Interview & Giveaway: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Thank you so much for visiting us today here at the CCC blog! Can you tell us about your latest release and what inspired you to write the story?
The Returnis a story of German immigrant families as they settle into the New World of the American colonies…a world that is full of challenges. It’s the conclusion to the ‘Amish Beginnings’ series, in which the first Amish church comes to America on the ship Charming Nancy in 1737. Now, that part is not fiction--it triggered the idea for the entire series!  
Of all your characters in this story, which one did you enjoy writing the most and why?
Something interesting happened as this story developed. A book usually begins the first chapter with the main character. A few chapters in, a secondary character came to life, a young woman named Betsy Zook, and she quietly took center stage. So much so that my editor decided to reshoot the cover so that Betsy was on it! And later, nearing final edits, I added a prequel about Betsy to the story.
Betsy Zook faced a crisis and not only survived it, but emerged stronger, more confident of herself, more dependent on her faith. She had an unrefined faith…until it went through “fire.”
If you could cast your characters in a Hollywood adaptation of your book, who would play them?
Love this question! My publisher’s title positioning questionnaire asks for the same information, so I’ve given it thought. I would cast a young Scarlett Johannsen as Betsy Zook, back when Scarlett was more of an ingénue.  
How did you decide on the setting/location for this novel?
Penn’s Woods (later known as Pennsylvania) was the destination for many Europeans in the 1700s, because of Quaker William Penn’s offer to live peacefully in land tolerant to those with differing religious views. Zoom in the focus. Lancaster County was where Mennonites had settled, so the Amish went north…until they were chased south by border conflicts between the British and the French/Indians. So that’s where most of Book 3 takes place…and if I tell you more, I’ll be giving away the story!
Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it and why?
Admittedly, I’m a G-rated author. There’s enough gritty stuff to deal with in life; I don’t need to add to it. Also, I think the world needs more positive, inspiring examples and authors can provide that through storytelling. Finally, it is much more difficult to write with subtle understatement than to write overtly. Think humor. Potty jokes are a cheap laugh. Puns and witty remarks require cleverness.
Moving on from your story, tell us a little about yourself. We’ll help! What literary character is most like you and why?
Hmmm…what literary character is most like me? I don’t know! What an interesting question. As for a little about me…I have one husband, four children, four little grandchildren, play tennis a lot (and I mean a lot), and raise puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. 
What strange writing habits do you have? Like standing on your head while you write with a pen between your teeth?
Strange habits? I have none. Really. I’m shockingly average on the scale of strangeness.
Do you have a writing mentor, or another author who has inspired/encouraged you in some way?
I don’t. I wish I did, but I don’t. And because of that, I try to help other aspiring authors. 
We talk a lot about faith and how it weaves throughout our fiction, here at the blog. How has your faith affected/or not affected your writing?
Faith infuses my writing like a teabag in hot water. Changes everything!
Because Jaime has some darker elements to her split-time historical and contemporary romantic suspense coming out this year, she likes to ask weird questions. So, if you were responsible to write your own epitaph for your tombstone, what would it say?
Have you ever seen Ruth Bell Graham’s (wife of Billy Graham) tombstone? It says: “Construction has ended. Thank you for your patience.” Oh, I love that epitaph! It says so much about her.   Anne is an insatiable romantic with a serious vintage aura in all she writes. Do you have fabulous love story in your family history that you could share with us in a few words? If not, what about your own?
My youngest daughter went to Shenzhen, China to teach in an international school. I was positive she would never repatriate to the United States. (As a family, we’d lived overseas for four years so I understood how exciting the expat life could be.) The very first week, she met a handsome and charming and wonderful young teacher from our state. Two years later, they married, and now live in the same town!
Erica and Gabrielle both write sweet historical romances. How does romance influence your own writing?
I am so bad at romance! I really am. I have to work very hard at weaving in romance. So here’s the funny part: A few years ago, I told my editor I was trying to improve that aspect of my writing. As she read through the manuscript for Christmas at Rose Hill Farm, she called to say, “Whoa! Dial it down! I’m blushing!”
And for some extra fun . . .
If you could pick one superhero to save you from impending doom, who would it be and why?
It’s hard to beat Superman. Humility is rare in a superhero.
If you could guest star in one TV show, what would be and what would your ideal role be?
Great British Baking Show…I would team up with Sue and Mel.
Name one significant heirloom or keepsake you have and why it’s important to you:
In my living room is a photograph of my grandfather (who had been raised Plain and has inspired me in many ways) with Billy Graham and Carl Henry. My grandfather was at Christianity Today, when it first began in the late 1950s.
We’d love you have you share a snippet from your novel to entice us and hook us! J Please share something below:
Here’s the back cover copy (which authors work super hard on!):Beautiful and winsome, Betsy Zook never questioned her family's rigid expectations, nor those of devoted Hans, but then she never had to. Not until the night when she's taken captive in a surprise Indian raid. During her captivity, Betsy faces brutality and hardship, but also unexpected kindness. She draws strength from native Caleb, who encourages her to find God in all circumstances. She finds herself torn between her pious upbringing and the intense new feelings this compelling man awakens within her. 

Handsome and complex, Hans is greatly anguished by Betsy's captivity and turns to Tessa Bauer for comfort. Eagerly, Tessa responds, overlooking troubling signs of Hans's hunger for revenge. When Betsy is finally restored to the Amish, have things gone too far between Hans and Tessa? 

Inspired by true events, this deeply layered novel gives a glimpse into the tumultuous days of prerevolutionary Pennsylvania through the eyes of two young, determined, and faith-filled women.
Bio: Suzanne Woods Fisher lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Suzanne graduated from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, and was a free-lancer writer for magazines while her children were growing up. A former contributing editor to Christian Parenting Today, Suzanne’s work has appeared in many magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman, Worldwide Challenge, and Marriage Partnership.Her first novel, Copper Star, a World War II love story, was published by a small press (Vintage Inspirations) and received three literary awards. It opened the door to a literary agent, Joyce Hart. The agent knew of Suzanne’s connection to the Plain People—her grandfather was raised Plain—and introduced her to an editor at Revell, a division of Baker Books. Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World was the result of that first conversation. It was an 2010 ECPA Book of the Year finalist…and it is the book Suzanne wants to be buried with.And that was twenty-five books ago! So it seems things are working out pretty well. 

Thank you so much for hosting me! 
Warmly, Suzanne
www.suzannewoodsfisher.com
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Readers:We haven't hosted many Amish fiction authors in the past simply because none of us write it and we are more focused on non-Amish historical fiction.

If you are an Amish fiction reader, what intrigues you the most about this genre?Any guesses how far north of Penn's Woods the Amish migrated for the setting of this story?Do you suppose it's more nostalgia of faith, or the Amish yesteryear-lifestyle that draws readers and tourists?