Today I helped my wonderful editor, Brian, with Flux’s monthly podcast (when it’s up, I’ll link to it). Suffice it to say I’m now suffering from I-shoulda-said-that-itis. I hate it when that happens! But hey . . . I have a blog. I can yawp to the rooftops and say it now!
Brian asked me to name some of my favorite authors, so I did: John Green, Sherman Alexie, Stephen King. Then he pointed out (rightly so) that I only named men–how about some women? I said women in my writing group, Louise Erdrich, A.S. King, and J.K. Rowling. All great writers, all women, and it’s true I admire them.
But I wish I would have said (of course!) Judy Blume.
And Madeleine L’Engle.
And Willa Cather (there is no place like Nebraska . . . ).
And Alice Walker.
And those are just four of many, and they don’t include any contemporary YA women writers, like Sarah Dessen or Sara Zarr or Julie Anne Peters or Justine Larbalestier or . . . the list could go on. And what about the women in A Feast of Awesome?
I think that’s one of my LEAST favorite questions to be asked–who’s your favorite writer–because I have too many. Same with too many favorite books, films, and songs. I should make a list and memorize it, and then just spout out different parts of the list each time I’m asked. But people might get suspicious, because I’d probably alphabetize it, and that would just sound stupid: “I like Alice Walker, Edith Wharton, and Oscar Wilde.” “Um, why do you only like ‘W’ writers?”
A side note: today I found out $1500.00 will get a really big, really intense teaspoon with which I can stir the ocean of marketing/publicity. Yeah, right. But if I had it, I’d give it to Yovia and the ocean would be on notice!