Friesner attended the Hunter College High School, a public magnet high school in New York City, as well as Vassar College. She holds a Ph.D. in Spanish and was a college professor before becoming a writer.

In addition to short stories, she has published a number of novels and is a prolific editor of anthologies. Among her recent books are Nobody's Princess, which takes the Greek legend of Helen of Sparta and gives it a new beginning, and its sequel, Nobody's Prize. She is a frequent guest of honor at science fiction conventions, having appeared at Bubonicon, Arisia, Boskone, Baycon and Albacon in the 1990s and into the 21st century.

She has been nominated a number of times for the Hugo and Nebula award, winning the Nebula Award for Best Short Story in 1995 and 1996 for, respectively, "Death and the Librarian" and "A Birthday".

Chronicles of the Twelve Kingdoms

• Mustapha and His Wise Dog
• Spells of Mortal Weaving
• The Witchwood Cradle
• The Water King's Laughter

Demons

• Here Be Demons
• Demon Blues
• Hooray For Hellywood

New York by Knight

• New York by Knight
• Elf Defense
• Sphynxes Wild

Gnome Man's Land

• Gnome Man's Land
• Harpy High
• Unicorn U

Majyk

• Majyk by Accident
• Majyk by Hook Or Crook
• Majyk by Design

Becca of Wiserways

• The Psalms Of Herod
• The Sword Of Mary

Chicks in Chainmail

• Chicks in Chainmail
• Did You Say Chicks?!
• Chicks 'n Chained Males
• The Chick is in the Mail
• Turn the Other Chick

Sabrina the Teenage Witch

• Prisoner of Cabin 13 (Book 11 of series)

Star Trek Universe

• Warchild (Sep 1994, Deep Space Nine series, Book 7)
• To Storm Heaven (Dec 1997, The Next Generation Numbered series, Book 46)

Nobody's series

• Nobody's Princess (Apr 2007)
• Nobody's Prize (Apr 2008)
• Sphinx's Princess(2009)
• Sphinx's Queen

Non-series Novels

• Harlot's Ruse
• The Silver Mountain
• Druid's Blood
• Yesterday We Saw Mermaids
• Split Heirs (with Lawrence Watt-Evans)
• Wishing Season
• Warchild
• The Sherwood Game
• Child Of The Eagle
• Playing With Fire
• Men In Black 2
• E.Godz (with Robert Asprin)
• Temping Fate

Collections

• It's Been Fun
• Up The Wall & Other Tales of King Arthur and His Knights
• Death and the Librarian and Other Stories

Poems

• Who Made the Stew on Betelgeuse II
• Lovers