# Your Writer List



## Philip Overby (Sep 16, 2012)

This could be fun.  Share your ideas based on these categories.  Think of this as an informal award show.  Who gets your vote? 

*1.  Your Favorite Writer Now

2.  Your Favorite Writer Five Years Ago

3.  Writer You Used to Hate, but Now You Like

4.   Writer That Changed Your Life

5.  Writer That Amazes You

6.  Writer That Depresses You

7.  Writer That Makes You Happy

8.  Writer That Writes Really Well

9.  Writer That Tells Awesome Stories

10.  Writer You Think is Underrated

11.  Writer You Wish Was Still Writing Today (Alive or Dead)

12.  Writer That You Can Read Over and Over Again

13.  Best Character Writer

14.  Best Setting Writer

15.  Writer with the Most Intriguing Plots

16.  Writer You Think All Ages Should Read

17.  Writer Who You Wish You Could Write Like

18.  Writer You're Most Jealous Of

19.  Writer Who is Unknown that You Wish More People Read

20.  Newish Writer Who Will Be Even Bigger in the Future*

Copy and paste the above list and then plug in your ideas.  You can just post the name or elaborate on your choice.  How you choose to interpret your choices is up to you.


*1.  Your Favorite Writer Now: * Steven Erikson.  Writes epic fantasy without the usual trappings.  Hard to get into but if you dig his style, he's worth sticking with.

*2.  Your Favorite Writer Five Years Ago:*  George R.R. Martin.  Still like him a lot, but Erikson edges him out now.

*3.  Writer You Used to Hate, but Now You Like:*  Shakespeare.   When I was younger, I couldn't stand him sometimes.  Now I totally understand why he's awesome.

*4.   Writer That Changed Your Life:*  Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (tie).  I started reading the Dragonlance books as sort of a "gateway drug" and got hooked on fantasy ever since.

*5.  Writer That Amazes You: * China Mieville.  His worlds are so unique and weird and his ability to make them so clear is really amazing.  

*6.  Writer That Depresses You:*  Chuck Palahniuk.  His stories can be rather dark and disturbing, so sometimes just thinking of the type of people that populate his stories aren't far off from real people, makes me depressed.  Great writer though, love his stuff!

*7.  Writer That Makes You Happy:*  Terry Pratchett.  If I feel like reading light, fun fantasy, his style always cheers me up.

*8.  Writer That Writes Really Well:*  R. Scott Bakker.  His way of writing is really quite incredible.  I think he's probably one of the best at word-smithing amongst most fantasy writers today.  I would pick Guy Gavriel Kay, but I haven't read him enough.  What I have read is quite remarkable.  

*9.  Writer That Tells Awesome Stories:*  Andrzej Sapkowski.  Simple story-telling at its finest.  Monster hunter goes after monsters and kills them.  

*10.  Writer You Think is Underrated:*  Richard K. Morgan.  I don't know why he doesn't get mentioned more.  His SF is quite good and his fantasy is inventive and different.  It got my attention!

*11.  Writer You Wish Was Still Writing Today (Alive or Dead):*  Robert E. Howard.  Since he died at 30, I think we missed out on a lot more awesome stuff he could have cranked out.  As you can see from my signature, I like him a lot!

*12.  Writer That You Can Read Over and Over Again:*  George R.R. Martin.  He's the only writer I could see going back and reading his whole series again from start to finish when it's completed.

*13.  Best Character Writer:*  George R.R. Martin.  He has some of the best characters I've seen in fiction period, let alone fantasy.  

*14.  Best Setting Writer:*  Frank Herbert.  No other setting stands out in my mind more than Arakkis.  Desert Planet.  Dune.  China Mieville is a close second.

*15.  Writer with the Most Intriguing Plots:*  China Mieville.  Sometimes I read the synopses for his books and I think, "WTH?"  But in a good way.  Some out there plots, but captivating.

