Author Spotlight - Jennifer Hartz talks about her favorite authors

Today I'm supposed to talk about my favorite author and how they influenced me… Yikes! How do I pick just one? I guess the best way to answer this is to look at the author's who directly influenced Future Savior. I have always been an avid reader. Back in my pre-teen years it was The Babysitter's Club by Ann M. Martin. I have always enjoyed reading books in a series. I like following the lives the characters I've grown to love and watching them, and the story, grow and evolve over a long period of time. I think this early exposure to series helped to lead to my own stories falling into series form.

Another major contributor to Future Savior would be The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien is truly the father of all fantasy stories and all fantasy writers need to tip their hat to this genius. Right alongside Tolkien, C.S. Lewis was a major influence of Future Savior. The Chronicles of Narnia is an amazing example of a Christian fantasy series which helped spur many of the ideas in Future Savior.



I would be remiss if I didn't pay homage to J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter is arguably the best speculative series ever written. Rowling created a fantasy world so intricate, elaborate, and amazing that it will capture hearts for generations to come. However, this is not what I took from Rowling, what I loved was how Harry was a seemingly normal boy thrust into not so normal circumstances only to find out that he was anything but normal. Christina Vaughn from Future Savior takes a similar journey.

Taking a look back at my favorites, one thing is abundantly clear, I should change my name from Jennifer Hartz to J.L. Hartz!

Pick up your copy of Future Savior Book Three: Evacuation at the following locations:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007F422AU/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_ask_urHID.1M1VA2B

Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/future-savior-book-three-jennifer-hartz/1109161021?ean=2940013890671&itm=1&usri=jennifer+hartz

Desert Breeze Publishing:
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-268/Future-Savior-Book-Three/Detail.bok

Also, please feel free to harass me on the web at the following places:

Website: http://jenniferhartz.com
Twitter: @JenniferLHartz
Facebook: : http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000624983529

And don't forget my exciting contest:
BECOME PART OF THE STORY! Ever wish you could be a character in a fantasy novel? Now's your chance! Stop by my website to learn more – http://jenniferhartz.com

Author Spotlight - June Bryan Belfie talks about her favorite authors

Author CS Lewis

Everyone has favorite authors. Mine vary with my stage of life and my mood. I was re-cuperating from an appendectomy when I was sixteen and Tennyson was my favorite. I remember sitting on our family's veranda reading aloud to my father. He was quite the romantic and encouraged my choice of authors. In fact my father read to me every night as a child. We went through the Doolittle series, Mary Poppins, Treasure Island, Winnie the Pooh, and Wind in the Willows together. I believe he enjoyed them as much as I did.

There are times when Dickens fulfills some need in my life. When I was pregnant with my first child I read every one of his books.

Then I discovered C.S. Lewis through Mere Christianity. What an original mind that man was given. Also Watchman Lee became important in my reading life.

Since writing romance literature, I switched over to that genre and discovered Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers, (one of my favorites), Lauraine Snelling, Lynn Austin, Robin Lee Hatcher, and Beverly Lewis. There are a lot of talented writers out there and each one brings their own voice and life experiences to their writing. I read a book every three or four days and have to write down the names or I find myself re-reading some!

Author Spotlight - Gloria Clover shares her favorite authors

I don't know if it defeats my promotional purposes to toot some other authors' horns during my spotlight, but the truth is I like to read just as much as I like to write, and other authors put together a good story too. So I'll tell you a little about some of my favorite speculative romances, though I don't know if the authors even call them that.

The most recent I've read is Jill Williamson's series that starts with From Darkness Hid. It has great characters, moving plot, and some of my all time favorite plot devices. Particularly character in disguise. (Yes, I used that in Washed Under the Waves.) In a later book in the series, Jill uses some amnesia (which I've used in two different contemporary romances I've written). In fact, I think the only plot device that I adore that Jill didn't put in her series was identical twins. :-)

Another favorite is Sharon Hinck's The Restorer, also the first in a three book series. This one starts in our world and moves into a speculative dimension. This series also has great characters and a plot that keeps thickening rather than melting as the stories progress. Sharon shows how putting your theme/God truths in a different world helps distance it from your readers so they can grasp them more easily. For example, I remember being convicted of the importance of praise even in tough times while reading this book. (I tried that with the theme of entertainment in Washed Under the Waves -- the approach, not the importance of praise.)

