On March 26th, 2011 the world of fantasy literature lost a tremendous talent. Diana Wynne Jones, beloved by readers and writers of all ages, was writing about wizards and magic before Harry Potter and with so much "wit and warmth" that her death caused great mourning all over the world. The Guardian, The Christian Science Monitor, The New York Times and the School Library Journal paid tribute to her. Many writers did as well, because for both those who knew her and forthose who did not her life's work was something that affected them quite personally.

We, here at the Inkpot, were also personally saddened by Diana Wynne Jones' death. In our small way, we thought we'd put together a tribute of our own to her. The following are memories of how Diana Wynne Jones affected our lives. How did she affect yours?

Deva Fagan: I would be a different writer today if I had never read DOGSBODY and WITCH WEEK and CART AND CWIDDER when I was a kid. Those were the three Diana Wynne Jones books my local library had so at the time I assumed they were the only books she had written (I was too shy to ask the librarian and this was before the internet and inter-library loan). But I made up for it by reading each of them many, many times! They showed me that a single writer can make you laugh until you cry, and cry until you laugh. That a book can mix the most mundane parts of life with the most sublime. Plus they introduced me to the most horrid boarding school food you can imagine. In fact, I blame WITCH WEEK for squashing any aspirations to attend a magical boarding school that I might otherwise have cherished. Not if I had to eat prawns in custard! To me, the most marvelous and magical thing about the stories of Diana Wynne Jones is how they weave all these disparate threads of life together: humor, absurdity, love, hope, terror, tragedy, sacrifice, joy. I look at her books (I've discovered there are, ahem, a few more of them out there) on my shelf to inspire me to reach for that same richness.

Leah Cypess: Diana Wynne Jones was my first "favorite" author -- the first author whose
books I looked for in the library regardless of whether they were part of a series. When I was old enough to buy books, one of the first things I did was set out to acquire a complete collection of every book she had ever written.

When I was younger, my favorite Diana Wynne Jones books were "The Ogre Downstairs," "Charmed Life," and "The Lives of Christopher Chant." But a couple of years ago, I reread "Dogsbody," and was blown away by elements of the book I had missed as a child -- the subtle and original mythology, the heartwrenching story of the main human character, the rolling-on-the-floor humor, and the sly and incisive commentary about blindness in relationships. Most of all, I'm stunned by the seamless way Diana Wynne Jones wove all those elements together. Every once in a while, I pull out and re-read "Dogsbody" just to remind myself of the heights a fantasy story can achieve.

Grace Lin: My older sister and I shared an addiction of reading Diana Wynne Jones books. At Christmas time my sister always expected a Diana Wynne Jones book as a present; and she and her husband even joked that they saw their relationship very much like Christopher Chant and the Goddess (from "Charmed Life"). For myself, I immersed myself in Diana Wynne Jones' books, hoping that somehow by reading and rereading some of her genius would soak into my own writing. Her ability to write details lightly--to describe odd bits of magic without bogging down the story--was something that admired and envied. She was an author who, in my opinion, did not get the honors nor the respect that she deserved. One of my proudest moments was when my book "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" won the Mythopoeic Award--an award she won for "Dark Lord of Derkholm" in 1999. To be given an award by the body that recognized the greatness of Diana Wynne Jones was an award to be proud of.

Ellen Booream: Diana Wynne Jones brought me back to fantasy. I'd loved it as a teen, but in my twenties somehow drifted off into murder mysteries and other reality-based fiction. I was enthralled by the fact that fantasy met reality in so many of her books. My first one was ARCHER'S GOON--it and DOGSBODY remain my favorites.

A day or two after she died, I discovered I probably could have met her if I'd had my wits about me. Turns out Robin McKinley lived for a few years in the Maine town where I ran the tiny local paper (not very knowledgeably, I now realize). And DWJ visited! On her blog, Ms. McKinley described the two of them roaming around the little grocery store that was right across the street from my newspaper. Since that was my main source of on-deadline snacks, I'm tormented by the thought that I probably walked right past them, intent on tortilla chips.

Kate Coombs: Diana Wynne Jones is one of my triumverate of favorite fantasy writers, Megan Whalen Turner and Terry Pratchett being the other two. (Note that DWJ helped launch MWT!) When I reread one of Diana's books, I luxuriate in the intelligence, humor, and over-the-top creativity of her writing. Mostly, I get lost in the story all over again, and yes, I do own every book she's ever written. I have a lot of favorites, but I'm especially fond of the insouciant Crestomanci and the two books I think best describe him, "The Lives of Christopher Chant" and "Charmed Life." The other books I really love are "Dogsbody," "Archer's Goon," and "Howl's Moving Castle."

My own Diana Wynne Jones memory comes from when my first fantasy book, "The Runaway Princess," was being edited. Robbie Mayes told me that my conclusion, which attempts to wrap up all the plot threads at once, reminded him of Diana Wynne Jones's work. I think he may have said that in some exasperation, since she is known for her (diabolically clever) plot convolution, but I pointed out that any comparison to her was a thrill, regardless of context! I've treasured that remark ever since.

Carmen Ferreiro Esteban: I discovered Diana Wynne Jones only two years ago when I read and loved her version of the Irish Tan Lin ballad Fire and Hemlock. Then last year I watched the movie Howl's Moving Castle by Hayao Miyazaki. I liked the story so much I rushed to read the book, and its two sequels, Castle in the Air and The House of Many Ways. Again I was impressed by the quality of the story, the writing and the characters.

On November 3rd 2007, the World Fantasy Association gave Dianna a Lifetime Achievement Award. In the beginning of her acceptance speech (see below) she speaks passionately about something that resonates with me: the second class treatment that women writers have traditionally received. I am so sorry that a kindred spirit is not longer in this world.