Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA in 1961, Charbonnet grew up with her brother in a "family-friendly" environment, "but with a ready acceptance of eccentricity and the darker side of life." She began her college education at New York University studying writing and Russian language and literature, then transferred to Loyola University in New Orleans, where she graduated with a degree in Russian. She began her career as an assistant to the head of the Juvenile Audio and Video department at Random House in New York. There, "surrounded by children’s books and editors and people who read as much as I did", she wrote her first children's books. She also participated in the editing of The Secret Circle by L.J. Smith during this period.

After 8 years in New York, Charbonnet and her first husband moved back to New Orleans, where they began a family (2 daughters) and she embarked on her Sweep series. While not a Wiccan herself ("...even Wicca is too organized a religion for me") she asserts that she "can really relate to Wicca", and appreciates its "woman-centeredness and its essentially female identity."

After 5 years in New Orleans, Charbonnet moved to Durham, North Carolina, where she now lives with her second husband, Paul, 2 daughters, 2 stepsons, a poodle, and "an unfortunate number of cats."

Charbonnet has written about 75 books under her own name, her pseudonym Cate Tiernan, and miscellaneous other pen names as a ghost writer.

Snakes Are Nothing to Sneeze At (Henry Holt & Company, 1990)

Boodil, My Dog (Henry Holt & Company, 1992)

Tutu Much Ballet (Henry Holt & Company, 1994)

The Princess Trilogy

• Molly’s Heart
• The Room in the Attic
• Home at Last

(Scholastic Inc., 1995)

American Gold Gymnasts Miniseries'

• Split Decision
• Balancing Act
• Competition Fever
• The Bully Coach

(Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1996)

The Disney Girls Series

• One of Us
• Attack of the Beast
• And Sleepy Makes Seven
• A Fish Out of Water
• Cinderella’s Castle
• One Pet Too Many
• Adventure in Walt Disney World
• Beauty’s Revenge
• Good-bye, Jasmine?
• Princess of Power
• The Gum Race
• The Divine Miss Ariel

(Disney Press, 1998-99)

101 Dalmatians: Escape From DeVil Mansion (Disney Press, 1996)

Hercules: I Made Herc a Hero (Disney Press, 1997)

The Lion King: Just Can’t Wait to be King (Disney Press, 1998)

The Sweep series (writing as Cate Tiernan)

• Book of Shadows
• The Coven
• Blood Witch
• Dark Magick
• Awakening
• Spellbound
• The Calling
• Changeling
• Strife
• Seeker
• Origins
• Eclipse
• Reckoning
• Full Circle
• Night's Child

(PutnamPenguin, 2001-2003)

Balefire (writing as Cate Tiernan)

• A Chalice of Wind
• A Circle of Ashes
• A Feather of Stone
• A Necklace of Water

(PenguinRazorbill, 2005-2007)

Immortal Beloved (upcoming series - as Cate Tiernan)

• Everlasting Life (2010)
• Everlasting Dark (2011)
• Everlasting War (2012)