Suzanne Woods Fisher is known for her heartwarming Amish fiction and contemporary romance novels. where faith, community, and love take center stage. Through her enchanting storytelling, she whisks readers away to charming settings and introduces them to unforgettable characters.

When she's not weaving captivating tales, Suzanne enjoys life with her husband, Steve, along with their four children and numerous grandchildren. Fun fact: Steve is a professional ice cream maker, a skill he honed at Penn State's ice cream school. His expertise inspired Suzanne's "Cape Cod Creamery" series, set in Chatham, Massachusetts, featuring an ice cream shop run by a mother-daughter duo. You can get a sneak peek by pre-ordering "Love on a Whim," the series' third installment, here: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/553561

With a string of bestselling novels and a natural gift for storytelling, Suzanne continues to enthrall readers globally. Her books provide a cozy escape, reminding us of life's simple yet beautiful moments.

Connect with Suzanne on her website, www.suzannewoodsfisher.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter for updates on new releases, giveaways, and more. Suzanne adores interacting with her readers and cherishes staying connected!

A little about today's host-

Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs & Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies.

She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27.

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Welcome to Author Express. Thanks for checking us out. This is the podcast where you give us 15 minutes of your time, and we give you a chance to hear the voice behind the pages and get to know your new favorite author in a new light. I'm Shawna Rodrigues, one of your hosts, a fellow author, host of The Grit Show and the founder of Authentic Connections Podcast Suzanne Woods Fisher is a Christie finalist, a Carole Award winner, a 2 time ECPA Book of the Year finalist, and the Publishers Weekly ECPA CBA best selling author of 40 books. Her genres include contemporary and historical romances, Amish romance, and children's fiction. She and her husband live in a small town in California, where everyone knows everyone else, knows what they are doing and why. And most friends act a little nervous around Suzanne because they usually wind up in one of her novels. She has 4 grown children and enough grandchildren to keep her young.

Thank you so much for being here with us today, Suzanne.

Oh, it's a pleasure to be here.

I'm excited to get to know you a little bit better. I love that you've written 40 books. That is quite a legacy you have.

In fact, I think I didn't even realize that until I saw a recent press release, and I just thought, if you could have told me that 10, 15 years ago, I never would have believed it. But it's just really one at a time, you know, kind of like Anne Lamott's bird by bird Yeah. Concept. And it's amazing to think that 40 books have have been produced. I'm just so thankful. It's been great.

Yeah. It's exciting that you've been able to give so much and do so much. That's wonderful. I'm so excited to learn more about the one that's coming out and a little more about your journey. So let's start with something interesting about where you are from.

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, but what is curious about that is I really kind of broke into the publishing world through Amish fiction. And the reason of that is there are no Amish in California at all. There's a lot of Mennonites and there's a lot of German Baptists, but no Amish at all. And the reason is because my grandfather was raised plain, and he is from the Gettysburg area in Pennsylvania, one of 11 children. And that's where my my real interest and actually, even just in sociology in college, I did a lot of studies of sociology in different groups and how communities live together. It's just been an such a true sincere interest as I've gotten into my relatives, and I've seen them through hard experiences and see how they have responded because of their beliefs and traditions and their community. And I think that's people would be most surprised that what is a California girl doing writing about the Amish? But that's why.

That is very exciting that you found that and decided to build on that as well.

I think sometimes we get distracted by bonnets and beards and buggies, but I always like going deeper into what makes the plain people, the people who live the Anabaptists, the people who live a simple life without a lot of modern conveniences, and yet they have such a strong bond and so healthy in so many ways. I'm not saying perfect, but they are pretty remarkable people. It's the fastest growing population in North America. Isn't that amazing? They're not the biggest, but the fastest growing and huge retention rate in their churches and large families, obviously, because they're very few converts. So it's been kind of an exciting experience, and I have moved into other genres as well, historical fiction and, contemporary women's fiction and then some children's books, but that's kind of even nonfiction, but that the door kinda cracked open and I ran through it.

That is. It's fascinating how you can find something that grabs your interest and you want to learn and share and, like, grow in that area. That's really interesting. And so growing up, who was somebody in your family that you were closest to?

I mean, my sister was my special friend. She actually passed away a few years ago, and I I think I miss her every single day. But she's just she was my crackerjack assistant, and we went on, like, we go research trips together and, ah, she was just so special.

Yes. You didn't expect for me to tap into that today in this conversation. It was very clear she's very dear to your heart and very close to the surface.

She was so fun. Yeah.

