Every book lover has a favourite author or 10, I love to see who other readers love and why, this gives me the incentive to go out and read books by those authors, books that I might never have picked up without this kind of recommendation.

So here, in no particular order are my top 8 (I could not get 10, though I am sure that this will change soon)

Sir Terry Pratchett

I was devastated like most fans when he passed away last year, but he has left us a legacy of wonderful stories and characters, Currently I have only read the Discworld series of books, but there are so many others that he wrote, by himself or with other authors, so I will be able to continue my journey with him for some time.

I discovered the Discworld series when I was in drama school and my then boyfriend was a fan, he had many of the books and soon I started collecting them from a second hand book shop in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, I love the way the Discworld is a mirror of our own with recognisable events and people, and every time you read one of the books again, you would discover something new.

Tess Gerritsen

I am a huge fan of crime fiction, so you can expect a lot of reviews from this genre of books, Tessa Gerritsen was recommended by a friend at work a few years ago and lent me a few of her books. I really enjoy her style of writing and that the main characters are generally strong women, always a good amount of plot twists, and my favourite book is The Bone Garden, which is set both in the past and the present.

Terry Goodkind

Another fantasy writer, Goodkind created the Sword of Truth series, and something about the characters in the first book Wizard’s First Rule, drew me in, I believed in them, the stories of Richard and Khalan really spoke to me and I felt their love, their pain and their loss in my heart, throughout the series, there are now more books in the series I have yet to read and hope to get them fairly soon. First I thought I identified with Khalan because she was alone and had green eyes and brown hair like I do, but both of my brothers have also read and loved the series.

Deborah Harkness

Currently the only fiction books by this author have been the All Souls trilogy which began with A Discovery of Witches, I saw this book in my local Tesco and was drawn to the title and cover and bought it immediately. As I bought this not long after the release I had to wait ages for the 2^nd and 3^rd books, all the books were engaging and the story well told, although I felt the first book was the strongest of the three. Harkness has written a non-fiction book, but with her storytelling capabilities, I hope it isn’t too long before she writes another fictional book as good as this trilogy.

Peter James

Creator of the Roy Grace series, I love all his books, but I am particularly drawn to his more supernatural offerings. Always set around the Brighton area, the twists and turns in both the Grace series and his stand alone horror tales are always gripping and sometimes frightening. I picked up the first book I read cheaply in a supermarket and loved it.

Michelle Morgan

Myself (holding the book), with author Michelle Morgan at the launch for Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed

The only true non-fiction author on this list, Michelle specialises in biographies about actors, and has written books on Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, Thelma Todd and her book on Carole Lombard is due out later this year. Michelle deals only in facts and does not proliferate tabloid gossip and unsubstantiated scandals, if the evidence points to an event she will write about it, if there is no evidence she may mention it in order to debunk it and provide evidence to the contrary, her writing style improves with every volume and I really look forward to any news pertaining to new works.

I discovered Michelle when I became a member of the Marilyn Monroe fan club that she set up and ran, The Marilyn Lives Society, and I am proud to consider her a friend, and in fact a photograph I took of Marilyn’s piano when it was auctioned in 1999 appears in the hardback edition of the highly acclaimed book – Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed. If you like your biographies full of well researched information and facts Michelle is the author for you, if you like scandal and gossip go read Irvine Schulman or Kenneth Anger – but stay out of my way!!

Michael Connelly

Creator of the great Harry Bosch series, again another crime writer I love, if you like your books riddled with dark twists and turns, set in Los Angeles Connelly is for you, I love these stories and her describes Los Angeles perfectly, so if you see a picture of a location and then read a book in which it is mentioned, that picture is there in your head, wonderful stories and beautifully developed character.

Thomas Hardy

He may seem out of place on this list of modern authors, but I have loved his work for a very long time and The Mayor of Casterbridge is still my favourite book of all time, a tale pf betrayal, regret, love, redemption and death, powerful stuff and I am currently reading some of his poems and a biography of him.

So those are my 8 favourite authors, these are people whose books I will buy without reading the blurb on the back or any reviews, for good or bad, I will always read these authors.

Why don’t you let me know who your favourite authors are and why I should add them to my list in the comments below