*16.  Writer You Think All Ages Should Read:*  J.R.R. Tolkien.  I think *The Hobbit * is a great book for any age and an excellent primer for introducing fantasy.

*17.  Writer Who You Wish You Could Write Like:*  Joe Abercrombie.  I love his mix of bloody fantasy with an excellent sense of humor.  

*18.  Writer You're Most Jealous Of:*  George R.R. Martin.  For obvious reasons.

*19.  Writer Who is Not as Well Known that You Wish More People Read:*  Jesse Bullington.  I mentioned him in another post.  http://mythicscribes.com/forums/novels-stories/5344-sell-favorite-author.html

*20.  Newish Writer Who Will Be Even Bigger in the Future:*  Patrick Rothfuss.  Already he's gained tons of acclaim and has only two books out.  I think he'll be talked about more and more as time goes on.  It was either between him or Brandon Sanderson.  Sanderson has more books under his belt, but I see him being represented as THE guy in mainstream fantasy going forward.  

Any thoughts on my list?  Post your own below!


----------



## thedarknessrising (Sep 16, 2012)

1. Your Favorite Writer Now- Christopher Paolini

2. Your Favorite Writer Five Years Ago- JK Rowling (I still love Harry Potter, though)

3. Writer You Used to Hate, but Now You Like- JRR Tolkien

4. Writer That Changed Your Life- Christopher Paolini

5. Writer That Amazes You- George RR Martin

6. Writer That Depresses You- Stephanie Meyer

7. Writer That Makes You Happy- Christopher Paolini

8. Writer That Writes Really Well- George RR Martin

9. Writer That Tells Awesome Stories- Dan Brown

10. Writer You Think is Underrated- R.A. Salvatore

11. Writer You Wish Was Still Writing Today (Alive or Dead)- Dr. Seuss

12. Writer That You Can Read Over and Over Again- Paolini. Again. I'm sorry.

13. Best Character Writer- George RR Martin

14. Best Setting Writer- JRR Tolkien

15. Writer with the Most Intriguing Plots- James Patterson

16. Writer You Think All Ages Should Read- JK Rowling

17. Writer Who You Wish You Could Write Like- Tolkien

18. Writer You're Most Jealous Of- Anyone who's successful

19. Writer Who is Unknown that You Wish More People Read- Not entirely sure

20. Newish Writer Who Will Be Even Bigger in the Future- ME


----------



## Zero Angel (Sep 17, 2012)

Well, I was going to do this, but I ended up with a lot of n/a so I decided not to. I remember stories, but not the authors that write them generally -_-

But may I request changing "jealous" to "envious"? I think that makes more sense for unestablished authors.


----------



## shangrila (Sep 17, 2012)

1.  Your Favorite Writer Now - Joe Abercrombie

2.  Your Favorite Writer Five Years Ago - David Gemmell

3.  Writer You Used to Hate, but Now You Like - No one, really. The writers I hate are still hated.

4.   Writer That Changed Your Life - Joe Abercrombie

5.  Writer That Amazes You - China Mieville

6.  Writer That Depresses You - Daniel Abraham

7.  Writer That Makes You Happy - Brandon Sanderson

8.  Writer That Writes Really Well - Joe Abercrombie

9.  Writer That Tells Awesome Stories - Steven Erikson. I don't particularly like the way the Malazan series ended, but he does have a knack for telling good stories (even if he resorts to DEM to solve problems at times).

10.  Writer You Think is Underrated - Scott Lynch

11.  Writer You Wish Was Still Writing Today (Alive or Dead) - David Gemmell. Some of his stuff was repetitive, but there were a lot of gems in his library too. Jon Shannow, Echoes of the Great Song, Waylander and most of the Druss books come to mind.

12.  Writer That You Can Read Over and Over Again - Joe Abercrombie

13.  Best Character Writer - Joe Abercrombie

14.  Best Setting Writer - China Mieville

15.  Writer with the Most Intriguing Plots - China Mieville

16.  Writer You Think All Ages Should Read - Brandon Sanderson. His books never strike me as too adult-like for children, and there's no where near as much sex or vivid deaths as there is in works by Mieville or Abercrombie.

