John C. Fisher, a native of Missouri's Bootheel region, was born in Kennett and grew up on a farm near Holcomb. After high school, he attended Southeast Missouri State University, earning a degree in geology. Following graduate work in geology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, John returned to operate  diversified row-crop and vegetable farms in Dunklin and New Madrid counties. He managed a roadside produce stand featuring sweet corn, melons, purple hull peas, and other vegetables.

Fisher retired from farming in 2000 and began his career as a full-time freelance writer. He began with magazine articles then expanded to books.

Organizations with which Fisher is affiliated include Missouri Writers Guild, Heartland Writers Guild, Missouri Folklore Society, Center for French Colonial Studies, Central Mississippi Valley Archaeological Society, and the State Historical Society of Missouri. He also serves on the Missouri Board on Geographic Names and is an elder at the First Christian Church in Kennett.