Sherryl Woods was born in Arlington, Virginia on July 23, 1944. She graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in Journalism. She worked for several newspapers covering everything from suburban government to entertainment, eventually specializing in television. In 1980 she quit her work in news to write books. Her first novel, Restoring Love, was released in 1982 under the pseudonym of Suzanne Sherrill. Her second book, Sand Castles, was published the same year under the pseudonym of Alexandra Kirk. In 1985, she started writing under her real name and by 1986, she was writing full-time. She has written over 100 romance and mystery novels including Not at Eight, Darling, An O'Brien Family Christmas, Sweet Magnolias, and the Chesapeake Shores series.