17.  Writer Who You Wish You Could Write Like - Abercrombie

18.  Writer You're Most Jealous Of - George R.R. Martin

19.  Writer Who is Unknown that You Wish More People Read - Scott Lynch. I don't know if he's truly unknown, but he doesn't seem to be as popular as he deserves.

20.  Newish Writer Who Will Be Even Bigger in the Future - Me


----------



## thedarknessrising (Sep 17, 2012)

shangrila said:


> 1.  Your Favorite Writer Now - Joe Abercrombie
> 
> 2.  Your Favorite Writer Five Years Ago - David Gemmell
> 
> ...



Out of all those authors, I only recognized George RR Martin. I guess it's time to hit the library.


----------



## Philip Overby (Sep 17, 2012)

@Zero Angel:  Just answer the ones you'd like, and leave off the ones you don't have any answer for.  That's cool.  

@thedarknessrising:  I think you couldn't go wrong reading any of the writers both shangrila and I posted.  Give them a look!


----------



## JCFarnham (Sep 17, 2012)

If I could write with an ounce of China Mieville's vocabulary, I'd be happy.


----------



## thedarknessrising (Sep 17, 2012)

Well, I'm sitting in my school library now. I'll go see if they have any of those authors.


----------



## Zero Angel (Sep 17, 2012)

1.  Your Favorite Writer Now
Sanderson

2.  Your Favorite Writer Five Years Ago
Salvatore I am sorry to say

3.  Writer You Used to Hate, but Now You Like
There is no writer that I have "come around to".

4.   Writer That Changed Your Life
Tolkien

5.  Writer That Amazes You
Sanderson

9.  Writer That Tells Awesome Stories
Ringo

11.  Writer You Wish Was Still Writing Today (Alive or Dead)
Gordon R. Dickson

12.  Writer That You Can Read Over and Over Again
Every writer that I enjoy

13.  Best Character Writer
Anne McCaffery

14.  Best Setting Writer
Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis

15.  Writer with the Most Intriguing Plots
Martin

16.  Writer You Think All Ages Should Read
Everyone!

19.  Writer Who is Unknown that You Wish More People Read
Me.

20.  Newish Writer Who Will Be Even Bigger in the Future
And me again! Although hopefully not bigger in the waistline sense -_-


----------



## Ravana (Sep 19, 2012)

1.  Your Favorite Writer Now: living–Steven Brust, David Brin; overall–Roger Zelazny.

2.  Your Favorite Writer Five Years Ago: same.

3.  Writer You Used to Hate, but Now You Like: none have gone that direction; some have gone the other way.…

4.  Writer That Changed Your Life: Johnny Hart.

5.  Writer That Amazes You: C. J. Cherryh, but only when she's writing science fiction, not fantasy.

6.  Writer That Depresses You: Peter F. Hamilton. Who's actually a fascinating writer, but after the way he ended the _Night's Dawn_ trilogy… never again.

7.  Writer That Makes You Happy: David Brin.

8.  Writer That Writes Really Well: Samuel R. Delany.

9.  Writer That Tells Awesome Stories: Harlan Ellison.

10.  Writer You Think is Underrated: Karl Edward Wagner.

11.  Writer You Wish Was Still Writing Today (Alive or Dead): H. P. Lovecraft.

12.  Writer That You Can Read Over and Over Again: I'm an inveterate re-reader; if someone's mentioned positively here, I've re-read them. Glen Cook, J. R. R. Tolkien, Zelazny and Brust probably take top honors, in no particular order.

13.  Best Character Writer: C. J. Cherryh.

14.  Best Setting Writer: Ian MacDonald.

15.  Writer with the Most Intriguing Plots: Steven Brust.

16.  Writer You Think All Ages Should Read: Harlan Ellison–but then I have a strange take on what qualifies for "all-ages" reading.…

17.  Writer Who You Wish You Could Write Like: YGBSM. Uhm… Zelazny, Delany, Brin, Brust and Cherryh are the ones I've tried hardest to emulate.

