Chris Goff is the award-winning author of the bestselling "Birdwatcher's Mystery" series. She was named ‘Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' 2002 Writer of the Year’ and two of her novels were also finalists for the prestigious ‘Willa Literary Award for Best Original Paperback Fiction’. Her latest book, ‘Death Shoots A Birdie’, was also a Finalist for the ‘Colorado Authors League Best Genre Fiction’ Award.
Having grown up in a small mountain town in Colorado, she spent a lot of time outdoors—camping, fishing, hiking, playing tennis and skiing, with wildlife always around. Her father was a true outdoorsman and together they explored the wilderness of Colorado, sailed in Maine and walked extensively from the sandy California beaches to the windswept cliffs of Cornwall, England.
It was her mother, however, who was the major influence on Chris commencing a writing career. She encouraged her from an early age, and later her job as a Vice President of the Gannett Broadcasting Company led to Chris growing up surrounded by some of the best media talent in the country.
At college Chris studied journalism, determined to become an investigative reporter. Deciding this was not for her, however, she tried her hand at a variety of jobs—PR, engineering, ice cream store manager—until finally returning to writing.
She began by writing non-fiction for several local newspapers in Summit County, Colorado, as well as articles for regional and national publication. She later edited rock and ice-climbing guides for the ‘Chockstone Press’, worked in graphic production for ‘Living the Good News’, and taught writing workshops for the Colorado Free University, the University of Colorado, and at writer's conferences internationally.
A long-standing member of multiple writing organizations, she has served on several local, regional and national boards, including that of the ‘Mystery Writers of America’.