Authors Who Inspire Me

We all have our favorite authors. I have so many that I find it difficult to narrow it down to just a few. However, I've come up with my top five authors who have inspired me in my own writing.

1. Frank Peretti

Like many of you, my first Peretti book was This Present Darkness. I've pretty much been a fan ever since.Frank Peretti set the standard for so many who've come after. Other than C.S Lewis in The Screwtape Letters, I'm not aware of anyone else who tackled spiritual warfare through fiction quite the way he did. Of course, there are lots of people doing it now, but Peretti paved the way, opening the door for writers who wanted to include topics previously considered taboo for the Christian market. The occult, demons, visions, prophecy, evolutionary conspiracy ... you'll find all this and more in his books. As well, I love that his main characters are not always perfect. Far from it. We often find disillusioned Christians or even non-believers all together, running from their past - or their present, who then have an incredible encounter with spiritual forces. He's a master story teller and serves it up with just the right amount of angst.





2. Francine Rivers

My favorite Francine Rivers books are still The Mark of the Lion Trilogy, but I haven't read a Francine Rivers book that I didn't enjoy. Again, what I love about her and her writing is that she keeps it real. She writes about topics that many would shy away from, whether its from an historical perspective or in a modern setting.  Like Peretti, her characters are authentic in that they are not perfect. Even her novella series on the women in Jesus lineage portray these characters in their humanity. I love this about her writing and I've tried to model myself, to some degree, after her in the way I create my characters. (Very large shoes to fill!)I also like that she unapologetically includes the gospel.

3. Margaret Atwood
I am still in awe of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake. I’m not sure if it can be classed as ‘experimental’, but I think for its day it was pretty cutting edge. It’s a rather dark, dystopian view of the world after a political and social collapse, but I love the way she weaves snippets from the past and present and future together. It just builds and builds. The scenes from the past gradually open up the present situation, but nothing is revealed chronologically. Because of that you are constantly having these ‘ah-ha’ moments; these epiphanies that make you want to go back and reread something you’ve read already. It’s a book that keeps you thinking long after you put it down. For me that is the crowning achievement of any work of fiction. I want it to make me think, and although I would never presume to be anywhere near the same caliber in terms of my own writing, it is what I try to do. 

4. Shakespeare

I know what you're thinking.Who would include Shakespeare in a list of authors who've inspired them? Well, I can't leave him out since he has been a huge influence in my life and in my writing. As a playwright as well as a novelist, why not look to the master of them all for inspiration? I've read, studied, watched, performed or otherwise been exposed to a good two thirds of his plays. (I'm a bit shy on the history plays ... my apologies to Richard and Henry...) I'm always delighted when I see a Shakespearean reference pop up in a movie or book, and like it or not, many of the basic story lines that we use over and over are just reworked 'Bard'. I especially love the wit and the cloaked bawdiness that you find in his work. Its probably why I don't mind trying to spice up my own writing just a bit... (Within good taste, of course...)



5.Eva Miller
Never heard of her? I'm not surprised. Eva Miller (nee: MacDonald) was my grandmother. She was an avid reader, loved good literature, and could quote long passages from various classics. (I still remember her quoting the first portion of Longfellow's Evangeline word for word.) She loved books and encouraged her daughters and subsequently her grandchildren to love books, too. She set up a lending library in her house during the early 1900s when she and my grandfather pioneered in Saskatchewan, since there was no way for people to access books in their remote rural community. She was THEE source for poetry, and students from inside and outside the family would seek her out when they needed a poem for recitation. (I don't think anybody does that any more ...) In any case, I include her as a writer who inspires me because she also loved to write and wrote her own memoirs which our family published after her death. I treasure it beyond words and have been greatly inspired by her words. In many ways I feel as though I am carrying on her legacy. Thanks Grandma.