Charlotte Bronte was born in 1816 in Haworth, Yorkshire. When she grew up, she became a teacher (later a private governess). In 1846 she pseudonymously published a book by herself and her sisters, Emily and Anne, which sold only two copies. Undaunted, Charlotte completed The Professor, which remained unpublished until after her death. But a kind note from one publisher encouraged her to finish Jane Eyre. In 1848, tragedy struck--her brother and two sisters died. Despite bouts of depression, she managed to write Shirley and Villette. Still, she never overcame her grief over the loss of her sisters and, beset by ill-health, she died in 1855. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Sherri lives in Western Massachusetts with her nearly-perfect husband, and their charming actor son, amazing violinist daughter, a crafty corgi (Pembroke Welsh), and a very special pug. She has written historical romance for Dell under the name Sherri Browning and contemporary romance for Kensington under the name Sherri Erwin.