Daniel J. Duffield was born in Lansing, Michigan in 1955. He grew up in a rural area within 30 miles of Lansing and attended Michigan State University where he received a B. S. in 1977 and a M.S in 1979. Both degrees were in Fisheries Biology and Management. After receiving his college degrees, he has had a diverse career managing aquatic resources. He taught at Alpena Community College in 1979 as a fisheries instructor. From 1980 to 1982 he was a staff biologist for King James Shrimp Incorporated located in the Chicago area. For the years 1982 through 1989 he was a Regional Fisheries Biologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources located in Cedar City, Utah. He worked as a Forest… Fisheries Biologist on the both Dixie National Forest in southern Utah and the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. He is currently the Regional Fish Program Manager for the Intermountain Region of the Forest Service located in Ogden, Utah. He has authored numerous scientific articles and publications. "The Gate to the Timeless Mountain" was his first book and "Niall and the Irish Pirates" is his second one.