If I Could Borrow Talent from Any Author, It Would Be...

I write fantasy/adventure stories that walk the line between middle grade and young adult. (For those of you who aren't familiar with MG and YA or aren't sure what the difference is, check out these articles here, here, and here.)

It's probably not surprising that MG/YA fantasy is my favorite genre to read. And it's often had me wondering which authors would I like to resemble, if I could. Now, don't mistake me. I don't actually want to try to "steal" another authors voice and attempt to write just like them. First of all, it's impossible. Every writer has their own unique voice and you can't steal someone else's. Secondly, I want to find my own voice and watch it grow and transform all on it's own (well, with a little help from me, I suppose). 

BUT, as writers, I do think we are absolutely influenced by the books we read. I believe we are constantly learning other authors, especially our favorites. 

And so, if I could write like any author, who would it be? What I'm really asking is which authors have touched me the most? Which ones made me laugh, cry, dream, believe? Because let's be honest, if I could just borrow a pinch of their writing magic, eat it for breakfast, only to find their talent leaking out onto my latest manuscript the next morning... well, wouldn't that be awesome?

So, just for fun: if I could choose a handful of authors to write like, I would pick:

J.K. Rowling. 

Duh. I don't think this choice needs much of an explanation. She's the most talented and successful author of our time. She writes YA fantasy. She's brilliant. No one will ever touch the hearts of readers on such a massive scale, the way she did. End of story. 

Rick Riordan

Any list of top MG fantasy books has Mr. Riordon's name on it. He's the master at delivering humor, heart, and non-stop adventures galore. Plus, Greek Mythology. He's fantastic and he's a former teacher, which gives him extra points!

Madeleine L'Engle

I read A Wrinkle in Time in Elementary school, and I remember just falling in love with the characters (Oh, Charles Wallace!) and the worlds they found themselves in. It is beautiful and brilliant, and it will whip your imagination in to shape! 

Patricia C. Wrede.

She's actually the reason I fell in love with fantasy. I read her "Dealing with Dragons" series in second grade, and my imagination has never fully recovered. She kept me laughing through the entire series (which, by the way is about a tomboy princess who runs away from the castle to go live with dragons). I owe her much.

There are, of course, many other amazing kids fantasy authors out there (C.S. Lewis, John Flanagan, Christopher Paolini, Eoin Colfer... I could go on) but the above mentioned authors are my absolute favorites in the kid fantasy realm. 

So how about you? What genre(s) do you write, and which authors would you gladly borrow some talent from, if you could?