Author Q&A: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Today we're interviewing author Suzanne Woods Fisher, who writes Amish fiction, contemporary romance, and historical fiction.

Fisher is a Christy finalist, a Carol award winner, a two-time ECPA Book of the Year finalist, and the Publishers Weekly, ECPA, CBA, bestselling author of nearly forty books with over 1.5 million copies sold. Her genres include Amish fiction, contemporary and historical romances, and children’s books.

Her interest in the Amish culture can be directly traced to her grandfather, who was raised Plain. She lives with her very big family in northern California. 

SADYE: How did you come to see yourself as a writer, and what inspired you to seek publication? 

SUZANNE: One day in college, I was in the library going through old copies of the Saturday Evening Post. My grandfather, who had passed away, had once been the magazine’s publisher.

As I looked through old copies, I found his name on the masthead. Something about that moment struck me like lightning and set me on the career path of writing.  

SADYE: Tell us something about your writing process that’s unusual or that you haven’t revealed before. 

SUZANNE: Not many people know that I write in a laundry room.

It’s not that I wouldn’t love my own office (I would! Especially one overlooking the Pacific Ocean), but the laundry room is in the heart of our home.

I can jump up and check on a simmering pot on the stove, or let a dog in or out, or refill a cup of coffee. When friends ask to see it, they are dumbfounded.

I don’t blame them — it’s a tiny little space with hardly any horizontal surface. And yet, it just works for me. 

SADYE: Which historical figure would you most like to meet and why? 

SUZANNE: Wouldn’t it be wonderful to shadow Benjamin Franklin and see his curiosity at work as he came up with new inventions and discoveries? That would be the moment in history I would pick. 

SADYE: What has been the most touching or memorable piece of reader feedback you’ve received? 

SUZANNE: Just recently, I received an email from a reader who doesn’t like to read but the cover of my book (The Sweet Life) made her pick it up.

To her surprise, one of the main characters in the book was a breast cancer survivor.

She wrote that as she read, she looked down at her (now flat) chest and felt such a sense of connection to the character, as well as hopefulness for her own recovery from recent surgery for breast cancer. Meant so much to me! 

* * *

Learn more about Suzanne Woods Fisher on her website, where her books can also be purchased; like her page on Facebook; and follow her on Twitter and Instagram. 

Know an author you'd like to see featured? Email us with a recommendation!