The Author

Chris Settle

Author • The House I Built

Not to be too redundant here, this is a memoir, after all.

I was born and raised outside of Chicago, where I spent my first eleven years growing up as a regular kid. In the winter of 1978, my dad’s job relocated our family to the east coast. After about a year, we packed up our things and headed to Seattle – where I have lived ever since.

I attended Washington State University for two years, transferred schools, and completed my degree at the University of Washington four years later. My primary area of focus was graphic design, although I dabbled in fine arts, communications, and astronomy. Six years of school meant I had more time to explore other interests. I subsequently spent most of my career making a living in the commercial creative field – meanwhile, longing for something more fulfilling to come along.

Camille and I have been married for 28 years and have raised three children, Liam, David, and Ruby. These years have gone by quickly. And having had time to reflect (as a parent) decided to capture what I could in a memoir. But I wanted to do more than just record dates and events. I wanted to express what I was feeling and thinking along the way – wrapped in recollections of the past.

And just because I have never been one to make things easy on myself, I also chose to include a medical event as a central theme. An episode that affected my health, resulting in a slow recuperative process. An accounting I tracked in real-time, as diary entries interspersed throughout the narrative.

Hopefully, this holds together cohesively as a story. Revealing my truth as a first-time author has been challenging on many levels. And as I discovered, maybe this has been the real lesson for me, acknowledging my authentic self.

If you take the time to read this memoir, I thank you in advance. And if you see to it to leave a positive review – I am beyond appreciative.