Harry Norman Turtledove was born in Los Angeles, CA on 14 June 1949. After failing out of electrical engineering at Caltech, he attended UCLA, where he received a Ph.D. in Byzantine history in 1977. His dissertation was on The Immediate Successors of Justinian: A Study of the Persian Problem and of Continuity and Change in Internal Secular Affairs in the Later Roman Empire During the Reigns of Justin II and Tiberius II Constantine (A.D. 565-582).

In 1979, Turtledove published his first two novels, Wereblood and Werenight, under the pseudonym "Eric G. Iverson". Turtledove later explained that his editor at Belmont Towers did not think people would believe the author's real name was "Turtledove" and suggested that he come up with something more Nordic. He continued to use the "Iverson" name until 1985 when he published his "Herbig-Haro" and "And So to Bed" under his real name.

In the 1980's, Turtledove worked as a technical writer for the Los Angeles Office of Education. In 1991, he left the LAOE and turned to writing full time. From 1986-1987, he served as the Treasurer for the Science Fiction Writers of America.