18.  Writer You're Most Jealous Of: Samuel R. Delany.

19.  Writer Who is Unknown that You Wish More People Read: Robert Lowell. ("Unknown" is relativized to audience here.…)

20.  Newish Writer Who Will Be Even Bigger in the Future: hmm… problem here is I'm not always all that current. While it's hard to describe someone who's been writing for two decades as "newish," I'd say Ian MacDonald is only going to pick up steam over time.

21.  Best Author Who Didn't Otherwise Make this List: Ursula K. Le Guin, Gene Wolfe.


----------



## Steerpike (Sep 19, 2012)

1. Your Favorite Writers Now - Steven Erikson; Steven Brust; Michael Connelly; Vladimir Nabokov

2. Your Favorite Writer Five Years Ago - Same

3. Writer You Used to Hate, but Now You Like - Joseph Conrad

4. Writer That Changed Your Life - Joseph Campbell

5. Writer That Amazes You - Mervyn Peake

6. Writer That Depresses You - None that I can think of

7. Writer That Makes You Happy - James P. Blaylock

8. Writer That Writes Really Well - Mervyn Peake; Steven Erikson; Steven Brust

9. Writer That Tells Awesome Stories - Steven Brust

10. Writer You Think is Underrated - Steven Erikson

11. Writer You Wish Was Still Writing Today (Alive or Dead) - Angela Carter; Mervyn Peake

12. Writer That You Can Read Over and Over Again -Mervyn Peake; Vladimir Nabokov

13. Best Character Writer - Mervyn Peake

14. Best Setting Writer - Steven Erikson

15. Writer with the Most Intriguing Plots - Vladimir Nabokov

16. Writer You Think All Ages Should Read -Octavia Butler

17. Writer Who You Wish You Could Write Like - Mervyn Peake; Vladimir Nabokov; Steven Brust

18. Writer You're Most Jealous Of - None

19. Writer Who is Unknown that You Wish More People Read - Octavia Butler; Angela Carter

20. Newish Writer Who Will Be Even Bigger in the Future - Joe Abercrombie


----------



## shangrila (Sep 19, 2012)

JCFarnham said:


> If I could write with an ounce of China Mieville's vocabulary, I'd be happy.


Ha, me too. It's amazing how he can spend about 5 pages describing New Crobuzon without it ever feeling repetitive.


----------



## grimreaper (Sep 24, 2012)

1. Your Favorite Writer Now - J.R.R Tolkien , C.S.Lewis, George R.R. Martin ,G.G.Kay, Anne Frank , Rabindranath Tagore, Enid Blyton .

2. Your Favorite Writer Five Years Ago - J.R.R Tolkien , C.S.Lewis, Anne Frank , J.K.Rowling , Enid Blyton.

3. Writer You Used to Hate, but Now You Like - Rabindranath Tagore .

4. Writer That Changed Your Life - J.R.R Tolkien (he introduced me to fantasy)

5. Writer That Amazes You -n/a

6. Writer That Depresses You - n/a

7. Writer That Makes You Happy - n/a

8. Writer That Writes Really Well - G.G.Kay.

9. Writer That Tells Awesome Stories - n/a

10. Writer You Think is Underrated - Richard Morgan , Holly Lisle.

11. Writer You Wish Was Still Writing Today (Alive or Dead) - a couple of them , including Tagore , Anne Frank(all right, I know her diary was the only writing of hers that got published.......but her style is beautiful and heart-touching ) and Tolkien.

