Who are your favorite Authors? Are they established, or are they part of the new breed sweeping the book market? Are they publishing eBooks, or do they only depend on paper copies?
These are some of my choices to put before you. Take ’em or leave ’em, but at least give them a look-see to determine if their style / genre / subjects resonate with you, as well. After all, every story matters.
Hugh Howey
Shortly after I started using the Kindle app, coupled with BookBub to get recommendations for reading, I happened upon Hugh Howey. He was offering up his compendium of Beacon 23, all the shorter pieces in one eBook, and I thought the premise was intriguing. A former space marine has opted to take time to work through his PTSD by minding and maintaining a hyperspace beacon on the fringe of occupied space. Hugh’s writing style drew me in, captivated me, made me wonder at the veracity of the MC / Narrator, and carried me along through catharsis and resolution. Good story. So much so, in my estimation, that I looked up his other works.
Which led to purchasing the 3-book series Wool, Shift, and Dust. Post-apocalyptic doesn’t do justice to describing those three intertwined tales. Howey tugs on the loose threads of human nature and unravels some of the darker motivations lying beneath. Could we see this happening in today’s world? Most assuredly, if we simply let government and large corporations run unchecked, without regard to the greater good. One man’s vision is not always the direction to steer humanity. That distinction was held by the one true example, and we still don’t seem to be able to get it right.
Another truly wonderful aspect of Hugh Howey is his unflagging energy to get new writers to follow their dreams to publish their imaginings. He’s been a strong and vocal proponent for self-publishing, and his personal example has encouraged many more writers to push forward and succeed. I’m one of them. I’d been dithering with one fully complete fantasy novel, almost a dozen short stories, and a smattering of poetry. Yet I was daunted by the prospect of finding an agent and depending on the good graces of a large publishing firm to turn them all into real books. So I followed the road less taken and have three books on my Author Page on Amazon. Hugh’s example gave me the guts, the impetus, the courage to do this. My thanks to him.
Patrick Rothfuss
A good friend of mine, Terry Showers, and I were traveling to Jefferson City to help some folks move into the local area. I noticed a well-worn book on the console of his truck and asked about it. (This was shortly after his revelation of being a Sci-Fi / Fantasy reader since long ago.) He recommended Patrick Rothfuss to me, extolling the virtues of the writing style and the way Rothfuss built entire histories into the backstory for believability. He told me he’d picked up the paperback of The Name of the Wind and loved it, but also had an eBook copy for his Kindle app so he could read it on-the-go. He likes epic fantasy and, he said, this Author was definitely making a name for himself.
I took the time to research Rothfuss and determined to pick up the eBook if it dropped in price. A few weeks later, Terry surprised me by handing me a new paperback copy. “When do I need to return this to you?” I asked. “It’s yours. Tell me how much you like it,” was Terry’s response. Not ‘if’ I like it; how much I like it. After delving into the first few chapters, seeing the build-up to something interesting, and then getting hooked by the MC divulging his personal history to a chronicler, I realized I like it a lot! The other books of the Kingkiller Chronicles will be part of my Best Of shelf. Do yourself the favor of following along with this Author and his marvelously crafted world.
Author Sam Westhoek 