Diana Gabaldon is a Mexican-American author best known for her critically acclaimed Outlander series of books. A television adaptation of the series based on this book debuted in 2014 on Starz. Her books combine romance, historical fiction, science fiction, mystery, and fantasy elements. Diana is also admired for her outstanding work in books and various collections of short fiction. She and Nora Roberts are both Quill Award winners.
Quick Facts
| Celebrated Name: | Diana Gabaldon |
| Real Name/Full Name: | Diana Gabaldon |
| Gender: | Female |
| Age: | 70 years old |
| Birth Date: | January 11, 1952 |
| Birth Place: | Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 5 ft 3 inches |
| Weight: | 50 kg |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Husband/Spouse (Name): | Doug Watkins |
| Children/Kids (Son and Daughter): | Sam Sykes (son) Two daughters |
| Dating/Boyfriend (Name): | N/A |
| Is Diana Gabaldon Lesbian?: | No |
| Profession: | Novelist, Professor |
| Salary: | NA |
| Net Worth in 2024: | $110 Million |
Diana Gabaldon Biography
Diana Gabaldon was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, in the United States. Tony Gabaldon (father) and Jacqueline Sykes (mother) raised her (mother). Her father had been an Arizona state senator for sixteen years. He later became a Coconino County supervisor. Her father was of Mexican descent, while her mother was of American ancestry.
Diana grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona. She earned her bachelor’s degree in science (zoology) from Northern Arizona University between 1970 and 1973. She earned her post-graduate degree in marine biology from California University between 1973 and 1975. She earned her Ph.D. in behavioral ecology from Northern Arizona University between 1975 and 1978.
Diana Gabaldon Age, Height, Weight
Diana Gabaldon was born on January 11, 1952. She is 70 years old as of 2024. Her height is 5 feet 3 inches, and she weighs 50 kg.
Career
Diana Gabaldon began her career in 1984 when she was appointed as the publishing supervisor of Science Software Quarterly. She was working at Arizona State University’s Environmental Studies Center. She also wrote technical articles and software reviews for software publications, as well as famous Disney comics and science articles, in the mid-1980s. She decided to write full-time after working as a professor of scientific computation at Arizona State University for twelve years.
Diana intended to write a novel “practice, just to learn how” in 1988. She was writing for herself and had no intention of making money from it. She wanted to write a historical novel but lacked the necessary background and experience.
Jamie McCrimmon, a seventeen-year-old man, inspired her to create the novel’s main male character, “James Fraser.” She used time travel to explain the female character’s modern attitude and behavior in the novel.
She researched the ancient lifestyle through books while writing the novel when the Internet / “World Wide Web” did not exist. She researched through an extensive array of books to make her novel as real, impactful, and genuine as possible, as there was no online repository of information “Like Google.” Diana shared a brief excerpt from her work on the CompuServe Literary Forum. John E. Stith, a well-known author at the time, noticed it and introduced Diana to literary agent “Perry Knowlton,” who gave it the name “Cross Stitch.”
The British publishers planning to publish her first book changed the title to Outlander. In London, however, the book was released under its original title. According to Diana, her American publishers liked the title “Cross Stitch,” but one of them cleared it, stating that they changed the title because the former appeared to be more of an embroidery. They wanted to give the book a more exciting title, so they changed it from “Cross Stitch” to “Outlander.”
When her second book was completed, she resigned from her faculty position at Arizona State University to pursue writing full-time. This was when she decided to become a full-time author. The Outlander series had eight published novels as of 2014. In 2010, she also released “The Exile.”
Diana Gabaldon Achievements and Awards
Diana Gabaldon is honored for her contributions to the Outlander book series. Because of the success of this series, a television adaptation was created and released in 2014. The general public liked it as well. In addition to this series, Diana is well-known for her short fiction and books.
Diana Gabaldon’s Net Worth In 2024
Diana Gabaldon is a well-known professional novelist who earns a living from publishing her novels and books, most of which are based on fiction and fantasy. She has made the majority of her money through her novels. As of February 2024, her net worth is estimated to be $110 million.
Diana is a successful novelist who has carved out a niche in the industry with her outstanding books and novels, which are still read and appreciated by people.
Diana Gabaldon Husband, Marriage
Diana Gabaldon is the wife of Doug Watkins. She has three grown children, one son and two daughters. Her son is also a fantasy writer. She currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona, with her husband.
