Duane's first published novel was INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY, which takes place in the corporate world of Los Angeles, involving a murder, a set-up and lots of action. It was written when he was in the Army, stationed in Germany and struggling to balance his writing life with a military career. As a counterintelligence agent, he then started moving into espionage fiction (DEADLY DECEPTIONS). He was born in Santa Monica, California, where he grew up before finishing up high school in Moorpark, California. Duane attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and served in the US Army for a number of years in counterintelligence. After the Army, he became an investigator, a web page designer, and then a low level programmer for a software gaming company. He has designed numerous games over the years, including PRISONER OF Z'ANTH and US AIR FORCE'S STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND. He completed degrees at San Francisco State University, Western Michigan University and the University of the Pacific. He holds master's degrees in communication and political science. His PHD work was in political science at Western Michigan University. He currently works in the health care field, creating and maintaining web content for a large hospital system.