Christy Tillery French is an internationally published, award-winning author and poet whose books cross several genres. She is best known for the award winning, internationally published Appalachian Journey series and Brown Mountain Lights series she co-writes with her sister Cyndi Tillery Hodges under the pseudonym CC Tillery which have received several awards, topped several best-seller lists and been chosen by numerous book clubs across America. French's books, which have been praised by Dolly Parton and have been placed with the McClung Historical Collection of the East Tennessee Historical Center as part of the local and geneaological history of East Tennessee. French’s article Genre Fiction vs. Literary Fiction has been utilized by the University of Florida as part of the coursework for Crime and Detective Fiction, and her essay The History of Makeup was published in the book Exploring Beauty by Joanne Strobert and in the Norwegian magazine Magasinet. She was listed in the book 50 Great Writers You Should be Reading, 2010. She contributed recipes to Killer Recipes, a cookbook donating proceeds to the American Cancer Society and, an avid animal rights advocate and rescue volunteer, donates proceeds from all her books to rescue groups. French is a small business owner who lives on a mini-farm outside of Knoxville, TN where she spends free time gardening, boating and motorcycle riding with her family (furry and otherwise).