Meet author J.C. Fuller

One of the many cool things about social media is that you get to “meet” authors! After I read Black Bear Alibi and posted it on Instagram, J.C. Fuller liked my post. I let her know how much I enjoyed the book and was reading the rest of the series.

I also told her I am a writer. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview her for my blog!

Let’s get started!

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Welcome J.C. Fuller!

Jen – Welcome to my blog! I have to tell you that I love bears. Like, really love them and have lots and lots of stuffed bears, and knick-knack bears. It’s a lot. And that’s what drew me to your Black Bear Alibi book – the cover. Before we get to that, though, tell us about yourself.

J.C. – My name is J.C. Fuller, and I live in Washington state on the beautiful, but DRY side of the Evergreen State (Eastern Washington). I grew up on our farm, which has been in the family for over 150 years, and honestly, I can’t imagine living anywhere else. My state has it all… lakes, rivers, and beaches (though cold), forests and deserts, cities and farms, valleys, hills and mountains, plus several volcanoes (Ha Ha).

Jen – Wow! That sounds amazing. I’ve never been there, but this makes me want to go! What happened in your life that increased your faith in God?

J.C.’s amazing story of faith

J.C. – Several years ago, during the COVID shutdown, my mother went in for back surgery, and while she was on the operating table, they discovered the coating of her spinal cord had split and was leaking spinal fluid. They quickly corrected the issue, patched her up, and assumed all would be well. 

Back in her hospital room, they found it extremely difficult to rouse her awake, and after some other odd things happened, they did a Brain CT scan and discovered that all of her spinal fluid had drained and her brain had sunk in her skull, crushing the blood vessels at the base, causing a massive brain bleed.  

They immediately airlifted her to Seattle, and we instantly got to our knees to pray.  An hour later, we received a 3-way phone call from the surgeon who stated they COULD do surgery to save her life; however, she would never walk or talk again, would require a feeding tube for the rest of her life, plus full-time nursing care. 

To hear the doctor rattle off all of these terrible things was heartbreaking… YET… after each example he gave, “She’ll never walk again,” I heard a voice in my head say, “But she’s a fighter!” Over and over, with each warning, “She’ll constantly be nauseated….”, “But she’s a fighter!”… “She’ll be unable to speak..”, “But she’s a fighter!”

The doctor said he’d give our family a call back in fifteen minutes so we could decide my mother’s fate… surgery and have her survive, but suffer OR… make her comfortable and say our goodbyes over the phone.

Decisions for J.C.’s family

It was hard, but we decided to let her go… and awaited the doctor’s phone call, where we were surprised to hear him say:  

“I can’t explain this… but the new imaging scans are much better than the first scans. I’m going to recommend surgery… though I can’t promise you all those things I’ve listed won’t still happen. What do you want us to do?”

And I remember yelling into the phone before anyone else could speak: “Do the surgery! She’s a fighter!” 

This story has a happy ending… a miracle from GOD happy ending. The surgery was successful, though it was followed by some hard months… HOWEVER, my mother is PERFECTLY normal. She lives life as if it NEVER happened… and the doctors were/are dumbfounded that not only did she survive, but she has NO side effects from the event. 

So, when people ask me… Do you believe in miracles… absolutely I do. 

J.C. Fuller’s bio:

J.C. Fuller is a PNW author living in Washington state who loves all things mystery, especially thrillers and whodunits.

She enjoys sharing her imagination with readers and has written her first psychological thriller, Safe To Assume.

She also has a cozy thriller whodunit series, known as The Rockfish Island Mysteries, with the first book titled Black Bear Alibi. She is looking forward to continuing this series while working on additional standalone thrillers. Please enjoy Black Bear Alibi (Book 1), The Push (Book 2), False Findings (Book 3), and Within The Pines (Book 4).

Writing habits

Jen – Such an amazing story! Thank you for sharing it! I love to ask other authors about their writing habits. Tell me about yours!

J.C. – Well, since I am a creative person, I find that my “well” of creativity is fuller in the early morning, so I try to write first thing when I can. I also edit as I write, which sometimes is a blessing, and sometimes… well, I can spend two hours on one paragraph… It’s a curse. I also like to think of myself as a plotter. That wasn’t always the case. I used to get a shiny new idea, sit myself down and write until the ideas ended, which was typically about the middle of the book…and there the story would die. It had become a terrible habit UNTIL my father (who is no longer with us) had asked if he could read along while I wrote this new idea for a mystery series. 

As usual, I whipped out the first half of the story with no problem, my dad receiving pages daily to review and give his feedback… and then, the pages stopped coming, because the ideas had stopped as well. 

I remember him calling me up, and saying, “Hey… where’s the rest of this book, kiddo?” To which I responded, “Oh, Dad. I’m not feeling it anymore. I just don’t know how to end the thing… “, To which HE responded back with (mind you, he used his “dad” voice) “Jennifer! You have a sheriff in her yellow parka standing in the rain, WONDERING what the rest of her story is!”… and you know what? That made me feel SO guilty towards my character that I sat myself down that night and plotted out the rest of the book. If it hadn’t been for my dad, Black Bear Alibi, book one of my mystery series, never would have been written to completion and published.  (Thanks, Daddy!) 

J.C. Fuller’s books

Jen – I absolutely love that! As authors, we need that encouragement! Let’s switch to books. Tell us what you have written

J.C. – I am the author of a whodunit mystery series (The Rockfish Island mysteries– A PNW island with a feisty female sheriff, a hometown hunky park ranger, and tight knit community mingled with killers) and (so far), one psychological thriller-, Safe to Assume (Armchair detectives convinced of a man’s guilt go to great lengths to prove it…but are they right?).

