BLOGWORDS – Thursday 29 January 2026 – CHAT THURSDAY

BLOGWORDS – Thursday 29 January 2026 – CHAT THURSDAY – JOANNE BISCHOF DEWITT

CHAT THURSDAY – JOANNE BISCHOF DEWITT

Please give a warm feathered welcome to author and friend, Joanne DeWitt.

rem: Hullo Joanne. Welcome, and congratulations on your recent marriage. Tell us three random things about yourself.

JOANNE: Fun! I love animals, I love to cross stitch and I love hanging out with my family.

rem: Never tried cross-stitch, but I love animals and I especially love hanging out with family. What is your favorite quotation and why?

JOANNE: There is a quote I recently discovered from The Lord of the Rings series where Gandalf says: “Courage will now be your best defense against the storm that is at hand-—that and such hope as I bring.” This one really touches me as it reminds me of who God is in our lives. As a recent cancer survivor, I have had hard times when courage and faith were all I had to lean on so this really touches my heart.

rem: I can’t imagine the battle you faced, but I do know Father God is always with us, even—especially—in our darkest moments and seasons. When reading, what makes or breaks a story for you? Your fiction pet peeve?

JOANNE: Ooh, good question. I’m really drawn to an immersive setting. I really want to feel, hear and see the surroundings of a story’s first page, instead of trying to guess what might be going on.

rem: Oh yes. I’m very visual and always “see” the setting for whatever I’m reading. What are you reading right now?

JOANNE: Currently I am actually reading my student’s stories! I work for The Author Conservatory as an online writing instructor, so each week, I read about 15 synopsis, outlines or novel concepts. It keeps me on my toes and I never get bored of needing something new to read!

rem: Talk about reading across the spectrum! I know that keeps you on your toes. Tell us a little about your writing journey.

JOANNE: I started off relatively young and had publishing success in my early 20’s including a 3-book contract with Multnomah (Random House) and a Christy Award nomination for my debut novel. My career took a turn though as a rather dry spell followed so I turned to Indie publishing where I wrote 3 books, one which was the first ever self-published book to qualify for a Christy Award. Several years later, my novel, The Lady and the Lionheart, became the first novel to ever win a Christy Award. Since then, I’ve written traditionally again and have had the honor of writing books for both Thomas Nelson (Harper Collins) and Tyndale where I’m currently at.

rem: That’s quite an impressive journey. What genre(s) do you write and why?

JOANNE: I mostly write historical romance. I have a few books that are contemporary but historical romance is always my writing home.

rem: Historical fiction is my favorite genre, although I do love a good murder mystery. Tell us a little about your latest book? What is your current project?

JOANNE: It’s called The Heart of Bennet Hollow and is a Pride and Prejudice retelling set in Appalachia! All the beloved characters are there and we’ve added some playful twists to keep the story fresh. It was a joy to work on.

rem: The title says Appalachia, doesn’t it. #wink Sounds like a fun story. What is YOUR favorite part about the book or why do you love this book? Why should we read it?

JOANNE: I absolutely LOVED writing William Drake who is the Mr. Darcy character. My husband and Mr. Darcy have the same personality type (INTJ) so writing from Mr. Darcy’s head as part of a romance made a lot of sense to me since I felt like I could understand where he was coming from. Just like my husband, Mr. Darcy is so loveable even though they are both more quiet and reserved.

rem: I love the personal inspiration. What is one take-away from your book(s) that you hope readers identify with?

JOANNE: I hope that readers will connect with the theme of light. There’s an embroidery piece that Lizbeth Bennet is stitching on during the story and she uses a Bible verse to illustrate the ‘armor of light.’ It’s a theme throughout the story and I hope it blesses readers as much as it did me.

rem: As believers, we are light in a dark world. One more and then we’ll close. Do you have a life Scripture?

JOANNE: I’d have to say it’s Psalms 23 as it’s the first Bible verse I ever memorized as a kid thanks to my parent’s help. It’s the verse that has been with me the longest and it always speaks to me in any situation.

rem: Oh yes, the 23^rd Psalm is an anchor in any situation. Anything you’d like to add?

JOANNE: I so appreciate you having me on the blog. I had fun chatting with you!

rem: Me too, Joanne. Thanks again for visiting my blog today!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A Christy and Carol Award winner, Joanne Bischof DeWitt writes deeply layered fiction that tugs at the reader's heartstrings. She lives in California with her new husband and their six children making her a big fan of conversations, laughter, and large dinner tables.

#Blogwords, Chat Thursday, Interview, Joanne Bischof DeWitt, The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf, The Author Conservatory, Multnomah (Random House), Christy Award, Be Still My Soul, The Lady and the Lionheart, Thomas Nelson (Harper Collins), Tyndale, The Heart of Bennet Hollow, Pride and Prejudice, Appalachia, Lizbeth Bennet, Psalms 23

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