Another good speculative romance, if you are in the mood, is Linda Wichman's Legend of the Emerald Rose. The hero and heroine are descendants of King Arthur and Merlin. And I don't really know what more needs to be said because that in itself is pretty cool.

I suspect speculative romance in the Christian market will become more popular as the secular market tires of vampires, werewolves, demons, and immortals, because I truly believe that there is something in every human God created that hungers for Him and hungers for Truth and isn't satisfied with lesser tastes. That's one of the reasons that I chose to put my speculative fiction into this world. We aren't speculating on the Truth.

What's one truth you've learned or been reminded of that came from a novel you read recently?

Author Spotlight - Vijaya Schartz's Favorite Authors

Being a writer can be a curse when it comes to favorite authors. Although I love to read, sometimes I can't help it when my editing cap comes on and I feel compelled to edit in my head a bit of sloppy writing. I hate when that happens, and I have no tolerance for it, because it takes me out of the story and spoils my reading pleasure.

So I'm very picky when it comes to favorite authors. Before I became a professional writer, I liked Anne McCaffrey and Marion Zimmer Bradley, Richard Bach, Diana Gabaldon (Outlander series), Bernard Cornwell (Excalibur) all pioneers of their time. I still love them. To me they are the true classics of the late last century.



But nowadays my favorite authors are exploring the new frontiers of space. My absolute favorite author at this time is NYT best selling author and Rita AwardWinner LINNEA SINCLAIR, author of Finders Keepers, Games of Command, Hope's Folly, Rebels and Lovers, Shades of Dark, Gabriel's Ghost, An Accidental Goddess, and many more wonderful romantic stories taking place in spaceships, space stations, and on incredibly interesting planets, with colorful villains and courageous heroes and heroines. I read and re-read them all and can't wait for the next one to come out.


I recently discovered A.R. NORRIS, a new and upcoming author in the sci-fi romance genre. Her last novel, DUTY AND DEVOTION, is centered on two sisters engaged in a galactic war and falling in love with equally courageous heroes, despite the physical and emotional turmoil. That book kept me enthralled. A.R. Norris also wrote a story in one of the excellent BOREALIS anthologies from Desert Breeze. I'm eagerly waiting to see what this promising author will write next.

I also enjoyed the Phoenix Rebellion series by Gail Delaney, of course, and the Future Imperfect series by P.I. Barrington, gritty books, with action and heroism in harsh circumstances, where good always prevails in the end after a bitter battle.

Once in a while I enjoy a historical novel, Vikings, medieval fantasy, I love the middle ages, as attested in my Chronicles of Kassouk series, where Medieval Humans meet intergalactic cultures... and win.


And if you like Regencies with a steampunk flair, you'll love Stephanie Burkhart's Victorian Scoundrel.

Now, if you are crazy about a particular sci-fi romance author, let me know, so I can check them out. Since I got my kindle, I am unstoppable.

Find out more about my books at: http://www.vijayaschartz.com

Author Spotlight - AR Norris talks about her favorite authors

Author HG Wells

I have a lots of favorite authors, and all for different reasons. It's so hard to choose Isaac Asimov and H.G. Wells were awesome and triggered my love of possibility and obsession of the future. (And it is an obsession.) Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, and Dean Koontz got me excited about speculative fiction and a love for the "sense of other". Jane Austen really touched my romantic side.

The richness and visual they wrote out on paper filled my lower class world with action and adventure. I didn't need anything other than a secondhand book to lose myself in. Edgar Allan Poe was the first time I remember crying over a story and understanding what it meant to write with feeling and emotion. Stephen King was the first time I remember having to sleep with the lamp on after I grew out of being afraid of the dark. And Dean Koontz introduced me to real characters caught up in amazing situations. Jane Austen was the first writer to make me sigh and hope to be swooned by a boy.

When I decided to become a writer, these authors taught me an even more important lesson. All of them were dedicated to their craft. They submerged themselves in their genre and researched every aspect. As an example, Isaac was so focused on his imaginary world he could write in a bare white room and still churn out a wonderful, colorful story that explored future concepts and the consequences of today's actions. Edgar Allan Poe was so dedicated he focused only on writing, at the cost of financial stability.

