1. Louisa May Alcott. First author I cried while reading. I knew the first time I read Little Women I'd be an author someday.
2. Mark Twain. The ultimate, truest American author. Those who decry Huck Finn can't possibly ever have read it. First "true" American novel.
3. Nathaniel Hawthorne. A 19th century X-filer. Love him.
4. Victoria Holt. Oh. Menfreya in the Morning still has my heart throbbing.
5. James Patterson. Okay, they can be fluffy and maybe not even written wholly by him, but he keeps the pages turning.
6. Anya Seton. An oldie but such a goodie.
7. Charles Dickens. Oh, the master of characerization. Who could forget Miss Havisham, Scrooge, Uriah Heap. Charles Darnay. The list goes on and on and on....
8. Dan Brown. Okay, I didn't like the last one, but The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons kept me up until I finished.
9. Norah Lofts. She's kind of a -re Philippa Gregory. Me likee English history. (And I do like Philippa, too.)
10. Last but never least, Linda Lael Miller. The goddess of Western romance.
Speaking of which...if you like the West, I hope you'll check out my historicals through The Wild Rose Press, and my eight-novella series about a contemporary Colorado ranch family from White Rose Publishing.
(Check out my website for further info. http://www.tanyahanson.com/
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22 comments:
Tanya, great post. One of my favorite love scenes is one of Patterson's Alex Cross. It's very, very romantic and only about two paragraphs long. Love him!
Tanya, my favorite romance of all was Kathleen Woodiwiss. Sure can't leave her out. She paved the way for the romance genre. And it's because of her that I write. Her stories mesmerized me. What a lady!
Hi Tanya, For different reasons I have favorite authors.
Agatha Christie because if her great characters and mystery solving, Nora Roberts again for her great characters, and LaVyrle Spencer for putting me on the track of western romance.
Hi Tanya,
My list includes mostly romance authors, since that's my favorite thing to read.
I love Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Just finished her Simply Irrestible.
Nora always entertains.
I'm reading Linda Lael Miller right now.
Maya Banks, (fellow Desire author) and newest NY Times Bestseller of KGI series of suspense are great too.
Rachel Gibson- she needs a new book.. I've read all of them.
Dan Brown is great too.
Hi Tanya,
Some of my all-time favorite, must read everything they write authors are: Larry McMurtry for his colorful western characters and thrilling stories, Michelle Black for her unique historical novels with a twist, Jane Candia Coleman who writes moving westerns, Nancy Pickard for her "keep the pages turning" mysteries, Sandra Dallas for books that hook me from the first page, and Gary McCarthy for his epic historical novels that take place all over the west.
By the way, I just finished your beautiful, heartfelt book, Hearts Crossing Ranch, and am adding you to my list. xoxoxo
Hi Tanya,
Congrats on such a huge acheivement firstly! Wow - that must have felt incredible!
My favourites (excuse the Kiwi spelling) are:
LaVyrle Spencer - am beyond sad she retired : (
Jodi Picoult
Diana Gabaldon
Audrey Niffenger (sp?)
Nora Roberts
Linda Howard
Tami Hoag
I'm sure there are many more too - but they'd be my all-time favourites.
I'm going to check out some of your suggestions now - thanks.
Interesting how many of my favorites have already been mentioned. I love Lorraine Heath--her characters make me fall in love in two pages or less; and Linda Lael Miller, 'cause she makes the west come alive. And Nora Roberts. I've been an Isaac Asimov fan since junior high; Ray Bradbury, too. And Kathleen Woodiwiss was the first true romance author I read--so it's her fault I'm a writer. :)
Hi Phiyliss, I too love how spare Patterson can be. My hubby loves his short chapters!
And Linda, oh, yes. I so loved Aislin and Wulfgar. I think that was the first true romance I ever read. I still have it somewhere. Sigh.
Thanks to my filly sisters (www.petticoatsandpistols.com) for stopping by today!
Oh, Paty, yes. Nora does it all so well, and LaVerle rocks. And I so love Agatha. I was reading one of her books with a character named Christine Redfern the night I went into labor those years ago, which how I confirmed my notion to name our daughter Christine.