Oh, that's so beautiful. Is she somebody who's worked her way into any of your books into some of the characters?

Actually, more because of the research trip we went on. It you know, we've I have, like, a picture of her when I was doing a Maine a whole series in Maine, and I have this picture of her eating a lobster. You know? And just, like, she's just a part of so many happy memories. But, anyway

Yes. Let's talk more about the book that you have coming out. So can you summarize shortly? Tell us a little bit about your book.

It's called Love on a Wim, and it's the 3rd in the Cape Cod Creamery series. This is based in a little town called Chatham, which is on the hook, you know, the elbow of Cape Cod, and it's a beautiful little town. I think everyone should get there at least once in their life. And the series began with a mom and a daughter, her young adult daughter, who both were in need of some reset in life, and they ended up on Cape Cod. They're very different personalities. And the mom finds this rundown old ice cream shop up for sale, puts a lowball offer never expecting to to get it. Lo and behold, they do get it, and that is kind of the heart of this series of this mom and daughter trying to make this ice cream shop. They'd have no experience in ice cream, and, also, it's a tourist town.

It's a destination town. It's a summer town. So how do you keep that alive during the winter? Lots of people in their lives, a lot of character development that's fun and familiar faces in book 2. And then now we're to book 3, and this is the wrap up, Love on a Whim. And it's a story about, I mentioned a mom and a daughter. So this young adult daughter has a best friend and she's always been off screen. But we know she's been a really pivotal part of this family and this, you know, especially this best friend of her of Dawn, the young woman. Her name is Brynn.

And we begin this story where Brynn has, very unlike her character, met a man and married him, and in 24 hours, woke up the next morning, panicked. And while her new groom was sleeping, she tiptoed away and escaped Cape Cod to her friend. And that's kind of the heart of the story. That's how it all unravels and what happens and on and on, but it's been a wonderful I love this series. It's both fun and deep. You can get as much out of it as you want. It's just such a lovely story of a family that really makes a difference in town.

Yes. And it's great because it sounds like you can read one book and get a lot out of one of the stories, but they all connect together. So it's a stand alone as well as part of a series.

And I'm so glad you mentioned that because I've always had a belief that a book has stand on its own legs. That it just makes me so mad to read a second in a book and all you're doing is the recap, setting you up for the 3rd, and it just feels like, no. That is a cheat. I want I want a book to speak to you all on its

own. No. That's wonderful. So somebody who's excited about that book can order it immediately and read it because that connects with them, or they're like, oh, I wanna start at the beginning. They can go ahead and grab the first one and start at the beginning if they want. So you have options. I love having options. So what made you first decide? As you mentioned, you lived in California.

I've actually been to Chatham Bars Inn and been to Chatham, so I lived on the East Coast for a while. So what made you decide to have a book and start a series on the East Coast and on the Cape?

Well, a couple of reasons. 1, I mentioned my grandfather's from Pennsylvania. Our entire family is East Coast. We're the only little piece of the family that is on the West Coast. My dad grew up on the Cape. My uncle had a dental practice in Chatham. My cousin was a tennis pro at the Chatham Bar's Inn. So it's been, it's been in our life, that that corner of the world.

And here's what's really interesting. My husband is a professional ice cream maker.

Oh, that is so fun. What a way to incorporate that.

He went to Penn State's ice cream school. I don't know if you even knew they had such a thing, but they do.

I love the things we get to learn. This is amazing. So Penn State has an ice cream school.

Since 18/92 or 93, and all the greats have gone, Baskin and Robbins and Jenny Splendid and, you know, you the Bette and Jerry's, everybody has gone there. Corporations send their their scientists there. It's it's a really technical approach, and it's actually held in January. It's kind of a certification process. And my husband has been and is just an outstanding ice cream maker. He's really the he's the resource behind so much of the knowledge of ice cream through this series. If you're an ice cream lover, you're gonna you're gonna need ice cream as you read it. It just whets your appetite.

That is such a bonus. I love it. That is so fun.

Yeah. And ice cream and Cape Cod. Why those 2? I'm my editor who I I've had 40 books written, and I've been in a unique position where I've had the same editor in the same publishing house for all of these books. My editor's come to my home. She's had Steve's ice cream, and she's the one who said, I want a book about ice cream. She said, pick your coast, pick anywhere you want. And I came up with, oh, West Coast. I can finally do a series of the West Coast.

And she said, no. I think we're new Cape Cod. So and there's a reason. I think that Cape Cod is so accessible for such a large part of the of the population. And it is. It's a wonderful place. It's different from Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard that almost is a filter, you know, harder to get to or harder. But the the New England coast in the summer is hard to beat.

