My Top Authors
Wow, that is a mouthful of a topic. I adore reading, I know…shocker. But I read all over too…maybe not such a surprise.
William Shakespeare: A master of entertainment in a time when writing something controversial just might land you in a dank prison cell. His prose was complicated and often the joke was in the way he used the words. His work had to stand up to no electricity for sound effects or movie magic. Everything was done through the script or through the art of the written word.
Geoffrey Chaucer: Tales every child heard for more than three hundred years. Printed when printing presses were hand set and in some cases only allowed to be used with permission of the Pope. The Canterbury Tales is a remarkable set of stories which once again challenge the reader to understand the jest, when it is made by using different meanings of words. Besides, it’s full of Knightly valor and pokes fun at those who had more ego than honor.
Gene Rodenberry: Yes, the man who created Star Trek! Maybe he didn’t write books, but his work was shocking. People poke fun at it today, but this man pushed the boundaries of his society. A mixed nationality crew and not just a colored woman…there was an Asian and a Russian, remember this is cold war era.
Beatrice Small: My first title of hers was The Kadin and I was hooked. Her stories were complex and my friends and I used to joke about needing to take notes to keep track of the extended families. But I adore her work.
Stephan King: This man has a way of hooking my attention. I don’t even like horror, but I read his books because he has such a clever imagination. He spins his tales in a unique manner and I just keep reading because I want to know where it’s going to end up.
Johanna Lindsey: The very first romance book I ever picked up was one of hers. I was in heaven. Here was the girl who watched Han Solo kiss Princess Leia with wide eyes getting her hands on an entire book about a heart-felt romance. I’ve loved all her books, read a few until they fell apart.
These are only a few authors I read. I love reading historical accounts and those authors may not be well known, but they are among my favorites. Many of my ideas for books, such as Highland Heat, come to me while I’m shifting through the dry dates of some long ago battle for power. Highland Heat is set in 1439, Scotland has a boy king, and everyone was trying to rule through the position of being regnant. I wanted to write the tale of what some of the people living during this time might have done. In spite of the struggles over crown and country, there were still people living their lives. They still fell in love and not always with the person their families wanted. Highland Heat was a chance for me to give one of those couples a happy ending. I hope you enjoy it.
[Ed. Let Mary know your fave authors and two lucky comments will win a copy of her Highland Heat! U.S. and Canada only, please.]
Let’s see only 2? I will have to say one is Lisa Kleypas. On her worst day, she can deliver everything I want in a story. The other? Jill Shalvis she writes emotional, funny, fantastic character development and I wait to gobble up each new book that comes out. Thankfully, each of those authors have a huge backlist I take my time with.
Honorable mentions to Julie James and Elizabeth Hoyt!
Hi Mary! Its hard to just pick a couple because the stories so unique that they are special in themselves! Some that really touched me with their stories would be one, Jillian Hunter ( I gobbled up the Boscastle series, I think 7 books, Regency. Full of adventure, quirky humor and passionate romance!). Since historicals are so much a favorite of mine, I staying on that route for the second pick and that would be Julianne Maclean (Regency and loved those American Heiresses books) and she now just has highlanders out too. So looking forward to those. These are so much a comfort read for me with the historicals, no matter the era.
PS, If I could pick more, Elizabeth Hoyt too! Gosh those were great and too… (so many!)
Hi Mary. Like your author choices, incliuding Rodenberry, I agree he pushed the enevelope in his time. So hard to pick only 2 authors, I always have to think who should I say ths time, lol. Years ago I’d say DuMaurier and Anya Seton. Now it’s a tossup usuallyi between Lorettq Chase, Connie Brockway, Lisa Kleypas, Mary Balogh, Judith Ivory. Then Jo Goodman was added a few yeares back and adding to that list of alltime favorues with their recent books, Julie Anne Long and Kate Noble. And so many more, including Elizabeth Hoyt mentioned above. Sorry couldn’t stick to just two.
I do consider all the ideas you have introduced on your post. They are really convincing and can definitely work. Still, the posts are very brief for novices. Could you please prolong them a bit from next time? Thank you for the post.