I have always liked to read. Always. And I can read almost anything. Non-fiction, autobiography, romance, action-adventure, science fiction. So, this list will have a little bit of everything. I also personally know several of these authors (although that’s not why I include them) and the ones I don’t know would definitely be on my coffee time list.
As usual, in no particular order, my thirteen favorite authors:
1. Janet Kagan — an amazing science fiction author. Such rich cultural detail in all her worlds. I still read “Uhura’s Song” about once a year. Sadly, Janet died about 5 years ago. Any time you can find one of her books, I’d highly recommend them.
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2. Richard Bach — perhaps best known for “Jonathon Livingston Seagull”, his book “The Bridge Across Forever” captivated me. Incredible love story.
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3. Stephen King — I don’t really like horror stories — slasher-type, blood and gore don’t do anything for me. But, Stephen King is such a gifted storyteller, I can’t not read his stuff. Parts of “Pet Cemetery” had me in tears.
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4. Robert Fulghum — his slice of life essays with his unique view of life’s events are very centering. At times touching. At times laugh-out-loud funny. Always inspiring.
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5. David Morrell — a superb storyteller. Intricate plots, heart-pounding action. Grabs you by the throat and won’t let go until the last page.
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6. Michael Crichton — his death was a great loss to the writing community. The realistic detail and factual extrapolation woven into his stories is amazing.
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7. Mick Foley — not only a really nice guy but a tremendous storyteller.
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8. Robert J. Sawyer — I have met and spoken with Rob a handful of times. My wife sat on a panel with him at Conversion in Calgary a few years ago. Really nice guy. And a hell of a writer. His “Wake”, “Watch”, “Wonder” trilogy was superb as were “Hominids”, “Humans”, “Hybrids”.
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9. Nichelle Nichols — I’ve read all of the autobiographies of Star Trek’s original cast members. Nichelle’s was easily my favorite. Amazing woman.
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10. Heather Graham — the original, that is. And she is an original, make no mistake about it. Marvelous writer. Tracy and I get along tremendously well with Heather and her husband, Dennis. They are two of my favorite people and I don’t get to see them anywhere near as often as I’d like.
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11. Beth Ciotta — another tremendous writer with a heart of gold that I don’t get to see often enough. “All About Evie” was the first book of hers I read and I haven’t stopped since.
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12. Samantha Kane — we like to dance to Jackson Browne’s “Rosie” at romance writer’s conferences. Sam’s a ton of fun and writes scorching hot love scenes.
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13. Tracy Cooper-Posey — of course, my dear wife. I include this not because I “have to” but because she’s one hell of a writer. Her storytelling ability continually amazes me. Maybe one day, I’ll tell you all about how reading one of her books, “Diana By The Moon” got me into terrible trouble…