Iowa Anthology - Deadline extended!
As the subjectline reads, the deadline for the Iowa Anthology has been extended. If you'd like to submit a short story, or know someone else who'd like to, click here!

I got this meme from peaceinyou, and I posted it at my personal journal, but I thought it was a good one to post here, too.

Rules
Link to the person who tagged you, post the rules somewhere in your meme, answer the questions, tag six people in your post, let the tagees know they’ve been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog, let the tagger know your entry is posted.

Who is your all-time favorite author and why?
There is no way I can pick just one, but after much thinking, I've managed to narrow it down to four:

J.K. Rowling: She is a modern-day literary GENIUS. She is AMAZING, and I can't even believe the epic-ness of the Harry Potter world, its characters, laws, etc. I'm utterly baffled and awed when I think about it, and it is my ultimate goal to be as amazing as she is as a writer/novelist. ♥ George Eliot: Victorian era badass woman, for those of you who aren't familiar with her writing. Her real name is Mary Ann Evans, and she wrote under the pen name George Eliot. My favorite novel by her is Middlemarch. She just has such a charming way of developing characters. You think about them even after you put the novel down. Jack Kerouac: I know I would have such a crush on this guy if I'd known him, lol. He's of the Beat Generation (1960s), and most known for writing On the Road, which also happens to be my favorite novel by him. He's got such a unique way of writing. It's almost like the things he wrote were his effort at preserving parts of his life he wanted to save, or something. It's all very sexy. Charles Dickens: I know writers put a little bit of themselves into their writing, but his writing really is like a complex mirror of his life, which I find interesting. He writes about the most seemingly ordinary things, yet he makes them extraordinary and timeless. As for a favorite novel by him, it's a tie between A Tale of Two Cities and Hard Times.

Who was your first favorite author and why? Do you still consider him/her to be among your favorites?
I've got two for this one: Mary Downing Hahn and Roald Dahl. I thought it was fair to pick two because I only ever read one of Mary Downing Hahn's books, Wait Till Helen Comes, which is a ghost story. I remember checking it out of the library at least once a month during 5th and 6th grade, lol. I LOVED that book, and I own a copy even now (ugahill surprised me and got me a really nice hardback verson last Christmas because she knew about this random MDH obsession of mine from my childhood). And then there's Roald Dahl. He was like my childhood J.K. Rowling. I discovered Charlie and the Choclate Factory after reading EVERY American Girl novel that was out at the time (this was sixth grade), so reading about the crazy/magical stuff in Roald Dahl's writing was so refreshing and charming. I'm pretty sure I read all of his children's books, and I even wrote him fanmail, but was really sad when I found out he'd passed away even before I'd started Kindergarten. ^^;; Needless to say, the letter never got sent off. D:

And yes, I still consider them favorites. Favorite authors are like lovers, really. You never really forget your first loves, and even if an author isn't a first love, each one has, regardless, touched you in a different, unforgettable way. They stay with you, and that's more than a game of favorites.

Who is the most recent addition to your list of favorite authors, and why?
Rachel Caine/rachelcaine. :) I met her in March, and she is so sweet and inspiring and awesome. Her stories are lovely, too. I love The Morganville Vampires series, and I still need to finish the Weather Warden series, but lkjaslkdjf, I adore this lady as both a person and a writer. Just like J.K. Rowling, I'd be so happy if I could be as cool as her when I'm a successful novelist. :)

If someone asked you who your favorite authors were right now, which authors would first pop out of your mouth?
J.K. Rowling, George Eliot, Jack Kerouac, Charles Dickens, Chuck Palahniuk, Rachel Caine, Libba Bray, Ayn Rand, Oscar Wilde, J.D. Salinger, William Shakespeare. Honestly, I usually find myself listing favorite books more often than I list favorite authors. Sometimes it's difficult to love everything an author has written, but books (and sometimes series) kinda stand alone, so it's easier for me to categorize like that.

I tag... you! Do the meme if you feel like it. :)