12. Writer That You Can Read Over and Over Again - Tolkien, Martin, Lewis, and any others I like.

13. Best Character Writer - G.R.R. Martin.

14. Best Setting Writer - J.R.R Tolkien.

15. Writer with the Most Intriguing Plots - Martin (haven't read Mieville, maybe I should start.).

16. Writer You Think All Ages Should Read - Tolkien, Lewis.

17. Writer Who You Wish You Could Write Like - Martin.

18. Writer You're Most Jealous Of - Martin.

19. Writer Who is Unknown that You Wish More People Read - Richard Morgan , Holly Lisle.

20. Newish Writer Who Will Be Even Bigger in the Future - No idea.


----------



## Aravelle (Oct 13, 2012)

1. Your Favorite Writer Now: Jacqueline Carey

2. Your Favorite Writer Five Years Ago: Christopher Paolini

3. Writer You Used to Hate, but Now You Like: N/A?

4. Writer That Changed Your Life: Christopher Paolini

5. Writer That Amazes You: Jacqueline Carey

6. Writer That Depresses You: Anne Rice

7. Writer That Makes You Happy: Fransesca Lia Block

8. Writer That Writes Really Well: Patrick Rothfuss

9. Writer That Tells Awesome Stories: Neil Gaiman

10. Writer You Think is Underrated: Fransesca Lia Block, Lev Grossman

11. Writer You Wish Was Still Writing Today (Alive or Dead): Lord Dunsany, Ray Bradbury

12. Writer That You Can Read Over and Over Again: Neil Gaiman

13. Best Character Writer: J.K. Rowling

14. Best Setting Writer: Uh Neil Gaiman? I'm iffy on settings.

15. Writer with the Most Intriguing Plots: N/A? No author's plot has honestly stood out THAAAT much to me. A good plot is a good plot.

16. Writer You Think All Ages Should Read: Fransesca Lia Block 

17. Writer Who You Wish You Could Write Like: Peter S. Beagle

18. Writer You're Most Jealous Of: Neil Gaiman

19. Writer Who is Unknown that You Wish More People Read: Donna Jo Napoli / Fransesca Lia Block / Cindy Pon

20. Newish Writer Who Will Be Even Bigger in the Future: Cindy Pon, Me, plucifer


----------



## WyrdMystic (Oct 13, 2012)

1. Your Favorite Writer Now

Currently looking for a book to love.

2. Your Favorite Writer Five Years Ago

Terry Brooks

3. Writer You Used to Hate, but Now You Like

Chris Bunch

4. Writer That Changed Your Life

Dean Koontz

5. Writer That Amazes You

China Meiville

6. Writer That Depresses You

Stephen King

7. Writer That Makes You Happy

Chuck Wendig

8. Writer That Writes Really Well

George RR Martin

9. Writer That Tells Awesome Stories

Robert Rankin

10. Writer You Think is Underrated

Shaun Hutson

11. Writer You Wish Was Still Writing Today (Alive or Dead)

JRR Tolkien

12. Writer That You Can Read Over and Over Again

I can't. I'm just on of those people.

13. Best Character Writer

Terry Pratchett

14. Best Setting Writer

Terry Pratchett

15. Writer with the Most Intriguing Plots

KJ Parker

16. Writer You Think All Ages Should Read

Enid Blyton - Seriously!

17. Writer Who You Wish You Could Write Like

Brandon Sanderson

18. Writer You're Most Jealous Of

All of them.

19. Writer Who is Unknown that You Wish More People Read

Chuck Wendig

20. Newish Writer Who Will Be Even Bigger in the Future

Everyone here?


----------



## brokethepoint (Nov 5, 2012)

I wanted to hit some of the ones that seemed important to me at the moment.

1. Your Favorite Writer Now
I am still trying to figure this one out.

2. Your Favorite Writer Five Years Ago
Raymond E. Feist

4. Writer That Changed Your Life
I feel like I am one of the few people that says that Piers Anthony(Ogre, Ogre) changed my life.
Ah the days of cherry bombs and pineapple grenades, takes me back quite a few years.