All of my books are available on Amazon and other places you can buy books. (The Rockfish Island mysteries are also available on audiobook and in libraries.) I am currently working on book five of the Rockfish Island series and look forward to writing more thrillers. (Please note that the psychological thriller is dark and does have foul language.) 

Jen – You know I’m a huge fan of the Rockfish Island series. And I really enjoyed Safe to Assume too. Next favorite question – What is your advice for new authors?

Advice for new authors from J.C.

J.C. – Easy. WRITE. THE. BOOK. NOW. – I didn’t publish until I was 48, and I SO wish I had done it sooner! I know it is hard to put your work out there among a sea of other authors… but believe me… it is worth it! Also… get a professional editor. (I’ve learned that lesson the hard way.) And life will be easier if you realize now… You’ll never be able to write a book that everyone likes. Focus on the majority and keep learning. Black Bear Alibi is a good book, but I am extremely proud of the later books… I learned to be craftier in my mysteries. ha ha 

The Rockfish Island Mystery series:

Black Bear Alibi: Philip Russell, a U.S. Park Ranger for a small island in the Pacific Northwest, has stumbled across a body in the woods. Unsure if the dead woman is a local or someone from the mainland, the new female sheriff is called in to find out if the community has anything to fear. Eager to help solve the mystery, both instantly find themselves at odds with each other. Philip, defending the people he’s known his whole life, and Sheriff Lane, giving no one the benefit of the doubt…not even Philip. Together, the investigation progresses and both quickly realize that on this sleepy island, not everyone is who they pretend to be…and possibly, one of their fellow islanders is a killer.

The Push: Once again, death has found its way to Rockfish Island’s National Park, this time in the form of a terrible climbing accident. When Sheriff Lane discovers the victim has ties to an accidental drowning the summer before, she becomes suspicious that the two deaths are linked and not accidents at all. Recruiting Park Ranger Phillip Russell into her investigation, the two begin looking into the past. Lane, digging into the life of the latest victim with her new deputy, Caleb Pickens, and Philip, befriending those who were involved in the prior death the summer before. It’s not long before Philip becomes convinced Sheriff Lane is looking for murder and mayhem where there is none. But Lane, trusting her instincts and intuition, refuses to let the investigation fizzle out. Will the two deaths end up being a coincidence after all, or will a murderer be unmasked?

False Findings: In book three of the series, dark deeds, intended to remain hidden beneath the cold waters bordering the island, have surfaced, shocking the small community and casting a dark shadow over its residents. Confronted with a blood-speckled rowboat and a waterlogged corpse, Sheriff Lane is desperate for answers, some of which can only be found on the mainland. Faced with limited resources and her lone deputy following another lead, Lane turns to Park Ranger Philip Russell, who is more than eager to help investigate the mysterious homicide.
The pair piece their findings together while trying to separate gossip from the truth and answer the most pressing of questions: Whose body was pulled from the icy waters, and who, in their tight-knit community, put it there?

Within the Pines: A small island with BIG lies…Welcome to Rockfish Island. A well-kept secret from the average tourist, Rockfish Island is the chosen destination for an all-inclusive corporate getaway with a fun-filled weekend of glamping and horseback riding planned, each guest expecting a good time despite mounting tensions and ladder-climbing aspirations. When a shot rings out in the early morning, the celebratory atmosphere dissolves, and Sheriff Lane, with Ranger Philip Russell in tow, must discern if the corresponding death is an accident, a matter of opportunity, or a murder for hire. With the main suspect hiding behind legal counsel and fingers pointing in every direction, additional theories abound when the victim’s past life comes to light, with ties to the island surfacing within the investigation. Speculation comes close to home and forces Lane to ask… Exactly who was hidden within the pines? Is she seeking a killer among the visiting strangers or one within her own tight-knit community?

Safe to Assume: You know what they say about assuming… Imagine seeing the face of a woman you had a first date with, only seventy-two hours prior, suddenly being plastered across the news, reported as a missing person. Not only missing, but potentially the next victim of a devious serial killer haunting your county? And what if, once the police are involved, the finger of suspicion points squarely at you? The last person to have seen her alive. Even more concerning, an armchair detective and her team, all convinced of your guilt, have taken it upon themselves to prove you’re the hunted serial killer… and by any means necessary. It’s SAFE TO ASSUME this would be torture for an innocent man or a serious threat to a guilty one. Either way, isn’t everyone guilty of… something?

Jen – Thank you so much, J.C. Fuller, for being on the blog today! Can’t wait to read more by you!

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Hi, I’m Jen! I’ve been married for over 39 years, have 5 amazing kids, and have 3 adorable grandkids. I homeschooled our three youngest children and used to blog about homeschooling. I also taught Oral Communication as an adjunct instructor for over 5 years.

Jen Dodrill Writes is born of a passion of mine – to write a novel! My cozy mystery series – The Empty Nesters Cozy Mysteries – is now complete! My romantic suspense novella, SeaBreeze Obsession in Trinity Sands Beach Club, released June 17, 2025! And finally, my first women’s fiction, Finding Ginny, released April 7, 2026!

When I’m not working, you’ll find me writing, spending time with my family, or curled up on the couch reading and drinking a mug of dark roast coffee. (Don’t forget to check out my mug shop – JDMugs!)