Authors I Love Part III – Who Others Love

I’ve decided that instead of just bombard my readers with authors that I love, I should bombard you as well with authors that OTHER people love.

Since using Twitter in the capacity I have been, my group of writer friends has increased. It’s the first time in my life, even counting when I was studying creative writing in college, that I can talk to people about books and writing more in-depth than “Did you know that you can READ Harry Potter and not just WATCH him?” Ok, that might not have happened, but it’s hard to find readers in my “real world” experience. It’s sad. Either no one has the ambition and glues themself to a TV or people don’t have the time to actually pick up a book, even though that would really like to (my excuse throughout college, the truth).

So for this weeks “Authors I Love” installment, I’d put a request to my group of friends to find out who they most admire as authors. I had some fun trying to figure out what they’d give me as their answers and some have surprised me. I hope you enjoy, I will be handing the reigns over to these people and more in the future.

My first guest is Brandon R. Luffman. He has published two great short pieces of vampire fiction, and will soon be finishing up his novel Frostwalker. Check out his stories and more over at his site 

I’ve got a couple of favorites. Stephen King has been at the top of my list for a long time. I love his imaginative worlds and my favorite parts are the bits of humor he throws in from time to time. Likewise, I get the same thrill fromDean Koontz. The same creativity and humor. King is actually in real danger of losing the top spot on my list to Koontz. Koontz has a lighter, more sympathetic tone that I love while Stephen King’s more recent works seem to be missing the mark. They have the same level of imagination, but he seems to be trying to get “preachy” rather than just telling the story as it should be told.

Next up is the author of The Forever Girl. It’s is the first novel in the Forever Girl series which will consist of seven novels and will also have some novellas in between installments. This author is none other than Rebecca Hamilton. To find out more about Rebecca and her books click to the left on her name…..or on the word books.

There are many authors I love, but when given the opportunity to mention just one, my mind always first goes to Nancy Pickard. I first read The Virgin of Small Plains as an excerpt from the novel was used as an example in The Fire In Fiction (by Donald Maass). It was also noted in the back of Donald Maass’ book as recommended reading, though it was the excerpt that first caught my attention. I read the opening online, as I always do before purchasing, and I decided that it’d be a good fit for me. I was right; I couldn’t put it down. After finishing that novel, I read Nancy Pickard’s The Scene of Rain and Lightning, and I enjoyed that fully as well.

Pickard’s writing style is charming and engaging. Her characters are lovable, her tone sucks you in, and her she has this fantastic way of blending breezy, accessible prose with complex stories and intricate plot structures. Every word left me breathless for the next, every hook sucked me into the next page, and right up until the very end there was no way I could be 100% sure what the outcome would be. Her way of blending past and present and multiple time lines to amplify tension is nothing short of genius, and yet the prose itself is simple, understated, a pure pleasure to read. The words became invisible on the page as the story played in my mind’s eye. I felt like I knew these characters personally.

Nancy Pickard is the first author I’ve ever had a “fan girl” moment for. I read any interviews with her that I can find, I stalk her website looking for the next novel that will be released, I’ve even sent her several emails, to which she always responds and engages me in wonderful conversation. Not only are her novels amazing, but I knew from reading them that she would be a sweet person. And she was; she’s a doll, every bit as good of a person as she is a writer! I can’t recommend her books highly enough.

Have you met Jason? No? Why not? Jason Scott Sharp is a great guy! Aside from being a supportive friend to all, he’s also (you guessed it) a great author. He’s currently working on a novel, but in the mean time he has a few stories published for your reading pleasure. For more information about Mr. Sharp and to see some great reviews, head on over to his site.

I love Anton Chekhov.
He has been a favorite for many years because he has a way of delivering character, setting, and mood in a clear and concise way, Though his writing is concise, it is still moving and engaging. My favorite short story by Chekhov is Misery about a hansom cab driver who loses his son, but can find no one to talk it out with. The setting supports the loneliness of this man, who just needs someone. Anyone.

He is my favorite because his work is still very relevant today. It touches me in ways that writing rarely does. In a time where we are ready to put down a story if it doesn’t grab us in the first sentence, it is nice to read a story with a slow build. That is Anton Chekhov for me.

Don’t get sad….but my last guest for today is Noree Cosper. Why shouldn’t you get sad? Because she’ll just make you happy again, so it’d be a waste of a frowning muscles workout. She currently has an intriguing story in the anthology, Paramortal: Tales of Undying Love and Loving The Undead. Aside from her writing in fiction, you can catch more of Noree on her blog. It’s filled with all kinds of goodies.

Neil Gaiman is a writing god to me.  I aspire to be at his level. I first discovered Neil through his Sandman comics. They were the adventures of Morpheus, the sandman.  This series went beyond a lot of superhero comics and took me into an entire world of gods, monsters, and demons. Its symbolism made me sit back and think for hours. I’m a sucker for symbolism.  Also, I still love Death! Next I picked up his novels.  American Gods and Anansi Boys both wove intricate stories about the echoes of gods in America.

Neil’s characters, even the gods are multifaceted. They make you love them, hate them, and root for them in the end. His stories make me feel like I am a part of them. At the end, I’m left wanting more.

I hope you enjoyed hearing from other people in today’s “Authors I Love” installment. I can’t be the only one running my mouth. if you enjoyed this idea and would like to see more, let me know. I will be doing similar posts as time goes on. If you’d like to contribute your own favorite authors for a future “fans” post, by all means please do. Shoot me and email. My email can be found on my “About Me” page.