****

Steph: You know I LOVED HG Wells. I haven't read him per se, but we all know how his stories inspired the muse. I just wanted to let you know that I get as giddy as you when I think about him.
Smiles

Author Spotlight - Nike Chillemi shares her favorite authors

I have a lot of favorite authors. As pretty much everyone knows, I read crime fiction. I wasn't aware of too much in the crime fiction department in Christian fiction for a good long while. I guess it took me awhile to catch up to where some Christian authors were going in terms of grittiness. So, I pretty much read secular authors.

For two to three years, every time I ventured into reading what I was assured was a seat-of-the-pants Christian suspense; it turned out to be the same-old, same-old romantic suspense story with many implausible elements and the police procedure really off the mark.

During that time I read everything I could get my hands on by Michael Connelly, the former crime beat reporter for the LA Times. He writes the infamous Harry Bosch homicide detective series. Connelly has got another intriguing character, Mickey Haller. THE LINCOLN LAWYER, one of the Haller books, was recently made into a movie that did very well in reviews and at the box office. In the beginning years of my writing, Connelly influenced my writing more than any other writer in terms of what cop culture really is. He gets his police and court procedure really right.


Then I discovered Robert Liparulo, and began to see how faith issues could be interwoven into the inner turmoil a character was experiencing. I went totally berserk over Liparulo for about a year. Every time I opened my mouth it was Liparulo, Liparulo.


Now if anyone thinks my writing is going to be anything like Connelly's or Liparulo's, they're going to be sadly disappointed. Hey, first of all, hey, I'm female. Like most ladies, I like a goodly dose of romance in the story. I've been told that my break out novel BURNING HEARTS has suspense, action, and romance in equal measure with a bit of humor thrown into the mix.

Other Christian market favorites are J. Mark Bertrand, Steven James, Sibella Giorello, James Scott Bell. My other general market favorites are Robert Crais, Barbara Parker, J.A. Jance.

Author Spotlight week -Sue Perkins share her favorite authors

Author J Morgan

There are so many authors I love to read it’s difficult to choose only one. I think Terry Pratchett or Anne McCaffrey would tie for first place. The humor in Mr Pratchett’s books enhance the words and depth of the story. He has an uncanny knack of twisting words so they not only tell the tale but also make the reader laugh. Ms McCaffrey’s Dragons of Pern series have been on my bookshelves for many years. I also have her less well known books of Petaybee and The Ship Who Sang books. However there are several up and coming authors whose books have caught my interest. Some of them I’ve read, others I have on my new Sony reader to dive into when I have time.

One of these is J. Morgan. I love the quirky way he brings humor to his vampire series. It’s very cleverly done. Wish I could introduce humor like that. He makes it look so easy. Naomi Novik is another reasonably new comer to fantasy. I’ve read all but the last of her Temeraire series and found them fascinating.

Author Spotlight week -Theresa Stillwagon shares her favorite authors

Hitler's Eagle Nest circa 1945.

How can a person possible pick just one favorite author? I like so many of them. Right now on my to be read shelf are B. J. Daniels, Lisa Childs, J. D. Robb (but not Nora Roberts), Terry C. Johnston, Susan Anderson, Caron Todd, Linda Style, Heather Graham, and Rennie Airth. Of these I guess my favorite would have to be Heather Graham. But really my favorite is whichever one I'm reading at the time. Unless, of course, I can't stand the book.

Right now I'm not reading a fiction book at all, but a history one. I'm reading a book about the Germans during World War Two. It's a scary one. I have to keep telling myself it has already happened.

I love history.
Don't ask!

Author Spotlight Week - Linda Swift shares her favorite author

Author Maeve Binchy

My favorite author is Maeve Binchy of Ireland and Lavyrle Spencer is a close second. My favorite Binchy books are Tara Road and Circle of Friends. Favorites from Spencer are Bygones and Then Came Heaven. I've tried to analyze why these two authors remain my favorites of all authors I have read, and there are many through the years. I have concluded that it is their style, which defines every book they write.

