Shirley Aaron was born and raised in Valley, Alabama, the daughter of the late Bob C. Austin and Hazel S. Austin, of Hopewell Community. She is the widow of the late Charles O. Aaron, who was an attorney in Lanett, Alabama. She has two children-a son, Austin K. Sanderson, who lives in New Jersey, and a daughter, Della D. Sanderson, who lives in Huntsville, Alabama. Shirley received a Bachelor of Science in Education degree in 1977 and a Master of Education degree in 1980 from Auburn University, where she also obtained certification as a media specialist. She worked forty-two years as an educator, teaching English in grades 9- 12, as well as teaching English 101 part-time at Southern Union State College. She retired in Alabama as an English teacher in 1996. Then, she began working in Georgia, where she retired in 2011 as a media specialist. Shirley has enjoyed writing as a hobby for years, with a focus on poetry. She published a book of poetry, Drops of Light, in June, 2014. It was based on her life experiences and how she perceived those experiences. Troubling the Ashes is her first novel and is set in Notasulga, Alabama where she lived and worked for fourteen years.
