Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 All Time Favorite Authors

Posted April 21, 2015 by Lisa Mandina in giveaway / 47 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is sponsored by The Broke and The Bookish.  Now, I try not to do too many extra posts when I’m doing the A to Z Challenge, but this is a topic I couldn’t pass up.  I love to talk about my favorite authors!  As well as promote some that I think need some love.  The top this week is a hard one, how can I only pick 10?  The instructions for today say that you could narrow it down to maybe just one genre, or make a list of 20 if you had to.  I’m going to do my best to stay at 10, so just know that there will definitely be authors left off that are really, really awesome.  These authors I’m going to share are ones that I either will pretty much auto-buy their books, or ones that not only have I loved one of their books, but they are really awesome to meet or talk to on social media.  This is so hard!!!


1.  Stephen King 

This past year I got to be in the same room at the same time as Stephen King.  Didn’t get to meet him personally, but still this was pretty exciting.  For the most part I love all of his books.  I’m not that into his Dark Tower series, I read all the ones up before he took that little break, and now I just need to read the others.  I’m just not sure if I’ll be able to remember enough to get back into them without going back and re-reading the others, and I know that I’m not going to do that.  


2.  Dean Koontz

I would do almost anything to get to meet him.  His love of dogs, and how he writes about them just makes him one of my favorite authors.  While I’m a few books behind in his Odd Thomas series, and there was a recent book of his that was almost too “dense” for me, I still will pretty much buy and read all his books at some point.  Well, I take that back.  I don’t know that I’ll read his Frankenstein series.


3.  Robert McCammon

I have almost all of his books.  There was a time when his books were auto-buy for me.  In doing this blog post I just saw that he has a new book coming out that they say is more like the way his book Swan Song was, which is one of my favorite books!  So just added that on Goodreads!


4.  Cara Lynn Schultz

Cara, and I call her Cara because we’ve met and hung out in person, like you see in this picture, was one of the first authors who I read their book from Netgalley.  I read it, you see it in the picture there, Spellbound, loved it, and immediately found her on social media.  We tweeted back and forth, etc.  Then when I went to visit my sister in NYC for the first time, I kind of hinted asking if she might be willing to meet up some where so that I could meet her and get an autograph.  And you know what?  She did!  We met over close to Bryant Park by the library where Carrie almost gets married in the Sex and the City movie.  We went and had a drink at a little bar by the ice skating rink and talked and hung out for a long time!  I will always be pushing her books, as I love the characters in them.  They are totally people that I want to hang out with, they make me laugh when I read their conversations, and the stories are really unique as well.  Plus I love all the NYC stuff she throws in, especially now that I’ve visited and can picture those places in my mind.  (Please go buy her books if you haven’t read them yet!!)


5.  Maggie Stiefvater

So yeah, I’ve met her like 5 times.  And, one of the times, the first year I got to go to BEA, a publishing company found one of my pictures, the last one you see in above, and wanted to put it in a biography about her.  I love her books.  Again, it is the wonderful characters that I fall in love with.  I feel like I used to get to talk more to her on social media as well. There was a point when a very small side character in The Raven Boys might have shared my last name.  But alas, that character got cut.  I think she recognizes me now whenever I go see her. But I feel like maybe she thinks I’m stalking her?  Guess I might need to cut back on going to events to see her.  But I do need all of my books to be autographed if I get the chance, right?  Sorry Maggie, I’m not trying to be a creepy stalker!  I promise!  
6.  Heather Brewer
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 Another awesome author I've been lucky enough to meet more than once.  I not only love her writing, but as an online presence she is wonderful.  She is really there for all her fans, or minions as she calls them (us).  She speaks out about bullying, as someone who endured it in her past.  She is very open about her own depression and feelings, and I love that about her.  I think she is such a  neat person.   Her latest book, The Cemetery Boys, was one I really enjoyed and am currently featuring as one of my staff recommendations at the Barnes and Noble where I work part time.
7.  Jonathan Maberry

