She grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona, and later earned a B.S. in zoology from Northern Arizona University, an M.S. in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and a Ph.D. in qualitative behavioral ecology from Northern Arizona University.
After finishing her schooling in 1978, she went on to teach at the Center for Environmental Studies at Arizona State University, where she was the founding editor of Science Software Quarterly. She taught at the university for nearly a dozen years, and during this time wrote scientific articles and textbooks, along with a few comic book scripts for Disney as a freelancer.
In 1988 she decided to try her hand at writing fiction, and started what would be published in 1991 as the first
Outlander book (published as
Cross Stitch in the UK and Australia). The book became very successful, and there are to date 9 books in the series, the most recent
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone published in November 2021. There is also a spin-off Lord John series and several accompanying books. A popular television adaptation of the series premiered in 2014.
Gabaldon is married to Douglas Watkins, and they have three adult children. The couple still mostly resides in Arizona.
