Favorite Authors and Genres

So, I thought that it'd be fun to add links to a few of my favorite authors websites and blogs onto my own blog. But as a started adding, I just couldn't narrow it down to only a few! LOL, I think I've ended up with over 20, and I would be surprised if I don't think of a few more to add later! I just wanted to mention some of them briefly for anyone looking for some new authors to read. I'm sure that some of them I'll end up bringing up in more detail later, especially when they have new books released.

A few of the authors are ones that I've followed since I was a teenager. They are LDS authors that I've always enjoyed, like Anita Stansfield, Jennie Hansen and Rachel Ann Nunes. Their books are some of the first that really got me hooked on reading. A couple of the other authors that I've loved in the same genre are Gerald N Lund and Nancy Campbell Allen. They don't have their own webpage's, so I couldn't add links! Of all of those, my favorite series was probably Allen's "Faith of our Father's" series. They are set during the civil war, and highlight characters both in the North, South, and a little bit from the church members already settled in Utah. If you really aren't into LDS fiction, but still love history, give these a try. The Church is only a very small part of these books, mostly because they weren't affected by the war too much since they had already moved to Utah.

Dan Brown, John Grisham and Vince Flynn are my favorite authors when I'm looking for a great action novel. Flynn is by far my favorite in this genre. He writes political thrillers, with his main character, Mitch Rapp, being a CIA agent. The first book of the series, "Transfer of Power", revolves around a group of terrorists that are intent on taking over the White House and killing the President. It was extremely intriguing to see the way that different members of the government react in very different ways to the crisis. Vince Flynn is one of the best action writers that I have ever read. Once you've started reading his series, you'll want to read them all!

Just about all of the rest of the authors that I have links for would fall into either the Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance genres. I find it really kinda funny that I am so into those genres lately. When I was growing up, I hated fantasy novels! If the things in the book couldn't happen in real life, then I didn't want to read it. I never even read the "Chronicles of Narnia" when I was younger. I was more of a Nancy Drew and Thoroughbred Horse Racing girl. When Harry Potter really started to make a name for itself, I did read that series, and loved it. Same with Twilight. But still, I really wasn't into reading anything else fantasy. Then, Kelli-Rae told me that I had to read the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, and I have been hooked ever since! For about the last year and a half, that's about all that I've read! I just can't get enough of vampires and werewolves/shifters. Throw in a few witches, wizards, and fae and I'm happy!

3 favorite authors in the genre:

Charlaine Harris - Her best series is her Sookie Stackhouse books. It has lots of different paranormal elements, but vampires are the main focus. The first book is called "Dead Until Dark." If you've watched (or heard about) the show True Blood on HBO, this is the series that the show is based off of. I also really like her Harper Connely series, but it's more of an acquired taste. Not everyone would probably love it. I haven't read her mystery series yet, but hopefully I'll get around to them soon.

Patricia Briggs - Her Mercedes Thompson, shifter series easily tops the list. I just love her characters. Mercedes is a were-coyote and most of her neighbors and friends are either werewolves, vampires or fae. If you've never read Urban Fantasy, this is one that I'd recommend. I love novels with a strong, kick-ass female lead. That perfectly describes Mercy. She never lets anyone push her around, not even her neighbor and friend, Adam, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack. WARNING THOUGH! I have had a lot of people not want to read this series because of the covers. For some odd reason that I really can't fathom, the covers make Mercy look like she's a slut. She is FAR from it! In fact, while there is some romance in this series, it plays just a tiny part in the story. And all of it's clean. Please, don't judge this book by it's cover! Start with "Moon Called"

Richelle Mead - Her young adult series, "Vampire Academy" is an all time favorite. It's one of those series that just keeps getting better and better. So far, there are 3 books released. And I have been waiting very impatiently for the 4th book to come out later this month. Mead has several other series as well. I've only read the first book in her Succubus series, but enjoyed it. And I've heard good things about her other books as well.

Hope this gave some ideas to people of what to read next!