Chris Burnette

Chris Burnette writes stories rooted in land, memory, and the quiet defiance found in ordinary people. He grew up in the foothills of the Appalachians and carries that landscape into every book he writes. His fiction blends place, family, and the moral weight of belonging. The mountains are never just scenery in his work. They are characters with long memories.

Before turning to writing full time, Chris served as a federal public-lands professional and later as an attorney. Those years shaped his belief that stewardship and justice begin close to home. His books draw on that lived experience while staying grounded in character, emotion, and the small truths that define a community.

Chris lives in Columbia, South Carolina with his family and their dog, Bogey. He writes early in the morning, keeps a stack of well-worn Appalachian novels nearby, and returns to the hills whenever he can.

You can find his other books under his "Pen Name" of Donald Burnette.