Authors

We write with the same words. The Bible and the Constitution use the same verbs and nouns as People and Playboy.  Authors collect experiences, stuffing their heads with words and thoughts, hoping that one day it will all come out in a glorious, wonderful mess of creativity. Below are some of the authors and works that I love.

Your high school literature classes convinced you that William Shakespeare wrote a number of lifeless boring works good only for cheating teens out of fun.  In reality his plays were produced for an audience of prostitutes and drunkards, many of whom enjoyed bear-baiting just outside the Globe. If you think Shakespeare is too high-brow and boring I’d suggest looking into Sonnet 137. Here’s a hint: “the bay where all men ride”  (line 6) is a sexual metaphor.

Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe could out deduce Sherlock Holmes without ever leaving his house, or missing his twice daily appointment with his prize orchids. Not only does Stout deliver a series of wonderful mysteries but he plays with words like an artist mixing paints. Spanning nearly forty years Stout’s work never fails to deliver. Whenever I find myself in a new city I can’t resist scouring the used book stores in hopes of finding vintage paperbacks.

I first read Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis in high school. It remains one of the scariest stories I’ve ever read. There’s no blood, gore, or guts, but the final scene where his parents look at his sister in the sunlight makes me shiver.

Susan Wittig Albert writes amazing mysteries that entertain while they inform. You’d never pick up a cozy mystery expecting to learn the history of Indigo dyes or the medical uses of chili peppers, but with Susan that’s exactly what you’ll do.  Writing with her husband Bill as Robin Paige, she created historical fiction populated with intensely researched portrayals of famous people.

Jami Gold Is the author of several wonderful paranormal romance and urban fantasy pieces that I can’t wait to see in print.  I’m lucky to have her as a critique partner and friend. If you’re interested in learning more about the business of writing, I highly recommend following her blog.