier by going to lots of science fiction/fantasy conventions. Diane Duane enjoys cooking and web surfing. She likes to talk to readers and read other authors’ science fiction and fantasy books.
Chapter Three
It could be argued that Diane Duane’s writing career began at age 8. She began to write for her own enjoyment. She told a writer named David Gerrold that she wanted to become a writer. He “rolled his eyes when I told him I wanted to write, and said, 'Oh Lord, not another one' — and I was so furious I went off and wrote a novel.” This novel was The Door Into Fire, and it was first sold in 1979.
Over the course of her writing career, she has written 30 novels, including the Young Wizards series that many people like. She has also written two books about cat wizards that actually coexist with Nita and Kit in the world of the Young Wizards series. A complete list of Diane Duane’s books can be found at http://www.owlsprings.com/dbibl.htm.
Saying that many people like the Young Wizards is an understatement. There are so many fan web sites out there that it is almost impossible to find any useful information. Just typing “Diane Duane” into Google yields over one hundred thousand results. Most of the time that I spent taking notes for this report was spent sorting though the deluge of fan sites for good reviews and biographies. However, I did find them.
Diane Duane has written extensively for TV. She has written at least 50 TV scripts. Many of these scripts were for shows like My Little Pony, Transformers, and Spiderman. She has also written for Batman and Scooby Doo. She has worked with the people at Star Trek on a number of occasions.
The Door Into Fire got Diane Duane nominated for the John W. Campbell award for best new Sci-fi/Fantasy writer in the business two years in a row. Diane Duane has written or co-written several Star Trek and Net Force books. Some of her Star Trek novels are New York Times Bestsellers. What an achievement!
I wouldn’t be surprised if Diane Duane received more awards. She is currently working on “the completion of the first Middle Kingdoms series (with THE DOOR INTO STARLIGHT), the seventh "Young Wizards" novel (WIZARD'S HOLIDAY), and the completion of her present Star Trek/"Rihannsu" sequence of novels (THE EMPTY CHAIR).”
I think that Diane Duane is one of the best writers in the world. Over this prolific and successful career, she has produced 30 novels, 50 TV scripts, and a lot of fans. Diane Duane is a very good author. People love the books that she has written over her writing career.
Chapter Four
For my author study, I chose to analyze So You Want To Be A Wizard. It is the first book in the Young Wizards series. The book is about a girl named Nita. One day, when running away from a bully, she hides in the children’s section of the library. While running her hand along the shelf, she finds a book that she has never seen before. This is very odd, considering that she has read almost every book in the library.
The book is part of a series on careers. It is a “So You Want To Be A” book. All the books in the series were titled things like So You Want To Be A Scientist, So You Want To Be A Writer. But this book was odd. It said So You Want To Be A Wizard. Nita opens the book, reads the oath inside it, and, after a brief stop in New York, is sent romping around in another universe with her new friend Kit, trying to retrieve The Book of Night with Moon. It is interesting to note that The Book of Night with Moon is also the title of another book that Diane Duane has written.
According to a book reviewer named George T. Dodds, The whole Young Wizards series has detailed settings and the general tone on the Internet is that So You Want To Be A Wizard is a good book. Another reviewer, named William Greenson, says that So You Want To Be A Wizard is too short, but is part of a series, which makes up for that in my opinion. While looking for a book in the library, he was intrigued by something about So You Want To Be A Wizard. The reviewer likes the philosophical ideas in the book, as well as how a realistic New York and wizardry form a very interesting combination. The reviewer recommends the book.
I agree with him. I love the book, especially how the magic that the characters work is almost a science, with coordinates and equations. I also like how titles of books that Diane Duane has written come up in this book. This is one of my favorite books. It is, in my opinion, the best book in the Young Wizards series. Diane Duane is a remarkable writer. She has taken impossible worlds and made them real, and at the same time, she has knocked what we believe real right out of our heads.
Diane Duane has a very unique writing style. The book seems funny one moment and terribly philosophical the next. She often writes cryptically. For example, in So You Want To Be A Wizard, there is a passage in the prologue that seems to be one of Nita’s dreams. She seems to talk to someone she knows, or knew, but Diane Duane gives no explanation. She also likes to put quotes at the beginning of the book. Sometimes she says that the quotes are from The Book Of Night With Moon, but I do not know if she means that they are from the book that she has written or the book she writes about. But, these are some of the things that make me love her books, and I wouldn’t change them if I could.
Chapter Five
In my author study, I have covered the life and career of Diane Duane. I picked her because I have read the Young Wizards series she has written. I like the series. It is about two normal teenagers in modern times, who happen to be wizards. Anyway, I picked Diane Duane because I enjoy reading her work.
In this report, I also did a review of a book. I chose to review So You Want To Be A Wizard. This book is the first in the Young Wizards series that I like so much. I picked this book because it is one of my favorites. It is interesting, exciting, and highly recommended. I really enjoy it.
Diane Duane has had an interesting 24-year career. Over her career, she has written many books for adults and children and at least 50 TV scripts a list of her books can be found at http://www.owlsprings.com/dbibl.htm. I have reviewed a book, given a biography of Diane Duane, and described her writing career. I hope that this answers any questions you have about Diane Duane
Bibliography
“Amazon.com Author Interview” Online. Internet. Available: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/show-interview/d-d-uaneianee/104- 7668166-0255948
“Interview: with Diane Duane (and Peter Morwood)” Online. Internet. Available: http://www.casfs.org/connote/features/interview/dianedpeterminterview.html
“Meisha Merlin Publications - Diane Duane Biography”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.meishamerlin.com/DianeDuane.html
“September: Diane Duane”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.angelfire.com/ok2/atlantica564/authors/duane.html
“SF > reviews > Diane Duane”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www- users.cs.york.ac.uk/~susan/sf/books/d/duane.htm
“So You Want To Be A Wizard”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.kidzworld.com/site/p1178.htm
“The Owl Springs Partnership: Homeward: Diane Duane's biography”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.owlsprings.com/dbio.htm
Dodds, Georges T. “The SF Site Featured Review: The Young Wizards Series”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.sfsite.com/09b/yw112.htm
Elain, Quinn. “So You Want to Be a Wizard - Diane Duane Review – ‘‘I am the Molten Heart of the World!’’”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/books_magazines/print_books/so_you_want_to_be_a_ wizard_diane_duane/_review/351598/
Greenson, William. “And the Fate of Entropy hung in the Wake”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.epinions.com/content_48256487044
Hedbald, Alan, ed. Something About The Author: Vol. 95. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998.
Kletcha, Anne. “Phoenix Convention (P-Con): Guest Profile : Diane Duane”. Online. Internet. Available: http://www.slovobooks.com/phoenix/guest_profile_duane.html
McFadden, Kathleen. “Diane Duane” Online. Internet. Available: http://writetools.com/women/stories/duane_diane.html
Williamson, Hilary. “BookLoons Teens Reviews: So You Want to Be a Wizard” Online. Internet. Available: http://www.bookloons.com/Database/Teens_Review_of_So_You_Want_to_Be_a _Wizard_by_Duane.html