7. Writer That Makes You Happy
Piers Anthony!

18. Writer You're Most Jealous Of
Piers Anthony, not due to his success and not in a bad way.  I think all writers would like to change someones life in a good way, and so I see this as a temporary and good thing.


----------



## Xaysai (Dec 10, 2012)

JCFarnham said:


> If I could write with an ounce of China Mieville's vocabulary, I'd be happy.



I read Perdido Street Station and while I enjoyed his writing from a technical standpoint, I don't enjoy his storytelling.


----------



## Konrad (Dec 11, 2012)

Tolkien, Martin, Gaiman... I'd answer the list properly, but I'm at work and shouldn't be on here! 

I would say that when it comes to re-reading, I'd go with Tolkien and Gaiman over Martin. 

K


----------



## psychotick (Dec 14, 2012)

Hi,


1. Your Favorite Writer Now: Andrew M Greeley (I'm rereading the final planet now, and it just gets better.)

2. Your Favorite Writer Five Years Ago: Dean R Koontz

3. Writer You Used to Hate, but Now You Like: Simon R Green.

4. Writer That Changed Your Life: Anne McCaffrey for Pern.

5. Writer That Amazes You: Stephen Donaldson.

6. Writer That Depresses You: Stephen Donaldson. (Fantastic writer but has a crippling dark side.)

7. Writer That Makes You Happy: Piers Anthony. How can you not laugh at all the Xanth novels.

8. Writer That Writes Really Well: Clifford Simak, Piers Anthony, David Brin and so many more.

9. Writer That Tells Awesome Stories: Frank Herbert.

10. Writer You Think is Underrated:

11. Writer You Wish Was Still Writing Today (Alive or Dead) Tolkein.

12. Writer That You Can Read Over and Over Again: Harry Harrison. I don't know how many times I've read the stainless steel rat books.

13. Best Character Writer: Ann Rice.

14. Best Setting Writer: Stephen Donaldson. 'The Land' is a creation that I doubt can ever be surpassed for me.

15. Writer with the Most Intriguing Plots: Clifford Simak, Michael J Bird. Bryan Fuller and the rest of the team from Wonderfalls.

16. Writer You Think All Ages Should Read: Isaac Asimov.

17. Writer Who You Wish You Could Write Like: Clifford Simak.

18. Writer You're Most Jealous Of:

19. Writer Who is Unknown that You Wish More People Read:

20. Newish Writer Who Will Be Even Bigger in the Future: Hopefully me!!!


----------



## Inglorious_Hero (Dec 14, 2012)

1. Your Favorite Writer Now - Stephen King.  I love his stories, storytelling, and his book "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft" is what started it all for me.

2. Your Favorite Writer Five Years Ago - Brian Jacques.  I grew up loving the "Redwall" series.

3. Writer You Used to Hate, but Now You Like - Robert Jordan.  People talked about him so much when I was in school I couldn't stand it.  I'm now currently reading the WOT series, and I no longer hate him. . .  as much.  

4. Writer That Changed Your Life - Stephen King.  100%.

5. Writer That Amazes You - George R. R. Martin, for creating the world that he has created in ASOIAF.

6. Writer That Depresses You - Chuck Palaniuk.  Haunted was a depressing and gross book, full of atrocious stories.  A few were funny however.

7. Writer That Makes You Happy - Stephen King.

8. Writer That Writes Really Well - I believe George R.R. Martin writes very well.  Stephen King is also extraordinary at spinning a yarn.

9. Writer That Tells Awesome Stories - Ray Bradbury's short stories are phenomenal. 

10. Writer You Think is Underrated - Definitely Seth Graham-Smith.  

11. Writer You Wish Was Still Writing Today (Alive or Dead) - Ray Bradbury.  May you rest in peace.

12. Writer That You Can Read Over and Over Again - Whether I'm twelve or twenty-five, Brian Jacques's "Redwall" books can still draw me in.

