Dori Sanders was born in York County, South Carolina. Her father's farm, where her family still raises Georgia Belle and Alberta peaches, is one of the oldest black-owned farms in York County. In the growing season she farms the family land, cultivating peaches, watermelons, and vegetables, and helps staff Sanders' Peach Shed, her family's farmstand. Clover, her first novel, was followed by the novel Her Own Place and a cookbook, Dori Sanders' Country Cooking.