Authors Who Inspire Me

Today we get to look at a few of the authors who have inspired me over the years. I started keeping a list, a year or two ago, of all the books I know I've read -- so far I'm up to 215. That's a lot of authors, and - truly - many of them have inspired me in one way or another.

So, to keep it interesting, here's three influences on my writing, and the authors who showed me the way.

Elizabeth Moon - I always have to start here. For the first 8 years of my fantasy writing life, I had no idea who she was. When I started showing my book around outside my family, one guy said: "Your writing style is very similar to this author. You should check out her trilogy, The Deed of Paksenarrion." Well, I purchased it right away. And by the end of the second book, they were my favorite. (I recently re-read them, and they're still my very favorite books ever.) While I could see what he meant in our writing styles, hers was also (obviously) much more advanced, and continues to give me something to aim for -- while still being true to my own voice.

Pat Rothfuss/Robin Hobb/K. J. Parker - All three authors inspire me in the same way. In Kingkiller Chronicles, Liveship Traders, and The Engineer Trilogy, these authors wove into their respective stories one tiny niche bit of information (currency, sailing, and manufacture) and through plumbing the depth of that one point of interest added a complexity and richness to their stories that much of the fantasy of the '80s/'90s does not possess. That said, I can't say I've begun to work that inspiration into my writing yet - and my books still read more like early Brooks, Eddings, and Goodkind in that sense.

Robert Jordan - Last but not least, Mr. Jordan actually kind of inspires me in a negative way. When I first read him, I was a typical sexist teenager who HATED his female characters, who HATED the long, endless, stupid, recurring storyline (no, Rand, after book four you have STILL NOT actually killed the Dark Lord, even though I know you think you did). Once I got a little older, and learned that he was intentionally reversing gender perception, I like his books a lot (still haven't finished the series, but I'm on my way). However, I still write my books trying to avoid some of the issues I have with his series by making my own series only loosely connected to one another, introducing new characters with new storylines each book, and only by the end will we have a somewhat large cast (11, at last count) all in one book.

What authors inspire you -- whether in writing or just in life? Let me know in the comments!