13. Best Character Writer - Stephen King.  No horror or fantasy writer that I've read can make them feel so alive to me.

14. Best Setting Writer - Robert Jordan.  It's all he does.

15. Writer with the Most Intriguing Plots - Ray Bradbury, H.P. Lovecraft.

16. Writer You Think All Ages Should Read - J.R.R.Tolkien.

17. Writer Who You Wish You Could Write Like - As someone mentioned before, Joe Abercrombie.  His style and character dialects are the best.

18. Writer You're Most Jealous Of - Stephen King.

19. Writer Who is Unknown that You Wish More People Read - That's a tough one to answer.  Probably the only one I don't have a reply for.

20. Newish Writer Who Will Be Even Bigger in the Future - Joe Abercrombie.


----------



## Darkblade (Dec 14, 2012)

1. Your Favorite Writer Now: China MiÃ©ville

2. Your Favorite Writer Five Years Ago: Neil Gaiman, American Gods defined my teenage years. I've grown to see some flaws in the story over time though so he has been edged out a little bit.

3. Writer You Used to Hate, but Now You Like: J. R. R. Tolkien, while I still find his prose a bit too much I can better appreciate his craft.

4. Writer That Changed Your Life: Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game was the book that really opened my eyes to what books can be.

5. Writer That Amazes You: James Gurney, took the most ludicrous concept I have ever heard in Dinotopia and brought forth an amazing story with outstanding the most beautiful illustrations I have ever seen.

6. Writer That Depresses You: Mohiro Kitoh, a manga author might be cheating but Bokurano and Narutaru are two of the most depressing things I have ever read. 

7. Writer That Makes You Happy: Douglas Adams, if Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy does not bring a smile to your face you may just be a depressed android.

8. Writer That Writes Really Well: That is such a general statement I'm not sure who to put here. Max Brooks with the Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z was good and he doesn't really fit any other criteria so he can have this spot.

9. Writer That Tells Awesome Stories: Charles De Lint, no one captures the magic in the mundane quite like him. 
g
10. Writer You Think is Underrated: Terry Goodkind, when he is not going into full bore objectivism mode he actually is pretty decent. Of course the more success he has the further into that state of mind he gets.

11. Writer You Wish Was Still Writing Today (Alive or Dead): Frank Herbert, if only so his son would stop making inferior Dune sequels.

12. Writer That You Can Read Over and Over Again: Neil Gaiman, he is starting to wear a little thin on me but I have reread his books more than anyone else's so I suppose he belongs here.

13. Best Character Writer: Eric Flint, the 1633/Ring of Fire series beautifully captures not only the people you'll find in a modern small rural mining town but also fifteenth century Germany and France (I haven't read as much of the later series where we get into the British yet but I expect they are just as good). All without missing a beat.

14. Best Setting Writer: China MiÃ©ville, so he gets on here twice but his Bas-Lag series creates a world so horrific and raw that you can't help but be mesmerized. 

15. Writer with the Most Intriguing Plots: Jim Butcher, say what you will about how the Codex Alera series lied (Roman Legionaries with Pokemon my rear end) and how the Dresden Files has been kind of floundering since Changes but he still writes plots that will keep you guessing right up until the last chapter.

16. Writer You Think All Ages Should Read: Robert Munch, if you haven't read The Paperbag Princess go out find a copy and your nearest two to eight year old to read it to right now. I'll wait.

17. Writer Who You Wish You Could Write Like: Everyone on this list. That's a valid answer right?

18. Writer You're Most Jealous Of: Stephanie Meyers, not of her writing but of making millions on something so fearsomly mediocre.

19. Writer Who is Unknown that You Wish More People Read: Nancy Killpatrick, this woman knows her vampires better than anyone I have ever read but alas I have yet to meet someone else who isn't very into specifically Canadian horror who has read anything by her.

20. Newish Writer Who Will Be Even Bigger in the Future: Lesley Livingston, another Canadian author who knows her stuff but is held back by her nationality. She is breaking through into the US markets though so I look forward to her getting more recognition in the future.


----------

