I grew up in California and Oregon, growing my hair long, protesting everything and gathering useless academic degrees (bachelors in biology, masters in psychology, doctorate in chiropractic) before realizing the true "work of my heart" was storytelling.   In between all this, I studied martial arts, lived in France, struggled as a single working mom, worked for a cardiologist, and became half of a two-writer marriage with Dave Trowbridge.   As Deborah Wheeler, I wrote two sf novels, JAYDIUM and NORTHLIGHT, as well as short stories appearing in Asimov's, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Sisters of the Night, Star Wars:  Tales from Jabba's Palace, Realms of Fantasy, and almost all of the SWORD & SORCERESS and Darkover anthologies.   My most recent books include a Darkover trilogy with the late Marion Zimmer Bradley:  THE FALL OF NESKAYA (DAW 2001), ZANDRU'S FORGE (DAW 2003) and A FLAME IN HALI (DAW 2004).   I am currently working on a new Darkover novel, THE ALTON GIFT, and on an original fantasy series, THE SEVEN-PETALED SHIELD, based on my "Azkhantian tales."