This is another author I've had several opportunities to meet.  I love his Rot and Ruin series.  He is also a great social media presence.  From interacting with him online I won a contest to get to name his next book in that series.  It is a collection of short stories from the world, and it has been available as an e-book, but will come out in hard copies later this year.  The title I helped come up with is Tooth and Nail.  Can't wait to own a copy of it!
8.  A.G. Howard
I love, love, love the Splintered series and was so excited to get to meet the author last summer at BEA.
OMG, OMG, OMG!!!!!!!  I only have two more spots and I can't decide who else to include!!!  If I don't include you, just know it's not because I don't love you!!!!  I think I'll post the  next two on authors that I've read a ton of their books.
9.  William Sleator
This author has passed away not too long ago, but I loved all of his books.  The Boy Who Couldn't Die, House of Stairs, you name it, I devoured it if I could get ahold of it. 10.  Margaret Peterson Haddix
I have loved all of her books I've read, I believe the first of which was The Shadow Children series.  I got to meet her last year, which was very exciting.  I am behind in her Missing series right now, but need to catch up!  Oh my gosh, so many more I want to talk about:  Michelle Madow, Tessa Gratton, Brenna Yovanoff, James Rollins, Steve Alten, Douglas Preston, Michael Grant, CJ Omololu, Jackie Morse Kessler, Kiera Cass, Kimberly Derting, Jennifer Brown, the list goes on and on.  If you were going to do this, who would you pick?  Could you easily narrow down to only 10 favorite authors?  I know I didn't really do very well, but tried! If you have time, you should stop by and enter into my A to Z Challenge giveaway on any of the letter posts, like my R Post today.

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47 responses to “Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 All Time Favorite Authors

  1. I can't believe I forgot Maggie Stiefvater! And Jonathan Maberry…I freaking KNOW HIM (he taught my three year old to say "REDRUM" and sent the video to Stephen King. How could I forget him? What is wrong with me? Awesome list of authors!

    Michelle @ Michelle's Minions

  2. Kel

    Margaret Peterson Haddix made my list, too! I don't think I've loved every book by any of my favorite authors, but consistent entertainment and/or good books is enough to make the list, right? 🙂

  3. How wonderful that you've gotten to meet so many of your favorite authors! I'm hoping to read Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Maggie Stiefaver soon and I'm intrigued by A.G. Howard as well. Great list!

    • I try to keep my eye out for author events in my hometown, as well as attending BEA and other book conventions and conferences when I can. Thanks for stopping by!

    • I've met Maggie several times. She tours a lot, at least it seems like it! And she's so great to meet. Hope you get a chance to read Stephen King, he's got some great ones! Maybe start with one of his books of short stories. Thanks for stopping by!

  4. Anonymous

    I have Rot and Ruin – in fact I've had it for ages. I have to carve out some time!
    Stephen King – kicking oneself!!
    Lynn 😀

    • You should totally pick up Rot and Ruin soon! I loved it. I still need to read the fourth book, but haven't gotten my hands on it yet. Thanks for visiting!

  5. Stiefvater!! You're SO lucky to have met her so many times! I missed her at BEA the year she was there and I will forever regret it 🙁 She's one of my favorite authors and she DEFINITELY made my list this week too 😀 I still need to read Howard, King (*cringe*) but both are on my tbr shelf, and in my defence, I've seen a few of King's films. But I know it's not the same >.< Anyway, awesome list^^

    Micheline @ Lunar Rainbows Reviews

    • She was at BEA both years I attended. In fact the first year I went, I got to see her on two different days. Once by herself and the other time with Brenna Yovanoff and Tessa Gratton. I love these authors, hope you can get to Howard and King soon! Thanks for visiting!

  6. An impressive list, Lisa! I would definitely have Stephen King on mine, he is one of my go to authors. Also love Stiefvater and several others up there.
    it is awesome that you have gotten to meet a lot of them!

  7. Thanks for stopping by my TTT! I loved loved loved reading through your list, because of all the author interactions you've had! That was very cool. I always seem even more enamored with an author's work after I meet them. Hope you have a great week!

    • I get the same way about after I meet them or listen to them talk. I think maybe they spark an interest in a way that I have to see if I can tell what they were saying when I read their work. Thanks for returning the visit!

  8. Nice! You've met (or been in the same room with) so many great authors. I read a lot of Stephen King in high school and college. His books are so disturbing, but they're also so compelling that I can't help myself! Dean Koontz was another one of my favorites from that period of my life. I also love Michael Grant and Margaret Peterson Haddix. Great list!

    • There's still a few I need to meet! Dean Koontz is one specifically! And last summer another one I really like, Steve Alten, was supposed to be at BEA, but then he cancelled. I was very disappointed. Thanks for stopping by!

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