Sherrilyn Kenyon, known as Sherri, was born on 11 December 1965 in Columbus, Georgia, USA. She grew up in a large family with eight brothers and one sister. Her father left the family when she was eight, leading her mother to send her sons to live with relatives in Atlanta, Georgia, while she cared for her daughters, including Sherri's older sister, Trish, who has severe cerebral palsy. After 18 months, the girls moved to Atlanta to reunite with the rest of the family. At 20, Sherri was devastated by the death of her brother, Buddy.

Despite being severely dyslexic, Sherri was determined to become a writer. Her first recognition as a writer came in third grade when she won a contest with an essay about her mother. At age seven, she wrote and illustrated her first novel, a horror story about a girl who kills her brothers. By 14, she made her first professional sale and continued to write for various publications during her school years.

Sherri developed a love for the supernatural from her mother, who never censored the paranormal movies she watched. In high school, she began writing fantasy stories. In the mid-1980s, while working for a small science fiction magazine, she was asked to write a serial, which led to the creation of her Hunter-Leyends world. This later evolved into her famous Dark-Hunters, Were-Hunters, and Dream-Hunters series.

Sherri has an interdisciplinary degree combining Medieval History and language with Classical Studies, alongside minors in Philosophy, Psychology, and French, and a certificate in Medieval Studies.

She married young and moved to Richmond, Virginia, where her husband studied further. Struggling to find work, she returned to writing and sold her first book two years later. She faced several personal challenges, including her father's death, a difficult pregnancy, and her mother's cancer diagnosis, but continued to write. Her perseverance resulted in her selling "Fantasy Lover," the manuscript she worked on during her hospital stay.

Sherri adopted the pseudonym "Kinley MacGregor"—her great-grandmother's maiden name—for her distinct pirate novel. She eventually found a publisher for her vampire romances.

A lover of music, Sherri plays several instruments, including the guitar and piano, and has a keen interest in martial arts and sword-fighting. She once served as a sparring partner for a Golden Glove boxer and has an extensive sword collection.

Married with three sons, Sherrie lives near Nashville, Tennessee, with her family and numerous pets.