Authors I am Thankful For

We must always be thankful and practice the act of gratitude. During the month of November, thankfulness is really the running theme. As we get ready for Thanksgiving and I realize how thankful I am for the many blessings in my life like my family, a job that pays the bills, and good health. I’m also thankful for the love of books and my favorite authors who write them.

In honor of that, here are the authors I’m thankful for this holiday season:

Eric Jerome Dickey

Genevieve was the book that made me fall in love with Eric Jerome Dickey. I was 16 and on a mission to find more authors that I could relate to, that wrote to me, and for me. Genevieve read like a song; it was fluid, it had dips and curves, and it read beautifully. He was perhaps the first author to introduce me to “grown up” fiction. I had read Rochelle Alers and Brenda Jackson before so I knew about romance but the characters weren’t complex, I didn’t feel like I could reach out and touch them at that time; with Eric Jerome Dickey, they were. His books always had drama, romance, mystery and a whole lot of intrigue.

Paulo Coelho

Have you met The Alchemist? You can never go wrong with any Paulo Coelho book. I don’t think he’s ever made one I didn’t like, and I haven’t even read all of them yet. (This statement makes sense to me.) His most revered book, however, is The Alchemist; and with good reason. I was a little late in my discovery of both the book and the author but it was a discovery I made at just the right time. Paulo Coelho wrote a book for the dreamers, the rainbow chasers, and the goal setters. I wrote a bit more in depth about the book here. I will say though that it reaffirmed the validity of my dreams, no matter how far-fetched they may have once seemed to me or to others, and for that, I will always be thankful for this author. It also made me realize one of the most important things in life; when you truly want something, the whole universe will conspire to help you achieve it.

Rochelle Alers

Rochelle Alers was my first real introduction to romance series and the reason I love it so much. Granted I read Brenda Jackson before, who’s also known for series, but I really didn’t fall in love with the concept until Alers’ Hideaway series. You all know how much I love that damn family.

Beverly Jenkins

Beverly Jenkins introduced me to historical romance novels. As I’ve said before, I read maybe one or two novels in this subgenre but wanted more. I craved historical romances that featured protagonists of color. I wanted to read about people who looked like me. It took me a while but I found it and Beverly Jenkins will always remain one of my favorites for continuing to write these heartbreakingly beautiful stories so eloquently. In the midst of the pain that is always referenced in her books, there is a subtlety and willingness in the characters that make her books hard to put down.

Altonya Washington

If you search Altonya Washington’s name on this site, you will see dozens of posts about her work. To say she is one of my favorite romance authors would be putting it mildly. Her books, especially my beloved Ramsey/Tesano series, is always cutting edge, sensual, and grounded in the present. I do not like to read books and have it feel dated. Some of my favorite books, particularly romance, from 10 years ago, unfortunately, haven’t aged well. The language and the storyline all seem dated. Altonya Washington doesn’t have that problem. I crack open the spine of one of her books from a few years back or pull one up on my Kindle and voila! It’s exactly the way I remember it but anyone reading it in present time would have no issues.

This is by no means an all-inclusive list, there are many authors who have fueled my love for words; my insatiable thirst for reading and the need to constantly put pen to paper.

These are some of the authors made me fall in love with reading; whether it was through their characters, storyline, or message. They’ve allowed me to be open to different genres and appreciate words even more than I did before.

Who are some of your favorite authors? What made you fall in love with their work?

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Natalya

Natalya is an Account Manager by day and an editor and author's assistant to passionate creatives by night. When she is not adding to her enormous book collection or stationery supply, she is catching up on her favorite television shows.

Natalya is the author of All The Things I Never Said, a soul-stirring collection of short stories, prose and love letters for the soulful wanderers, the brokenhearted and the hopeless romantics.

You can follow her rantings and occasional sparks of brilliance on Twitter @NatalyaMuncuff.