Internationally published author of 34 novels, Deborah Chester has written historical romances, young adult, science fiction, and fantasy under her own name and two pseudonyms. A professor of professional writing for the University of Oklahoma's College of Journalism and Mass Communication, she teaches novel and short story writing. In 2002, she won their Distinguished Teaching Award. In 1981, her young adult novel, The Sign of the Owl, was named to the American Library Association's Best Books for Young Adults list. In 1983, The Sign of the Owl was a Mark Twain Award winner. In 1985, Chester was named Oklahoma Writer of the Year. In 1994, she was inducted into the Oklahoma Professional Writers Hall of Fame. In 1998, her bestselling sf novel Alien Chronicles #1: The Golden One was named to VOYA's Best Books for Young Adults list. It was the first volume of a trilogy commissioned by LucasFilm Publishing Ltd. She has also written a tie-in novel for Steven Spielberg's Earth 2 television show. Her latest bestselling trilogy, known as The Sword, The Ring, and The Chalice has grown into a seven-book series.