There is no doubt these authors have found and maintained their "voice." Their stories, no matter the setting, plot, or characters, never disappoint. They write about "real" people whose feelings and problems I can relate to. Their stories are complex but never confusing. The story moves at a slow pace, but never drags. They present a plot and characters in a setting I can see clearly in my mind and when they set the story in motion it will lead to a logical conclusion. The ending may not be happy but it will be the conclusion that was necessary based on all that went before. In other words, it will mirror life which reflects great happiness but also grief. Their books are long for the most part, and I look forward to beginning a new one, and feel bereft when I near the end. For I always come to be a part of the book and I think about it long after I reach the conclusion on the page. So my goal is to write stories like these two authors that will touch a reader's heart the way their books touch mine.

Author Spotlight Week - Barbara Scott talks about her favorite author

Reading was the road to writing for me. Even very young, I remember making up stories I hope would be as good as the ones in the books I read. Consequently, I am grateful for the requirements of the yearly reading lists imposed on us in both elementary and high school.

It was through one of those lists that I was introduced to Charles Dickens at an early age, I loved reading Dickens so much that I had a crush on him (yes, I knew he was dead; I was weird) and was disappointed when he appeared on a Ponderosa episode as a completely unlikable character.

Though Dickens died in 1870, his work still remains as a source of Dos and don'ts for the modern genre writer. Here are some I've learned:

Do write to entertain your reader. Dickens wrote many of his books in serial style, often not completing later chapters until the earlier ones were on sale in the street. This method kept him aware of and adaptable to the needs of his audience.

Do create memorable characters and settings. Hero, heroine, villain, ghost and scullery maid alike were given a distinct personality. No cardboard characters fill out the background of a Dickens book. Settings also took on a life of their own. From the debtor's prison in Little Dorritt to the Cratchitt's humble home, settings become almost another character.

Don't get lost in details. What keeps most time-strapped readers from Dickens today is his overindulgence in detail. Back when there was little competition for the readers' attention such detail may have been welcome. Writers can't get away with it today.
Finally, do write with a strong theme in mind. Much of Dickens work spoke to the need for social justice, the dignity of the poor, the possibility of redemption. Theme is what separates the book or story that generates a satisfied sigh when the last page is turned and the one that leaves the reader empty.

Author Spotlight Week -Regina Andrews shares her favorite book

What a great question, thank you for asking! But to answer that question is a real paradox. I would have to say the era of Nathaniel Hawthorne, in the 1850’s is my real fave! This was a time of great artistic and literary enlightenment in the US, particularly in the Northeast. In fact my heroine in “In Good Faith” (2009 Awe-Struck http://bit.ly/pLV5w is named Haley Hawthorne.

But above it all for naming my favorite author, I have to go back to the Bible. Now I know that’s not one author, - we are listening to many voices, all of one heart. And that’s what I love!

I have a Bible, it was my father's, not, mine, and I treasure it more than anything. I remember him on his knees every night before we went to sleep, deep in prayer, and this Bible was always by his side. There was never a question I had that he couldn't address, relating it somehow to the Bible in a kind and loving way. He was always understanding. It was always a message of love, and happiness and acceptance.

And believe me, his life was not easy. But he gloried in God's love, and loved his family and my mother and us (kids) more than anything. To think that he found solace in the Word of God makes me live every day with this same awareness and humility – in His service.

As an author, it’s important to me that the context of our work is as understood as the words we are conveying. So the ‘authorship’ question is really interesting! To me, it’s a real source of glory that not just one voice could ever convey the human experience: just like a choir needs bass, tenor, alto and soprano to make the music whole, God included more than one voice for us all to be able to hear His message in this wonderful work of Literature.

Author Spotlight Week - Melanie Atkins shares her favorite authors

I have a lot of favorite authors, but if I must pick one that I admire above the others, it has to be Lisa Gardner. She really knows her craft. Her first book, the Perfect Husband, made me realize I wanted to write edgy, romantic thrillers, and I’m still hooked many books later. Her FBI series has me mesmerized. I also enjoy reading John Sandford, Linda Howard, Linda Castillo, Karen Rose, S.J. Rozan, Sandra Brown, Tami Hoag, Linda Fairstein, and Kate Brady--all of whom write either mystery or dark, kickin’ suspense.
I love authors who keep me on the edge of my seat and make me fall in love with their characters. Great dialogue, a plot that flows, and in intriguing premise… all parts of a great story.

