I thought I’d take the opportunity to share who some of my favorite authors are. There are thousands of great writers out there, but these are just the few that are my “go-to” reads when I need comfort or something familiar (I tend to re-read things when life gets stressful so there are no “surprises” in the book – it’s just relaxing). These are not in the order in which I choose them, but in alphabetical order for simplicity.

Agatha Christie – I just got into Agatha Christie’s books in late 2016, but I’m thoroughly enjoying them when I get a chance to read them (in between books I’m reading for review, etc.). They’re great mysteries. I’ve only figured out the villain once, but I’m okay with that. I like seeing how Poirot’s mind works.

Steve Berry – Mr. Berry writes adult fiction that is a combination of historical facts and fiction that he has created. It makes for very compelling stories! His hero, Cotton Malone, is a former U.S. Justice employee who lives in Denmark now, but somehow always manages to get sucked back into the latest Justice department case. One of the reasons I like Mr. Berry’s work is because at the end of the book, he tells you what parts of the story are true and what parts he has created. It helps keep people from taking his books too seriously, but it also make you think because everything he adds to the story is certainly plausible. I also tend to find it amazing that most of the book is really based on fiction and he adds very little to it.

Heather Blake/Heather Webber – Mrs. Webber writes cozy mysteries and women’s fiction. She has two series published under Heather Webber (Lucy Valentine & Nina Quinn) and two series published under Heather Blake (The Wishcraft series & the Magic Potion series). I really enjoy her books and I love that even if her series get cancelled, she still occasionally self-publishes other books in those series. She has added 3 women’s fiction titles to her repertoire in the last few years. All three are great.

Kate Carlisle – Ms. Carlisle also writes cozy mysteries. She currently has two cozy mystery series (The Bibliophile Mysteries & the Fixer-Upper Mysteries). All of her characters have wormed their way into my hearts and I thoroughly enjoy the books, tho’ if I had to choose between the two series, The Bibliophile Mysteries would get that top billing. I discovered her books 2011 or 2012 and have been enjoying them ever since.

Lynn Kurland – Ms. Kurland has published over 30 novels in her 20 years of writing. Her books are a combination of romance and fantasy. Some involve time travel from modern day back to the medieval period (and sometimes back to modern day) and some are set completely in a fantasy world. Her romances are mostly clean, meaning there’s very little mention of sex and the limited amount of sex there is, is tastefully done.  I’ve been a fan of hers for at least 20 years.

Geneva Lee – Ms. Lee is my main “go-to” when I want a super-steamy romance. I discovered her books a little over two years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. I know super-steamy romance is not everyone’s forte and I don’t like to read it all the time, but part of what I like about Ms. Lee’s books is that there is a plot line underneath all the sex. And it’s a decent plot line, not just some hastily pulled together story line for the sake of a story line.

Lucy Lennox – Lucy writes M/M romance and I adore her books. They are so uplifting and wonderful! The Marians, her first series, are still my favorites, but I’ve enjoyed all of her books!

Anne McCaffrey – I first discovered Ms. McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series in the mid- to late- 1990s. I fell in love with the characters and the setting and her storytelling. Since then I’ve also become a fan of the Catteni/Freedom series and the Acorna series.

Jenn McKinlay – Ms. McKinlay is another cozy mystery author. She writes three different cozy mystery series (Library Lovers’ Mysteries, Cupcake Bakery Mysteries, & Hat Shop Mysteries). I particularly enjoy the Cupcake Bakery and the Hat Shop Mysteries. Her books are funny and charming on top of being cozy mysteries.

Emilie Richards – Ms. Richards is another author that I’ve been familiar with for over 20 years. She’s written romance and regular fiction and has now moved on to writing women’s fiction mostly.

Nora Roberts – Ms. Roberts is well known for the dozens of books she’s written in the romance and romantic suspense genres. She also writes mysteries (non-cozy) under the pen name J.D. Robb. I’ve been a fan of Ms. Roberts for over 30 years now and there are very few of her books, in either genre, that I dislike.

Other Cozy Mystery writers that I enjoy – There are many cozy mystery writers that I enjoy and look forward to their works. They include:  Nancy Coco, Julie Chase, Ellery Adams (only a couple of her series – not all), Vicki Delany/Eva Gates, Bailey Cates, Laurie Cass, Miranda James, Erin Johnson, Dean James, and many others. Cozies are my favorite genre to read at the moment, so there’s lots of authors I like in that area.