Deborah, age 9, sold her first illustration to a magazine. At age 11, she sold her first story to the Beverly Hills Citizen newspaper. To this day she loves ancient history and historical fiction and has published thirty-nine books. Among her publishers are HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, Scholastic, The J.Paul Getty Museum and the UC Press. Among her awards are: the ACLU Award in Civil Rights, given to her by Dr. Linus Pauling, the PEN Award, The S.C.C.L.Y.R., Calif. Booksellers Association's GOLDEN DOLPHIN. She has taught for UCLA, UCI, UCR, Art Center College and Otis College, as well as DODDS in Japan, France, Germany, Holland and Inter.Schools in India, Bahrain, Romania and Ukraine. She addressed NATO concerning the importance and pleasures of children's literature. Her art is in museums, private collections and University libraries. She has two grown children and is in the nearly constant employ of a funny, smart Scottish Terrier, Trevor.