by Susan Reichert
W
e interviewed Suzanne for our September/October
2017 magazine and wanted to check in with her and
catch up with the happenings in her writing world.
Overall, how many books have you published from the beginning
of your writing career?
Sailing past thirty! So hard to believe… If someone had told me,
ten years ago, I would write thirty-plus books, I would’ve run for
the hills.
What’s changed the most in these writing and being publishing
years for you, if anything?
This probably sounds like I’m pathetically insecure, but I still
feel like each book is probably my last! I’ve never settled into
that confident groove of believing that I’m an established author.
What do you feel is different about you today than a few years ago?
Um, tiny bit older. The mirror tells me that. I don’t feel older!
I still think I’m twenty-two.
Do you still use your same writing techniques?
Yes! I throw spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks.
What is being an author like for you?
My husband and I recently traveled to Central America to visit
my son, and our days were jammed with sightseeing. So…I was
up at four am, {sitting on pillows on the hotel bathroom floor
so I didn’t wake up my husband,} to hit my daily word count.
That’s what life is like for me as an author!
Where has being a published author taken you in
your personal life?
Most recently, to Belize! After visiting my son in Honduras,
we traveled to Belize to find Old Order Mennonites. They had
emigrated to Belize from Mexico in 1958 and are now the top
poultry and dairy producers in the country. They’ve provided
economic prosperity, plus a stable community to a Third World
Country. Most, but not all, are horse-
and-buggy Mennonites—living much
like Old Order Amish. Fascinating!
Do you have a favorite book
you’ve written?
Most recently, Mending Fences stands
out as a favorite. It hits you in the gut
with a message for us all. One of those
stories that sticks with you, long after
you finish reading.
6 Southern Writers
What are you working on now?
On Friday, I sent in Two Steps Forward, book 3 in ‘The Deacon’s
Family’ series, and today (Monday), I received galleys for Stitches
in Time, book 2 in that same series.
Have you changed or added a genre?
I’ve added a genre—contemporary women’s fiction. On April
30 th , On a Summer Tide released. It’s book one in the ‘Three
Sisters Island’ series, Revell Books, set in coastal Maine.
Do you still attend conferences and hone your writing skills?
Yes! Heading to New Orleans in a few weeks for the Book Lovers
Con ’19. Conferences “fill the sail” for writers—at any career
stage. Yes, I continue to hone those skills. My project editor is a
Grammar Maestro, with remarkable attention-to-detail. She would
probably get a perfect score on the English/Written part of the
SAT’s. Still, I like to push grammatical rules as far as I can with her,
knowing she has sturdy guardrails. Plus, I always like to add in an
unknown word or two that stumps this wonderful editor.
Who is your most favorite author to date––living or dead?
Anne Morrow Lindbergh was influential to me as a young
teenager. Madeleine L’Engle and Catherine Marshall also
because their views on life were so thoughtful, and their prose so
elegant and well-crafted. Their books are displayed in my house,
and I continue to reach for them.
If you had the opportunity to sit down with a group of beginning
writers what would you talk about?
‘Hangeth thou in there.’ The writing world is not looking
for you. That doesn’t mean you aren’t supposed to have a place
in it, but you’re going to have to build resiliency and strengthen
determination. Oh…and expect to get fire hosed with
unconstructive criticism. You’re going to have to find a way
to handle it, so it doesn’t derail you. This, my friend, is the
writer’s gig. Welcome!
What do you do for fun?
Tennis! I play competitively. If I’m not at the computer, you can
find me on the courts. Losing more than winning, but always
having fun. n
Visit Suzanne Woods Fisher: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com;
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