I was born in London, England and went to school there, but I have lived in the United States since 1957. In the U.S., I first lived in Bloomington, Indiana , where I did graduate work at Indiana University in medieval literature and linguistics. I now live in California.
I write science fiction, and I teach creative writing at conferences around the world.
When I'm not writing or teaching, I like to travel, do Tai Chi, hike in the local mountains, or go 4-wheeling in the desert.
I have three daughters, eight grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and two cats.