Diana J. Gabaldon (b. January 11, 1952 in Arizona) is an American author of Mexican-American and English ancestry , best known for the Outlander Series. Her books contain elements of romantic fiction, historical fiction, mystery, adventure, and science fiction.

Diana J. Gabaldon was born on January 11, 1952, in Arizona, (U.S.A.). Her father, Tony Gabaldon (1931–1998) was an Arizona state senator from Flagstaff.[1]. Her mother's family were originally from Yorkshire (England).

Gabaldon grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona. 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, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 1973–1975, and a Ph.D. in Ecology from Northern Arizona University, 1975-1978. Gabaldon received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL) degree from Northern Arizona University in 2007.

As a full-time assistant professor in the Center for Environmental Studies at Arizona State University in the 1980s, Gabaldon did research, was a scientific computing and database expert, and taught university classes in anatomy and other subjects. She was the founding editor of Science Software Quarterly. During the mid-1980s, Gabaldon wrote computer articles and software reviews for national computer publications such as Byte magazine, PC Magazine, and InfoWorld.

Sam Heughan was born in New Galloway, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, in 1980. He is an actor who studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.

He was nominated for a 2003 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Most Promising Newcomer of 2002 for his performance in Outlying Islands performed at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs.

In 2009, Sam landed the role as semi-regular Scott Nielson the boyfriend of Nurse Cherry Malone and secret drug dealer in the BBC soap opera, Doctors.

Sam is currently playing Tennent's Lager creator Hugh Tennent in a series of adverts.