About Diana Metz

This is the part where I'm supposed to tell you about myself.

First, let me say I don't think I'm interesting enough to talk about.

That said…
I stared writing at 13 and have been writing steadily ever since. I'm glad to say my writing ability has improved greatly over the years. I've also learned, in the last 5 years, how to actually finish. Yes, like many writers out there, I have hundreds of pieces of unfinished work. Some of these UFWs are no more than a paragraph or a character sketch, some are quite long and boring. I've tried to keep all my work over the years just in case I wanted to use it later.

It was one of these UFWs that led to Talon and The Dragons of Crinnelia. Several years ago, one of my sons said he didn't have anything to read and couldn't find anything in the library that interested him. I volunteered to write a book for him. I dug up some of my old work and came up with bits and pieces that were glued together to produce a book about a young wizard and his dragon friend. My son liked it and I was hooked. I knew deep inside I had a bestseller on my hands (writers are often delusional).

Since my books have come out, I have often been asked to talk about myself. Personally, I think I'm very boring. I'm old enough to have kids older than the majority of my readers. I'm happily married. I live in a small, dusty town. I have, over the years, studied Accounting, History, Archaeology, and Chemistry. I don't know anyone famous. Boring.

Ok, here are a few non-boring things in my life:
I was a great substitute teacher. I let the students use any name they wanted in class, and showed them how to fold and fly paper airplanes. I put colored hole-reinforcers on their noses when they got their work done.

I let my kids jump on their beds and blow bubbles in their milk and play outside in the rain. We threw food at the table and stayed up all night watching movies. I watched cartoons with them and built castles with LEGOs. I made countless stuffed animals and wild pillow cases. When they got hooked on Pokemon I joined in and played cards and video games. I had a great childhood and made sure my kids did too.

I dress up in medieval garb at least once a week. I am part of a huge live-action role playing group called Amtgard. We fight with foam-covered graphite swords and cast magic with fabric-stuffed balls. My name is Lady Rayne and I live in the empire of the Iron Mountains. Though I rarely join in the battle games, I know how to handle swords, flails and pole arms.

Here are some answers to questions frequently asked when I visit classrooms:

I'm 43
I have 3 teenage kids.
I have two dogs.
I mainly write fantasy stories and books but also like to write sci-fi and drama.
David Eddings, Terry Pratchett, Madeline L'Engle, and Susan Cooper are my favorite authors.
So far, I don't make a lot of money as a writer.
My other job entails computers.
Graldiss is my favorite character and a witch named Bootha is my second favorite.
Yes, I plan on writing more Wizard / Dragon books.
Chocolate Mousse Royale is my favorite ice cream.

Any more questions? Ask away.

Visit Diana's writing blog here!