In no particular order, I’d like to add!
1). Daphne du Maurier
For me, it’s not always necessarily how ‘well’ a writer writes that captures my imagination or love for them but how their words make me feel. My lovely mum, Jennie, is a voracious reader and passed her love of books onto me. When I was a little girl she gave me a book called ‘Not After Midnight’ by Daphne du Maurier, which is a collection of five stories, the most famous being Don’t Look Now. I was completely entranced by du Maurier’s creepy, chilling and slightly supernatural story telling and remember feeling utterly enthralled. Soon after I read Rebecca, which is one of my favourite novels of all time. I love the way in which du Maurier wrote in such an unsettling yet spellbinding way and how she so cleverly makes the unbelievable believable. Her characterisation is simply incredible. There was something wonderfully selfish about the way du Maurier wrote as though she were simply pleasing no one but herself and in doing so ended up pleasing millions of people the world over for generations.
I’d love to have known her, I’m sure she was as fascinating as the books she produced throughout her phenomenal publishing career.
2). James Patterson
The thing I love most about James Patterson’s work is, 1) how prolific he is as a writer and 2) how his books always suck you in right from the get-go. I love his face-paced, rollercoaster ride, just-another-chapter style of writing – you know what you’re getting with one of his novels, which is a very reassuring thing for a reader I think, and he always delivers. There’s darkness to a lot of his work that I adore and he’s created some memorable killers! Two titles that spring to mind are Swimsuit and Guilty Wives, both of which stayed with me a long time after I read them (twice each). Some people think Patterson is a simplistic writer and I think that’s a huge compliment. He makes his work read effortlessly and that is a real skill.
3). William Shakespeare
What can I say that hasn’t already been said about the great Bard himself? He was – still is – one of the most prolific writers of ALL time. My love of the English language is largely due to Shakespeare and it’s literally incredible how many of his sayings, words and quotes still exist in modern language today – what a legacy! Shakespeare brought everything to the table with his astounding catalogue of work: tragedy, humour, murder, despair, joy, romance and treachery… the whole spectrum. He could write a comedy just as well as a tragedy and it’s incredible to think that he penned over 37 plays (he collaborated on many more I’m sure, and that’s not including the poems and sonnets). To have the ability to make people laugh and cry and everything in between makes him one of he greatest writers of all time. I literally can’t name a favourite, although Hamlet, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Mid Summer Nights Dream stand out for me. I imagine he was an incredible character to have known! I’m sure I would’ve fancied him if I’d been born around that time!
4). Martina Cole
Going back to how a writer makes me feel, my list isn’t complete without Martina. I love her – she’s the original queen of crime. I read a lot of her work when I was in my 20s and adored her gritty, larger-than-life authentic characters and their realistic lives. I’ve always felt that a lot of Martina’s own character comes through in her work, which gives her writing such honesty, authenticity and personality. Her books are very more-ish and unpretentious which I also love. I like the fact that she is a big champion of the female character and always makes her protagonists flawed yet ultimately strong – they always come out on top – often against some horrible odds. Martina’s books inspired me to write and I am honoured to share the same agent as her. If it wasn’t for Martina I might never have sent my unfinished script to her agent, the wonderful Darley Anderson and had my first novel published so I have a lot to thank her for. She’s an incredible writer.
5). Peter Benchley
This is as much about the book Jaws as it is the wonderful writer himself. When I was thirteen years-old I had to go into hospital to have my tonsils removed. We didn’t have social media back then and I remember being bored rigid waiting to go down to theatre when a woman with a book trolley came past my bed. I perused all the old dog eared books and none of them look appealing to me at all except one – the cover of which featured a huge shark with it’s mouth wide open! I’m forever grateful that I chose it because from the opening page I was utterly hooked in (no pun intended). I’d never read anything like it before. Benchley created a phenomenal story complete with multi-faceted characters that I felt were never quite done the justice they deserved in the film (even though the cast was incredible). Jaws is best known as a film but the book, in my opinion, is far superior. Benchley wrote with pace and pathos, his characterisation second to none. I went on to read Beast and The Deep and was just as impressed. I remember thinking to my thirteen year-old self at the time how much I wanted to write something as exciting and chilling as Jaws – this particular book was a huge inspiration to me to begin my journey of becoming an author.
Anna-Lou Weatherley was born in Hampshire and grew up in London where she still lives with her partner and two children. An award-winning journalist and women’s lifestyle writer for over fifteen years, she is the former editor and acting editor of J-17 and Smash Hits respectively and has written for all the major glossies including, Grazia, More, Company, and Marie Claire among others.