Author Spotlight Week - Michelle Levigne shares her favorite authors

Author CS Lewis

C.S. Lewis. Tolkein. Pratchett. Robb/Roberts. Macomber. Tang. Sinclair. Estep. McCaffrey. Crispin. Barron. Kenner. Kipling. Bujold. Duane. Alexander. Lackey. Evanovich. Those are the ones just off the top of my head. There are probably a dozen or so more that I should list, but I'm drawing a blank after answering all these questions!

Author Spotlight Week - Stephanie Burkhart shares her favorite authors

Author JK Rowling

I would be remise if I didn't give a shout out to those authors who I have enjoyed including: Anne Rice, Judith McNaught, VC Andrews, Victoria Holt and Rebecca Brandewyne. Each of these authors have resonated with me. Rice, for her horror, VC Andrews for her gothic influence (I'm talking the original VC Andrews and Flowers in the Attic) Holt for her gothic romance, McNaught and Brandewyne for their romantic historicals.

I adore Jillian Hunter. Her Boscastle series is pitch perfect historical romance. Her novels are sharp, witty, and the plot is smooth, never dragging.

My favorite author is JK Rowling. The story is compelling. Harry is a young boy who is challenged to grow into a heroic young man. There's witches and wolves, magic and friendship, love and heartbreak. Rowling brings a rich humanity to her paranormal characters. That's what I want to do as well.

Author Spotlight week - Janice Zick shares her favorite authors

My favorite authors are Anne Tyler for Breathing Lessons, Saint Maybe, The Accidental Tourist, The Clock Winder, The Amateur Marriage, A Slipping Down Life and numerous other novels that have been made into movies. Her characters are always quirky and her style is unique and nearly impossible to imitate: She uses spare language and her themes are always salt of the earth, down to earth, middle America. Her dialogue is spot on. Her novels are character driven and her characters are always a little addle brained and seem to barely muddle through life. They struggle with everyday issues as a result of their own off-beat, unconventional view of life. They seem to obsess over ordinary circumstances that most others would take as a matter of course. In a sense, they seem to invent their own problems. I enjoy her books so much that I actually wrote her once and told her she wasn't allowed to ever die. (She never responded.) Really, if you haven't read an Anne Tyler novel, you should IMHO..

I also like Barbara Kingsolver for The Poisonwood Bible and Summer Sisters. I like Pat Conroy for Beach Music, Prince of Tides and Lords of Discipline. He is, perhaps the most lyrical author I can name.

I like John Steinbeck for Of Mice and Men, The Pearl and Cannery Row; Frank McCourt for Angela's Ashes, which earned the Nobel Prize for literature, although I was somewhat disappointed in his second memoir, Tis. I think like Gone with the Wind, Angela's' Ashes was a work impossible to trump—a very hard act to follow for the author. McCourt, who died recently, began his writing career later in life, which is very unfortunate; because he was extremely talented. I'm sure he had many more novels in him.

I also enjoy John Grisham and Elizabeth Berg. I'm always awaiting their next novel.

Author Spotlight Week - Susanne Marie Knight shares her favorite authors

Author Georgette Heyer

My favorite author? Oh, that’s too difficult to whittle down to only one. So I’ll cheat again. :)) Growing up, I enjoyed reading three genres of novels--science fiction, Regency, and suspense. I still do today.

For powerful stories that stretch the imagination--science fiction, I love to read Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein. With those authors, I could wile away the hours in the company of robots and exploring deep space.

For elegance and charm of Polite Society, I turn to Regencies, and author Georgette Heyer. Surprisingly, Regencies and science fiction are linked by many readers. According to September 2002’s Romantic Times Bookclub Magazine, science fiction fans love the “alien” world of polite Regency society. This interest, the article states, is due to Regency author Georgette Heyer’s prose using “witty dialogue, costumes, rules and conventions of the Regency society...” I agree!