Good choices, all. Thanks for posting today.
Aw, Stacey. Compliments from my peers mean the most. Thanks so much. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm in the final stages of finishing the fifth sibling's story. I hope you will like them all.
I too love McMurtry. I still have Telegraph Days downstairs waiting to be read. (hardcover, before my Kindle days.) Thanks my friend for posting today! oxoxox
Hi Charlene, oh, Rachel Gibson makes me laugh. I had the hockey player one on a plane one time and laughed out loud many times. I too spend most of my time in romance but I do like a good mystery. Thanks for stopping by! oxoxox
Oh, yes, LaVerne, Diana Gabaldon and Linda Howard. Awesome both. I just downloaded Outlander in my Kindle for a re-read. I have also enjoyed some Luanne Rice's. Hard to keep the list to ten.
Thanks for posting today!
Hi Tracy, same here re: Woodiwiss. Her books were so nice and thick, too. You really got your money's worth. Sigh. All those great characters. I think it's because of her I always have liked forced marriage stories...when they fall in love of course. So good to see you here! oxox
Hello, my filly sis!
So many of my faves have already been mentioned--I guess great minds think alike! LOL I loved loved loved SWEET SAVAGE LOVE by Rosemary Rogers. That was my first romance book I ever read, and still remains one of my favorites even now. I loved Kathleen Woodiwiss--The Flame and the Flower, The Wolf and the Dove. I like a lot of the older more traditional western writers too--Louis L'Amour, Jack Shaeffer (Shane and the Monte Walsh stories), Forrest Carter (The Outlaw Josey Wales and The Education of Little Tree) and several of the contemporary western writers of today. Not a huge McMurtry fan--I know, bring out the wet noodle. LOL So many good authors and wonderful stories!
Hugs,
Cheryl P.
Hi Tanya. One of my all time favorites is Mary Stewart - The Moonspinners, Madame Will You Talk and all the others - I must have reread them a dozen times when I was a teenager. Another is Rebecca Paisley - laugh out loud funny and heartbreakingly touching. And of course there are Laura Kinsale, Teresa Medeiros, Susan Elizabeth Phillips and sooooooo many other great others whose work fill my shelves
Hi Cheryl, oh, yes, Flame and the Flower. I can't remember the title but the one about Ruark and they traveled to the colonies. Sigh. i'll have to try to find my old copies in the attic. Good memories, good books. Thanks for coming by! oxox
Winnie, YES. I almost had Mary Stewart down but wanted to keep it to ten and Vicki Holt just won out by a squidge. I loved the Moon Spinners. The Ivy Tree. Airs Above the Ground. Oh, as soon as I finish reading the RITA entries, i think a trip to the public library is in order. I own a few of hers, but not all. Thanks for the memories. oxox
Winnie, YES. I almost had Mary Stewart down but wanted to keep it to ten and Vicki Holt just won out by a squidge. I loved the Moon Spinners. The Ivy Tree. Airs Above the Ground. Oh, as soon as I finish reading the RITA entries, i think a trip to the public library is in order. I own a few of hers, but not all. Thanks for the memories. oxox
Hey, Tanya!! My fav, hands down and without question is Karen Kingsbury. I'm a newbie to her portfolio, but thank God (literally!) she's written a ton, because she's a phenom. She creates the kind of character driven, Christian stories I love to read, so I'm devouring everything I can get my hands on! I've always been a Nora fan, and always be - she's outstanding - I also love Elizabeth Lowell, Sandra Brown and Stephenie Meyer.....
Hi Marianne, I will definitely look for Kingsbury. I love friends' recommendations. thanks so much for stopping by today. oxxo
How about "Bride of the McHugh?" I can't remember the author, but I loved that book. Kathleen Woodiwiss was also a favorite author and I love Christine Feehan and Sherrilyn Kenyon.
P.L. Bride of the MacHugh is something I'll want with me beyond the pearly gates. It's Jan Cox Spies. I so love it. Thanks for the reminder of something so brilliant.
And I odn't know about your copy, but the cover of that paperback is EXACTLY how the characters looked.
Thanks for posting.
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