Admiring Minds Want to Know

Yes, it's supposed to be inquiring. Wanna fight about it? :)

Who are the writers you most admire? Who are your writing mentors?

Like, admire, idolize, is there really a difference? Bwahahahaaa

My answers are going to be in list form today with a little blurb by each author and why.

1. Fern Michaels - Fern's books are so women empowering it makes me shudder. But I need a good kick in the arse now and then. When I feel like I want to give up and roll over, I consult one of the vigilante books. Those women make a person want to make a difference. In one of those books, they get revenge on a group of men by removing their testicles, pickling them, and mailing them back to the men. The women were getting revenge for a rape. It was apropos. I punched the air when I read it...

2. Stephen King - Stephen's books are so frightfully descriptive that I feel what his characters feel. I am awakened inside and every nerve in my body tingles. To be frank, the man scares the shit out of me because he paints his scenes so well. I tried to do this in Yassa when Temujin is getting revenge on the men that stole his wife and sold her to another man. Those were difficult scenes to write (because he did some terrible things) but they make the book stay with you after you finish; like Stephen's do. Never would I presume to be as good a writer as him, but he taught me a lot.

3. J.K. Rowling - If ever there was a writer out there that we divorcees with a bunch of kids that are down on our luck can look up to, it's J.K. She wrote Harry Potter while scratching by and it paid off. While I have no delusions of grandeur, it's still nice to know that someone somewhere did it. It gives me hope. As a writer, sometimes hope is all I have. My queries certainly aren't going far...

4. Rick Riordan - Mr. Rick releases two books a year in his two series and I am always chomping at the bit to get them. His knowledge of mythology and Egyptian history floors me. He uses his knowledge well and I learn some facts every time I read one of his books. I appreciate the HF genre because I read about boring facts in a fun way. Using a lot of fact is how Yassa was written and when people realize that, they're going to have a new appreciation for the true meaning of loyalty until death.

5. Alice Borchardt - I couldn't believe how much Greek and Roman history I picked up by reading her books. She's Ann Rice's sister, wrote about werewolves and held a doctorate in the study of Ancient Greek and Roman history. When I realized she was intertwining history with fiction, I was intrigued and picked up every one of the Night of the Wolf series. They blew me away. While her writing style is not one I would copy, I still learned a lot about how to be creative while sticking to facts. She passed away before she was able to finish the series but man, it was GOOD.

That's not all of them, but there's the top 5. I hope this introduces you all to some new authors you may enjoy. Most of the above are listed on my Goodreads page. I haven't gotten around to adding all my books there yet because there are literally thousands of them.

I don't have a writing mentor yet but if anyone wants the job, I'm happy to take one on!! Why did I just hear crickets begin to chirp?

Remember, Yassa will be released TOMORROW!! I know you've all been waiting sooooo long! Your wait will be rewarded! I'll post links here so you can go check it out.

That's all for today, folks!!

Until next time, WRITE ON!!

Jo