Photographer: Norah Burrows
Diana R. Chambers was born with a book in one hand and a passport in the other. Her first explorations were in the library, plotting adventures on her world globe. She studied Asian art history at university, worked at a Paris translation agency, and began a handicrafts export business in India…which, serendipitously, led to Hollywood costuming. She was enthralled by the magic of creating worlds, and one of her first scripts was optioned for film. She wrote for several years on a Canadian/French/American detective series in Toronto and Paris. Since then, she has written four novels, including The Star of India, from Penguin Random House India. Her latest, The Secret War of Julia Child, was inspired by Julia’s OSS service in WWII India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and China. Published by Sourcebooks, it was an instant international bestseller and named a Best Book of 2024 by People and The Washington Post.
Diana lives with her family in Northern California and Aix-en-Provence, France. She continues to follow her stories around the world and back in time. For more on her books and research travels, visit her archived blog; you may also find her at Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter, and Facebook.