It's about the most beautiful place in the world.

Well, and it's great that you have such a deep knowledge of it because of your connections to it as well. So that definitely adds layers to what you're be able to bring to the story.

Because it's different visiting than living. And I think, like, for example, I questioned my aunt about some parts of living in Chatham that really are part of living there, and she made a comment about I said, well, how do you feel about the tourists? And she said, oh, we don't even talk to them. We just don't even deal with them. And then and then she gave me some other little things like, you know, church bells only ring on Sunday, you know, and just things that are you wouldn't know unless you're you're really living, and it is different. No. It's it's a whole different experience than the crowds of summer when the population swells 6 times.

That is so fun. I love that. That's kind of a unique way to do things. So when it comes to your writing, what do you think is the best advice you've ever received? Obviously, you've been able to persevere and write 40 books and change genres and do all these things with it. Like, what is the best advice you've ever received?

I was reading the newspaper one day and there was this whole thing on a woman who had turned a 100. It was just like a birthday celebration in the newspaper. And they asked her that question, why do you think you've lived so long? And she said, I wanna know what happens next. And I just thought, oh my goodness. That's it. That's what propels a novel. Whatever genre it is, that's what makes you wanna turn the page and how you get to the end of a chapter and you're on your toes instead of your heels because what's happening next? And it's really hard to do. I mean, it's like, especially the end of a chapter to to really pull it together so that you're really learning forward and you can't stop.

And yet I think that is just the best advice I stumbled on in writing, period. Doesn't mean I'm great at it, but it's it's the best advice.

You must be pretty good at it. But that is, and I love that. And I even think that your curiosity it sounds like even your start with the piece with doing the Amish and the different ways that you've kind of leaned into your writing, it sounds like that curiosity and what's next and what can I find and what could I do is kind of propelled you to write 40 books?

Well, don't you think most writers and you just kind of mentioned it yourself. Most writers are sort of over blessed with curiosity.

Yes. That's yes. Definitely. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it definitely propelled many writers. We could definitely run with that. I love it. That's awesome. And so what is the best place for people to find you and to be able to connect and get to know you better?

I hang out at my website a lot, www.suzannewoodspisher.com. I have a connect page. You know, you can and send me an email. I love connecting with readers. I I really have to I mean, this quite sincerely where probably the best part of being an an author is that connection to readers. I I find that I am connecting to people all around, even the world, that I never would have known without the blessings of writing, and there are good people everywhere. So it's been just such a joy, and I welcome the feedback that they give me. And it's been really nice.

I try to be good to my readers because they are good to me. So that's the best place in my website.

I love that about the podcast that I feel that it fortifies that connection between readers and writers, and I think that it helps readers to recognize what an important role they play. Because I know that growing up and before I became a writer, that I always thought that, like, oh, writers are way over here and on this island far away. And every writer and author I've had come on this podcast is, like, I love my readers. I love that connection. I love hearing from them. That's what makes this worthwhile. That's what makes it important, and that connection and hearing from them is so important. And so to really empower readers to be able to reach out and to be able to feel that comfort that it is this two way street that I know I didn't realize before.

And it's so nice that we can have those conversations and help people recognize that and realize it's an invitation to say yes. If you can connect, and we do love to hear what you think and to be able to be connected like that. So that's beautiful. I love that. So what book or story inspires you the most?

I think probably the most remarkable story to me is To Kill A Mockingbird. And the reason, besides the fact that it's a, you know, gut wrenching story, there is no love angle in it. There is nothing, no romance. And almost every book you read, war stories, almost everything, there's a love story, but not To Kill A Mockingbird. And I think that is just such a credit to Harper Lee that she wrote such a remarkable novel. And, of course, Gregory Peck, who I've always been rather fond of, brought it to life.

It has that profoundness without that element. Definitely. That's a wonderful point. Thank you so much for being here and sharing with all of us and letting everyone get to know you a little bit better.

Thank you. Thank you for the time and for exposing my books to your listeners. This has really been a pleasure.

Yes. And is it May 7th that Love on a Whim is out?

Love on a Whim. Yes. It is.

Perfect. Thank you so much. Thanks. Thank you for joining us. I hope you take a second to give a stars or a review on your favorite podcasting platform. It really makes a difference in folks being able to find us. We'll be here again next Wednesday. Follow us on Instagram @author express podcast to see who's coming up next.

And don't forget, keep it express to keep it interesting.