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 only eight years old, and her mother had to send her sons to live with relatives in Atlanta, Georgia, while she took care of her daughters. Sherri's older sister, Trish, has severe cerebral palsy. After 18 months, the girls moved to Atlanta with the rest of the family. At the age of 20, Sherri was devastated by the death of her brother Buddy.

Despite being severely dyslexic, Kenyon knew from a young age that she wanted to be a writer. In kindergarten, she expressed her desire to be a writer and a mother. Her first recognition for writing came when she won a contest in third grade by writing an essay about her mother for Mother's Day. At seven, she wrote and illustrated her first novel, a horror story about a girl who kills her brothers. At 14, she made her first professional sale and continued to write for school newspapers, yearbooks, local papers, and magazines throughout high school.

Sherri's love for "all things that go bump in the night" was influenced by her mother, who loved paranormal stories and never censored the movies Sherri watched. During high school, she began writing fantasy stories for herself. In the mid-1980s, while working for a small science fiction magazine called Cutting Edge, her boss asked her to write a long-running serial for the magazine. She incorporated many of her favorite characters from previous fantasies, creating the Hunter-Leyends world, which later evolved into the Dark-Hunters, Were-Hunters, and Dream-Hunters stories. This series focuses on an ancient "Pyramid of Protection" formed by the Greek gods to protect humans from supernatural predators and maintain the order of the universe.

Sherri graduated with an interdisciplinary major combining Medieval History and language with Classical Studies. She also earned minors in Philosophy, Psychology, and French, along with a certificate in Medieval Studies. She married young, and the couple moved to Richmond, Virginia, where her husband continued his studies. During this time, she was unable to find a job until a childhood friend mentioned that her magazine needed several articles written. Two years later, she sold her first book, followed by five more sales, earning awards and high sell-throughs. However, after her sixth novel, she struggled to secure a writing contract. Amid personal challenges, including a difficult pregnancy and her father's death, Sherri was eventually able to work again. She took a minimum wage job as a web designer while writing in her spare time, completing the manuscript for "Fantasy Lover" in the hospital.

In 1997, Sherri began conceptualizing a pirate novel, using the pseudonym Kinley MacGregor, her great-grandmother's maiden name. She found a publisher interested in vampire romances and sold the "Hunters" series. Sherrilyn Kenyon is known for her Dark Hunter series and has sold over 70 million copies of her novels worldwide. Her work has appeared at the top of the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today lists.

In her spare time, Sherrie enjoys music and plays the guitar, flute, piano, and drums. She also has a keen interest in martial arts and sword fighting, having sparred with a Golden Glove boxer. Sherrie lives outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, three sons, and a variety of pets.