Diana Wynne Jones was born on August 16, 1934, in London, England. Her philosophy of writing for young people developed from the unpleasantness of her childhood. Besides being displaced several times after 1939 because of the onset of World War II, Jones was forced to endure parental neglect. By 1943, when her parents settled in rural Essex to manage a conference/cultural center, they chose to reside apart from their three daughters.

Fire and Hemlock, 1984 Howl's Moving Castle, 1986 A Tale of Time City, 1987 The Lives of Christopher Chant, 1988 Chair Person, 1989 Wild Robert, 1989 Aunt Maria (also published as Black Maria), 1991 Castle in the Air, 1991 Yes, Dear, 1992 The Crown of Dalemark, 1993 Stopping for a Spell, 1993 Hexwood, 1994The girls were housed in an uncomfortable two-room hut and often had to go without reading because their father refused to supply enough books. Jones turned to writing her own stories.

After she was...