IWSG: First Wednesday Favorites

As writers, we can be our own worst critics, right? Sometimes we look to our favorite authors to keep us encouraged along the journey.

This First Wednesday for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group blog hop, I thought it would be fun to mention a few of my favorite authors of all time. You know, those authors you had to read when they had a new book published? You finished the last book only to feel a certain loss that there wasn’t another book in the series to begin? Here are my top (5)

1. Janet Evanovich – Stephanie Plum series This series will have you laughing out loud with the characters and trying to solve murders in Stephanie’s Trenton, NJ town.
2. Diane Mott Davidson – Goldy Schulz series Caterer and amateur sleuth Goldy Schulz is always inadvertently stumbling across dead bodies and troublesome terror in her small town of Aspen Meadow which resembles Evergreen, Colorado, where Diane Mott Davidson lives part of the year. You love the characters, their sweet relationships and the way the author crafts solid plots. I believe Davidson is not writing any additional books in this series but I sure wish she would. Start with the first one, The Cereal Murders.
3. Nelson DeMille – John Corey series and any other mystery books by this author. More of a pure mystery/thriller storyteller but awesome nonetheless. I especially enjoy his books that talk about the Middle East.
4. Bailey White – Mama Makes up Her Mind and Other Dangers of Southern Living, Quite a Year for Plums, NPR interviews, etc. Fannie Flagg is another author in this genre that I enjoy, with her Fried Green Tomatoes and Can’t Wait To Get to Heaven. White’s humor, character detail and narration are wonderful!
5. Phyllis A Whitney – Whitney’s mystery/romance novels are what first whet my appetite for mystery. The locations she writes about are lovely and draw you in, as do the characters and the storylines. I will forever be grateful to this author for adding to my love of reading!

Who are your favorite writers that you turn to, for a guaranteed positive reading experience?