Hoffman started publishing short stories in 1975. Her first nationally published short story appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction magazine in 1983. She has since published over 200 in various anthologies and magazines.

Her short story, "A Step Into Darkness" (1985), was one of the winners of the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future award and was published in the first of the Writers of the Future anthologies.

Her second collection of short stories, Courting Disasters and Other Strange Affinities, was nominated for the 1992 Locus Award for best collection of the year.

Her novella '"Unmasking", published in 1992 by Axolotl Press was a finalist for the 1993 World Fantasy Award. Her novella "Haunted Humans" (seen in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, July 1994) was a finalist for the 1995 Nebula Award for Best Novella and on the same ballot her novelette "The Skeleton Key" was shortlisted for the Nebula Award for Best Novelette. Her short story "Trophy Wives" won the 2008 Nebula Award for Best Short Story. .

Her first novel, The Thread That Binds the Bones, won the Bram Stoker Award for first novel. Other novels include The Silent Strength of Stones (a sequel to Thread), A Fistful of Sky, and A Stir of Bones. Her best known works are set in the Pacific Northwest and Southern California, and involve people (often entire families) with magical talents. The stories have invited comparison to Zenna Henderson and Ray Bradbury's stories on similar themes.

She has been shortlisted, awarded and finalist for awards for novella, novelette, novel, fantasy novel, adult literature, work for younger readers, young adult books, and children's literature for the Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Award, the HOMer award from CompuServe, the Endeavour Award, the Mythopoeic Society Award, the James Tiptree Jr. Award and the Philip K. Dick Award.

Her brother is the musician Kristian Hoffman.

She lives in Eugene, Oregon with her cats. She is a member of the Wordos writers' group.

Novels

• Child of an Ancient City (with Tad Williams) 1992
• The Thread That Binds the Bones (winner of the Bram Stoker Award for First Novel) 1993
• The Silent Strength of Stones (Nebula Award and World Fantasy Award Finalist) 1995
• Body Switchers from Outer Space (#14 in R.L. Stine's " Ghosts of Fear Street" series) 1996
• Why I'm Not Afraid of Ghosts (#23 in R.L. Stine's "Ghosts of Fear Street" series) 1997
• I Was A Sixth Grade Zombie (#30 in R.L. Stine's "Ghosts of Fear Street" series) 1998
• Echoes (Star Trek Voyager #15) (with Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith) 1998
• Third Wheel (part of the Sweet Valley Jr. High series) as "Jamie Suzanne" (1999)
• A Red Heart of Memories (World Fantasy Award Finalist) (1999)
• Past the Size of Dreaming (2001)
• A Fistful of Sky (2002)
• A Stir of Bones (2003)
• Catalyst: A Novel of Alien Contact (Philip K. Dick Award nominee) (2006)
• Spirits That Walk in Shadow (2006)
• Fall of Light (2009)
• Thresholds (2010, forthcoming)

Short stories, novellas and novellettes; short story collections

• Legacy of Fire (Author's Choice Monthly #14) 1990
• Courting Disasters and Other Strange Affinities (1991)
• Unmasking (novella) (World Fantasy Award Finalist) (1992)
• "Skeleton Key" (novelette) (Nebula Award Finalist) (1993)
• "Haunted Humans" (novella) (Nebula Award Finalist) (1994)
• Common Threads (collection published in limited release by Hypatia Press) (1995)
• "Home for Christmas" (novella) (World Fantasy Award Finalist) (1995)
• Time Travelers, Ghosts, and Other Visitors (2003)
• Trophy Wives (Nebula Award Finalist) 2008
• Futures in the Memories Market Clarkesworld Magazine, June 2010

Award nominations

• 1985 "A Step Into Darkness" (short story) Writers of the Future 1st quarter: 1985 Hubbard
• 1991 Courting Disasters and Other Strange Affinities (collection): 1992 Locus
• 1992 Unmasking (novella): 1993 World Fantasy
• 1993 "The Skeleton Key" (novelette): 1995 Nebula
• 1993 The Thread That Binds the Bones (first novel): 1994 Stoker Winner
• 1993 The Thread that Binds the Bones fantasy novel: 1994 Locus
• 1994 "Haunted Humans" (novella): 1995 Nebula
• 1994 "Haunted Humans" (novella): 1995 Locus
• 1994 "Haunted Humans" (novella): 1995 HOMer
• 1995 "Home for Christmas" (novelette): 1996 Nebula
• 1995 "Home for Christmas" (novella): 1996 World Fantasy
• 1995 "Home for Christmas" (short fiction): 1996 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award shortlist
• 1995 "Home for Christmas" (novelette): 1996 HOMer
• 1995 The Silent Strength of Stones (novel): 1996 World Fantasy
• 1995 The Silent Strength of Stones (fantasy novel): 1996 Locus/6
• 1995 The Silent Strength of Stones (novel): 1997 Nebula
• 1996 "Airborn" (novella): 1997 HOMer
• 1999 A Red Heart of Memories (novel): 2000 World Fantasy
• 1999 A Red Heart of Memories (fantasy novel): 2000 Locus
• 1999 A Red Heart of Memories finalist: 2000 Endeavour
• 2001 Past the Size of Dreaming (fantasy novel): 2002 Locus
• 2001 Past the Size of Dreaming finalist: 2002 Endeavour
• 2002 A Fistful of Sky (fantasy novel): 2003 Locus
• 2002 A Fistful of Sky (adult literature): 2003 Mythopoeic
• 2002 A Fistful of Sky short list: 2004 Tiptree
• 2003 A Stir of Bones (work for younger readers): 2004 Stoker
• 2003 A Stir of Bones (young adult book): 2004 Locus
• 2003 A Stir of Bones finalist: 2004 Endeavour
• 2003 Time Travelers, Ghosts, and Other Visitors finalist: 2004 Endeavour
• 2006 Catalyst finalist: 2007 Philip K. Dick
• 2006 Spirits That Walk in Shadow (young adult book): 2007 Locus
• 2006 Spirits That Walk in Shadow finalist: 2007 Endeavour
• 2006 Spirits That Walk in Shadow (children's literature): 2007 Mythopoeic