Interview with Joni M. Fisher

 I'm excited to welcome Joni M. Fisher today on the Suspense Sisters blog! Hope you have a good time getting to know her and her work. 

What is your favorite part about writing? Least favorite?

My favorite part about writing is doing research. I proudly embrace my inner nerd. While many use research to find answers, I use it to fuel imagination and feed curiosity. I start with books, documentaries, and such to learn facts, culture, and history about the time and places in the story. This information leads to character and plot development. 

After that comes immersion research, like interviewing experts and gaining hands-on experience.

Hands-on experience allows me to capture accurate sensory details to draw the reader deeper into the story as if experiencing events as the character does. Whether it’s flying a plane or firing a handgun, get the details right.

My least favorite part about writing is proofreading. After reading and editing the manuscript umpteen times, I can’t see what’s really on the page. My mind sees what it expects to see, so it skips over missing or misplaced words. My mind will also ignore an overused word because, at some point, I get tired of reading the same story over and over and over. Great editors are treasures.

Pantser or Plotter?

I am a plotter. Having an outline for the story streamlines the creative process. Through the outline, it’s easy to spot a random, useless scene. Tossing a paragraph in an outline is less painful than tossing a written scene.

What do you do when you're not writing? Any interesting hobbies?

I am an instrument-rated private pilot. My husband and I share a Cessna 210 with three other pilots. We love to travel. I report for General Aviation News. We also enjoy shooting. I can consistently hit a 10-inch target from 1,000 yards.

What have you researched that makes you think the FBI might be interested in you?

Ha! The FBI already has my fingerprints and a file on me.

Would you tell us about your current book release East of Evil?

My latest book, East of Evil, was the fourth book in the Compass Crimes Series. It won a bronze award in the 2023 Readers Favorite Awards and is a finalist in the 2024 Christian Indie Awards. The winners will be announced in April. East of Evil is longlisted for the 2023 Murder & Mayhem Awards. The winners will be announced in April.

What would you like readers to know about your story/characters?

My stories feature women overcoming hardships and danger instead of waiting around to be rescued. We need more female role models in literature, movies, and life. I write in a classical mystery style—no gore, no porn, and no profanity.

Would you share with us what you are working on now?

The series I’m working on now features a young woman who devotes her life to art. While working in a gallery, she discovers the gallery’s illegal side business and that she is being set up to take the blame.

What is the most valuable piece of advice you’d like to give to unpublished authors?

Read the bestsellers, past and present, in your genre. Discover how they crafted their successful stories. Dissect their strengths and weaknesses. Learn how to employ the power of figures of speech (alliteration, metaphor, hyperbole, and more).

East of Evil back cover copy

A colossal fortune. A secret reaper. A young woman whose drive for due process makes her the target of dangerous people.

How to connect with Joni M. Fisher

Website: https://jonimfisher.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jonimfisher

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/joni-m-fisher/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJoniMFisher/

Thank you Joni, for sharing your time and work with us! I'm excited to read East of Evil! It sounds intriguing. 

Comment below with your top read of 2024 so far to be entered for a chance to win an ebook copy of East of Evil by Joni M. Fisher!