Top 5 Favorite Local Authors
The official Top 5 Wednesday group is taking a summer vacation, so there are no official topics. Last week and this week I am making up my own topics, but maybe when I have the time I will take a gander at some of the old ones and see what I find.
This week’s topic is one that has been floating around in my brain for a while. I just could never settle on a time to do it, so no time like the present I guess. This will be a bit of a two parter though.
Part 1: Supporting your local authors
I am a big believer in supporting the authors in my own back yard. We are blessed here in the PNW with a plethora of well known authors, but we also have some awesome lesser known ones. It is the lesser known ones that need the most support. The publishing world is hard and if you are not a well known author even harder. So talking up my local authors on this blog is one way I like to support them. The other way is to make sure that I purchase their books for my library at work and at home. Money speaks to publishers more than reviews.
That said here are some tips on how to find out who your local authors are:
- Always read the author bios in the back of the book. They often state where they live. I have found lots of authors this way.
- Ask at your local indie bookstore. They tend to feature local authors and will be happy to help you. Indie stores tend to have a better handle on this than the big chain stores, but they might know some as well.
- Ask at your local library. They often have local authors featured in their displays.
- If your area is one of those lucky places that has a book con try to attend. Authors who live near by often attend these. Also see if your local author guild has presentations of new books. My local chapter of SCBWI does an author thing twice a year.
- If your area is author poor, adopt a close by author mecca. Seattle is pretty blessed, but I also include Oregon and British Columbia as my local author network.
Part 2: My Top 5 Favorite Local Authors
Marissa Meyer
I was a fan from the start. I love her writing style and especially with the Renegade series, her morally challenged characters.
Kendare Blake
I didn’t realize she was local until her last book. I happened to read her bio in the back and was surprised she lived fairly close to me. I love this series and can’t wait to see how it all ends.
Kevin Emerson
Not a super well known author although his middle grade series, Chronicles of the Dark Stars, has been getting some well deserved attention. This book is YA and was one of my top favorites from last year.
Cherie Priest
Cherie has a pretty large fan base, but I don’t think she is super well known outside of it. This was the first book by her that I read and I just loved it! It was also the first steampunk. I haven’t read a whole lot by her but I have enjoyed the ones I have.
Dan Gemeinhart
Dan writes amazing middle grade books. This one is my favorite of his so far. Each one seems to get better than the last. He is an author to watch, I think.
Honorable Mention:
Patrick Ness
So technically Patrick isn’t local anymore. He currently lives in London. But he grew up here and many of his books are influenced by that experience. So I count him as local.
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