Which authors have affected your work the most?

Seeing as how I write across multiple genres, I have a wide range of influences to choose from. That being said, I’m only really going with authors who have had a direct, traceable influence on my work.

Fantasy:

• David Gemmell (first and foremost)

• David Eddings

• Andrzej Sapkowski

• R.A. Salvatore (Kirkland Signature Tolkien, as I like to call him)

• Guy Gavriel Kay (one of the biggest influences on my more recent stories)

• C.S. Lewis

• J. R. R. Tolkien (every fantasy writer owes this guy something)

Westerns:

• Louis L’Amour

• Robert B. Parker

• Stephen King (specifically The Dark Tower series, of course)

Historical/General Fiction:

• Ken Follett

• Bernard Cornwell

• Steven Pressfield

• Michael Crichton

Going with Ryan Kunz’s example and not going to tag anyone, but feel free to join in on the fun that he started.