I’ve never started a meme before, but for some reason this morning I feel the desire to put a particular one together. So here you have it: The Errant Dreams Author Meme, in which it’s time to share some of our favorite authors. Hopefully it’ll be a fun game of discovery! Guidelines:

• Answer the questions as you see fit. Although they’re all phrased to ask about a singular author, feel free to respond with multiples, or even a list.
• Where possible & convenient (you don’t have to go as crazy as I did!), include a link here or there to an author’s website, your review of one of their books, or a review that inspired you to try the author(s), so your readers can get more information on anyone that sounds interesting.
• Tag five people and drop by their blogs to let them know you tagged them, or open-tag your readers.
• It would be nice if you included a link back to your tagger.

1. Who’s your all-time favorite author, and why?

I’d have to say Anne Bishop. Just thinking about her ‘Black Jewels’ trilogy sends high emotions crashing through me, and I’ve read those books multiple times, which is unusual for me. I can’t even remember any more where or how I first discovered them.

• Daughter of the Blood
• Heir to the Shadows
• Queen of the Darkness

2. Who was your first favorite author, and why? Do you still consider him or her among your favorites?

I’d have to say Anne McCaffrey, for Crystal Singer, which really caught at my young imagination. I don’t think she’d come to mind if I was asked for my favorite authors now, but I still think very highly of her. It’s just been quite a while since I read much by her. Tolkien was another early favorite, as well as Walter Farley for his ‘Black Stallion’ series.

3. Who’s the most recent addition to your list of favorite authors, and why?

I’ve had several recent additions, some of my own discoveries and some thanks to review copies that wowed me. I don’t know how many of the following will make it onto my long-term list of favorites, but here are the authors who’ve recently snagged my attention in a big way:

• Bettie Sharpe, thanks to Ember, which first appeared at Dionne Galace’s blog. I adore her unusual take on tales and characters and her kick-ass heroines.
• Shiloh Walker, thanks to a review copy of Through the Veil. She writes gorgeous stories and builds amazing worlds.
• Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb, thanks to… everything. For a great example of why I like her work, see today’s reviews of Blood Brothers and The Hollow, both of which exemplify her extraordinary talent for character creation and plotting.
• Elizabeth Vaughan, thanks to a review copy of Dagger-Star that definitely sated my desire for an unusual and strong heroine.
• Tobias Buckell, thanks to Crystal Rain and Ragamuffin—two very unusual SF novels that take place in a fantastically vibrant world.

4. If someone asked you who your favorite authors were right now, which authors would first pop out of your mouth? Are there any you’d add on a moment of further reflection?

Anne Bishop, Thomas Ligotti, Garth Nix—these are old favorites that leap to mind easily. Shiloh Walker, Bettie Sharpe, Tobias Buckell, Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb, Elizabeth Vaughan—these are the recent ones that I still have to think about to bring to mind.

Edited to add: I always forget to add Patricia McKillip to this list! She’s actually a long-time fave, but for some reason her name always escapes me, maybe because I haven’t read as many of her books.

5. Tagged:

It’s hard to pick just five from among a million-zillion cool book bloggers, but here you go:

• A Fondness for Reading
• B&b ex libris
• The Hidden Side of a Leaf
• MotherReader
• Books and Cooks

As always, play if you want, but there’s no pressure! And anyone else who feels like joining in can do so without the need for a tag.

Also, Rainbow Reviews is having a scavenger hunt for the month of June involving lots of prizes from tons of authors. Go take a look at the details! I found out about this from Nose in a Book (NSFW).

Today’s Booking Through Thursday:

What’s your favorite book that nobody else has heard of? You know, not Little Women or Huckleberry Finn, not the latest best-seller . . . whether they’ve read them or not, everybody “knows” those books. I’m talking about the best book that, when you tell people that you love it, they go, “Huh? Never heard of it?”

I can do you one better—one of my whole favorite authors, not just a single book. Many of the people I talk with about books have heard of most of my favorite authors, at least in passing: Anne Bishop, Garth Nix, Tobias Buckell. However, almost no one has heard of Thomas Ligotti. He has a very loyal cult following among a very small number of people because he writes extremely unusual, bizarre fiction. It’s absolutely captivating. I highly recommend his Noctuary, with Songs of a Dead Dreamer coming in a close second:

When all the landscape is dying, descending fragrantly to earth, we alone rise up. After light and warmth have passed from the world, when everyone stands melancholy at the graveside of nature, we alone return to keep them company. This is our season to be reborn.

I could also list Bettie Sharpe among my little-known faves, but that’s only because she’s just barely started publishing.

Edited to add: I went and found Ligotti’s website for folks interested in exploring his work.

And, a handful of links:

• Mercury in sushi—I mourn.
• Free Fall by Isaac Marion—weird and beautiful fiction.
• Loud Neighbors—another weird and fascinating Isaac Marion story.
• Best source for specialty cooking stuff EVER: King Arthur Flour Company.
• The most bizarre item we’ve ever sold through Cafepress, and I’ll tell you right now that we’ve sold more than one: Level 70 Hottie Thong. Yes, you read that right—thong.