Fresh Fiction welcomes Suzanne Woods Fisher, author of THE
IMPOSTER!
Jen: Hi, Suzanne. Welcome to Fresh Fiction! It’s a pleasure to have
you
join us. THE
IMPOSTER is the first in your new
Bishop’s
Family series, but it is set in Stoney
Ridge. How do you keep track of this rather impressive world and the
people who live there?
Suzanne: It’s getting more complicated! New characters move in and
familiar faces pop up. On the other hand, it’s fun to have a “virtual town,”
filled with loveable (and some not so loveable) characters to work with.
After
all, there are “Stoney Ridges” all over the country.
On a practical note, I’ve started to add a “Cast of Characters” at the
beginning
of each book that includes info about when each character first walked on
stage.
Plus, on my to-do list is to create a family tree on my website. It’s
turning
into a three-season task...but it’s in the works.
Jen: You write the successful Amish Wisdom, your radio-show-turned-blog. How do you
balance your time between writing your blog and writing your novels? Do they
fuel each other or do you find that it’s difficult to stop working on one in
order to write for the other?
Suzanne: One word: teamwork. I have some wonderful people who help
support the details of the blog. I get a lot of personal satisfaction in
providing Amish Wisdom for interested readers and authors. I had the same
sense
of genuine fulfillment with the radio show. When the door opened to me to
write
about the Amish, I knew that I was meant to benefit others. With that said,
I do
benefit, personally, from the gathering of material for Amish Wisdom. It’s
very
symbiotic, like a big circle.
Jen: Reviewers often comment that your writing first-and-foremost
focuses
on the characters. You don’t show the Amish life as idyllic, because you
show
the person who is struggling with flaws and conflict. I love this! How do
you do
it?
Suzanne: Amish fiction tends to be character-driven rather than plot
driven (like suspense). It’s actually quite a challenge to write vivid
characters, ones whom readers grow attached to, ones they care about.
Nothing
makes me happier than when a reader e-mails to ask “what happens next?!” To
me,
that means it worked! As for not romanticizing the Amish—it is very
difficult to
avoid that. It’s the reason people want to read Amish fiction in the first
place. The more I know the Amish, the more I see them as very real people,
with
hopes and dreams and flaws and fears. That’s the joy of writing about them—
delving into their inner life.
Jen: A few of your earlier titles were set outside of the Amish
world.
Would you ever consider writing in a different genre? And if so what genre
would
you choose?
Suzanne: Say, thanks for noticing those first little books of mine.
Historical fiction is where I would camp out; I love to find untold stories
or
cliffhanger moments of inspired living, and bring them to life. I’m going to
be
writing a three-book series, about Quaker Nantucket, called Petticoat
Row, after I finish the current Amish series. Fascinating to learn how
the
Quakers shaped our country—anti-slavery, women’s rights, freedom of
religion.
And even more fun to travel to unique areas for research. I’ve had lots of
unsolicited offers to be my assistant for that Nantucket series!
Jen: What’s next for the Bishop’s Family? Can you give us a hint
at
what we can expect?
Suzanne: Next up is THE QUIETING, a story that introduces
Abigail
Stoltzfus, David’s niece from Ohio. Abigail is on a quest to break through a
“brick wall” in a client’s genealogy. In her enthusiasm, she finds an
unexpected
connection to a local horse trainer, a young man who is curiously smitten
with
her, as well as shocking information that upends the little church of Stoney
Ridge.
After THE QUIETING…well, I’m working on Book 3 (still untitled) right
now. Stay tuned…
Thanks for hosting me today! Loved your out-of-the-box questions. ~Suzanne
Jen: Thanks for joining us! It's been a pleasure. :)
Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling author of Amish fiction and
non-
fiction. Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, who was
raised
Plain in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. She travels back east a couple of
times
each year for research. For fun, too.
Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they
provide
wonderful examples to the world. She has an underlying belief in her books–
you
don’t have to “go Amish” to incorporate many of their principles into your
life:
simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more
readily, trusting in God.
When Suzanne isn’t writing, playing tennis, or bragging to her friends about
her
grandbabies (so cute!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
To
her way of thinking, you just can’t take life too seriously when a puppy is
tearing through your house with someone’s underwear in its mouth.
Keep up on Suzanne’s latest news by receiving her e-newsletter, as well as
connecting on Facebook, Twitter and her blog!
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Blog
Katrina Stoltzfus thought she had life and love all figured out: she was
going to marry John and live happily ever after. Those plans started to
crumble
when her father moved the family to Stoney Ridge, then completely collapsed
when
John decided to marry someone else. Katrina is devastated. How could she
have
felt so loved, yet been so deceived?
As she struggles to face a future without him, a widow asks for her help to
start a new business and Katrina quickly agrees. She needs time to heal her
broken heart, to untangle her messy life, to find a purpose. What she
doesn't
need is attention from Andy Miller, a farm hand who arrives at the widow's
farm
just when help is most needed--and who always seems to say the right thing,
and
be in the right place, at the right time. Is Andy for real, or too good to
be
true? Deceived once before, Katrina is determined to keep her feelings in
check.
When a cascade of events is set in motion by some surprising information,
the
little Amish church is turned upside down. Soon, everyone has a stake in the
outcome, and the community struggles to find the best response to an
imposter in
their midst. Can they forgive even the most deceitful deeds?
Bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher introduces her loyal fans to a
brand-new
series set in their favorite town--Stoney Ridge. As always, Fisher delivers
endearing characters and plot twists that keep readers turning page after
page
after page.
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