author appreciation week, day 1

And so begins our week-long celebration of Author Appreciation Week. This initiative was sparked by 2010 debut author Heidi R. Kling (see here for more details). I decided to pick 5 favorite authors + 5 anticipated authors to show my appreciation for. I’ll post one from each group each day, Monday – Friday. (whew, blogging 5 days a week. go writing go!)

And without further ado, FAVORITE AUTHOR: J.K. Rowling. I came across the Harry Potter series right before the fourth book came out. My younger sister E had all the books and I devoured them. Literally, I opened up my jaw and swallowed. (My mom is so proud.) The complexity of the characters. The continuity of the story lines. The intrigue of a whole new world. The books were about magic, but they themselves were their own brand of magic. The books sucked me into them and spit me out 480 page later. I wouldn’t even remember turning the pages that’s how absorbed I was. THAT’S the sign of a good book.

I also secretly loved that it was socially acceptable to admit that I, as an adult, read and enjoyed these books that were originally just for kids. It was an amazing thing Rowling did – getting kids, tweens, teen, adults, elderly and everyone in between to read. She was true to her characters even when they went through the angsty, annoying teen years. She packed plots with action and tender moments and funny mishaps and scary scenes. She invented an entirely new world and opened the door to everyone.

It’s been a pleasure walking into the world of Harry Potter. Thank you for the invitation. And thank you for making fantasty a reality.

Time to switch gears to ANTICIPATED AUTHOR: Kiersten White. I can’t remember if it was the egg (her blog) or the chicken (her Twitter) which I found first, but all I know is the humor of this woman is right up my alley. She is parts silly and parts serious, but all the time helpful. She blogs about her kids and writing tips and tricks and her path to publication and screenplays and wackiness and answers to the questions her readers ask and anything else that she fancies. Even when she’s sick, her lighthearted attitude is apparent and you just can’t help but adore her. You just want to scoop her up and put her in your pocket so she can dispense sarcastic comments on your own daily adventures. (And if her picture + caption are to be believed, this isn’t that far fetched of an idea.)

*Not a life-size picture. But almost.

I’m excited for her first book Paranormalcy (which will be released in September 2010. Mark your calendars!) because I’m a sucker for humor. I know her story of Evie will make me giggle, chuckle, and full on laugh out loud. But also, seeing how she writes about her children and her husband, I know this book will have touching moments that I won’t even see coming. They’ll catch me off guard and make me softly say “Oh.” And THAT’S what I’m waiting for.