For the challenge of a juicy murder mystery, Agatha Christie can’t be beat. I read and reread her many books, always on the lookout for clues so I can solve the murder. And if the story contains romance, so much the better! I’ve learned a great deal about detecting from Christie’s two unconventional crime solvers, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.

Author Spotlight Week - P.I. Barrington shares her favorite authors

Here's the dichotomy: I write futuristic/spec fiction. I read ancient historical fiction. I've had so many favorite authors at any given time but two are always in the top three: Taylor Caldwell and Colleen McCullough. Taylor Caldwell is also a Christian writer and is my sentimental favorite. I went through a decades long obsession of haunting thrift stores on my vacation travels seeking out copies of Dear and Glorious Physician and my all-time favorite, Great Lion of God. I'd give them to people I thought would like them. Most of them did. Her research is very good and she paints a vivid picture of Biblical times.

Currently, Colleen McCullough is my favorite due to my accidental discovery of her Masters of Rome series in a BigLots store in the 1990s. I'd walked in, found a hardback of The Grass Crown for 99 cents (I can recognize anything Roman at a thousand paces, believe me) and bought it. I'd never really liked The Thorn Birds, book or movie but I thought for under a buck, I couldn't lose. I did not. I was sucked in and bought the first book, all following books and I'm still trying to finish The October Horse. Masters of Rome chronicles the times from just before Julius Caesar's birth and youth to his rise to Dictator of Rome ending at his murder. McCullough's research is impeccable and she even deciphered the exact off-cut of a Roman toga to make it hang correctly instead of how it awkwardly does in those old Gladiator films! This woman put a glossary of Roman terms in the back of each novel, is it any wonder I love her?

Author Spotlight week - Marion Kelly Bullock shares her favorite author

My fellow Desert Breeze authors are among my favorites. J Wow! Guess you can see I know how to win friends and influence people. The DBP writers are talented people. If I start naming them, I may inadvertently miss some of the best writers. Might even make some of them angry. Some were chosen because they author ebooks and I really enjoy reading on electronic devices. I find it more relaxing. More about that on #6 (on Friday, I think).

Of course, I have many favorite authors. I read a lot of books: Francine Rivers; Karen Kingsbury; Robin Lee Hatcher; Teri Blackstock; Dee Henderson; John Grisham; Brandilyn Collins; Deb Raney; Victoria Holt; Harper Lee; Mary Higgins Clark. That just scratches the surface.

I asked my husband for help in naming favorites and he did. I don't think I'll tell you whom he named.

Author Spotlight Week - Tina Pinson shares her favorite authors

I like Ted Dekker, Dean Koontz, John Saul, Frank Paretti, and I like to read Julie Lessman and Mary Connealy. Okay, so I like thrillers and comedy and touch of romance. I'll pretty much read anything, if the writer holds my interest. I used to love Carolyn Keene, of Nancy Drew fame. Still read them sometimes, like to play the games, but I digress. Since I'm able to download free books on my Kindle from some of the great authors, I have been reading some of those stories as well. When I find the time. One author that stuck with me over the years, was E. L. Konigsburg. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is this quirky little novel about two kids, Claudia and her brother, Jamie, who run away from home and camp out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Claudia leaves home because she believes her parents don't appreciate her, and gets Jamie to join her, because he saves his money, and everyone knows you need money to live on when you run away. They set up shop in the Museum, sleeping in the displays, taking baths in the fountain, (where they find extra money) and hiding out from the guards. Then they stumble on a mystery concerning the newest exhibit, an angel supposedly carved by Michelangelo. To research the statues authenticity, they seek out the donor of the piece, Mrs Frankweiler. Going through her files they learn the truth about the angel. I read this story in elementary school, and again later. Why this little story resonates with me, who knows? I liked the whole concept of staying in the museum. And then the little mystery of the angel. It's a cute story.

Author Spotlight week - Deborah Kinnard shares her favorite author

My favorite author varies with what I'm reading and enjoying at the time. I have several, including the late Judith Merkle Riley. Her "Visions of Light" and sequels get the story down in a way that seems inevitable. Likewise Anya Seton, whose "Katherine" tells the story of a real-life 14th century woman, an ancestor of the current Queen and umpteen other notables, both British and American. Both these authors influence me to reach for the magic in the stories I tell.