Last week I shared with you 10 of my favorite fictional characters.
Today, I thought I’d share with you 13 of my favorite fictioneers. Contemporary writers who I find so very satisfying I’ll buy anything they write.
So here’s a shoutout to my Dazzling (Baker’s) Dozen.
Crispian Thurlborn
This guy can write. Weird. Fantasy. He can do so with dark wry humor. He can slowburn his way to your fear button. He can lead you down a strange and dreamy road to terror. He’s just plain good. One of my top 5 favs.
Find him on Amazon.
Richard Schwindt
Schwindt writes hilarious satire; occult detective stories laced with dark humor; poignant, introspective whodunits; humorous paranormal adventures; and fabulous literary quality short stories.
He will make you think, laugh, and cry. And that’s a pretty doggone good combo.
Find him on Amazon.
Caleb Pirtle III
Pirtle writes non-fiction by the bucket load. I’m not a non-fic guy, but I can tell you, from what I’ve read, he can spin a good yarn even writing non-fic. Doesn’t matter if he’s writing a biography of a person or a town, it will be an interesting story.
But it’s in his fiction where I think he shines. Pirtle makes the past (his favorite place to be) or the present come alive. And the people you meet in the pages of his books are just as real as your next door neighbor.
Pirtle will make you feel the heat and humidity. He’ll make you feel the hope and the despair. He will make you stop and ponder a bit of wisdom one of his people just said. He’ll make you laugh. And he’ll make you cry. He’s a magician with the written word.
I’d probably buy his grocery list. They don’t come any better than Caleb Pirtle.
Catch him on Amazon.
Joe Congel
I like well-drawn, realistic characters, who move through a realistic story. I appreciate a story that is told well. And Joe Congel does this with panache.
He writes contemporary PI novels with a hardboiled feel. And he peoples his realistic tales with well-drawn, realistic characters.
Introduce yourself to Joe Congel. You’re in for a treat.
Check him out on Amazon.
Matthew Cormack
Cormack creates some of the best characters to ever step out of the pages of a book. They are totally lifelike.
He is the epitome of Bradbury’s dictum: create your characters, let them do their thing, and there’s your story. And what stories they are.
His books are, quite simply, a cut above.
And you can find them on Amazon.
James Vincett
Magnificent worldbuilding. Brilliant imagination. Fabulous characters. Incredible stories. These are the hallmarks of the science fiction of James Vincett.
His work is fabulous and I’m first in line to get his next book. I hope it drops soon.
Get his books on Amazon.
Andy Graham
Graham writes some of the best slowburn horror that you can buy. The suspense is oppressive. There are times I have to put the book down in order to catch my breath and get my pulse down.
Graham’s writing is simply top drawer, and you can get his books on Amazon.
Brian Fatah Steele
Steele writes incredibly imaginative modern cosmic horror. A worthy successor to old HPL himself.
I find his imagination unparalleled. He will show you dimensions you can’t even dream of.
His story “Bleak Mathematics”, IMO, is a modern classic.
Find him on Amazon.
John F Leonard
I love Leonard’s imagination. He can range from the cosmic to what’s in your pocket. Stuff you just can’t imagine comes out on the page to terrify you, or just plain scare the crap out of you.
He just might be one of the best writers you’ve never heard of. So make your acquaintance. Pronto. On Amazon.
Ray Zacek
Zacek is good. Plain and simple. Whether it’s biting satire, or terrifying horror, or spooky macabre — Zacek delivers.
His imagination will take you to places you may not in the end want to go. But you know you have to. This guy is one of the best.
Get his books on Amazon.
Garrett Dennis
Dennis’s Storm Ketchum is a truly enjoyable character. Sad to say, though, it looks like the Storm Ketchum series is complete. I hope not. Because Storm is the amateur sleuth par excellence and the supporting cast of characters is amazing.
The stories are as laid back as is Outer Banks island life, which is where the stories take place. Yet, don’t be fooled. Because when excitement is called for, Dennis delivers and you’ll find yourself on the edge of your chair.
I truly hope Mr. Dennis writes more stories of Storm and the Outer Banks. I’m standing in line waiting. On Amazon.
Terry Newman
I love Terry Newman’s Nicely Strongoak — dwarf PI. The mysteries are fun, intriguing, and suspense-filled whodunits. All set in a fantasy world that is not a whole lot different from our own. Great reading you don’t want to miss.
On Amazon.
Jack Tyler
I think Tyler can write anything. He’s that versatile. Steampunk. Epic fantasy. Occult detective. Humor. Police procedurals. Horror. It’s all there and it’s all good.
Whatever’s next on his list to publish, I’m there to buy it.
Tyler is one of the best writers you probably never heard of. And now you have. Go forth and support this guy.
On Amazon.
On Kindle Vella.
There’s my baker’s dozen of writers whose work I will buy sight unseen and will even wait in line to get.
Check them out. You won’t be sorry.
Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!
CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes
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Thanks for the shout, CW! As always, it’s greatly appreciated. Acknowledgement from a fellow writer is good in itself, but golden when coming from one such as yourself. Cheers!
I’m caught up with so many different projects these days it’s hard to say when anything new will get released. I am, however, editing some old shorts which I’ll release as a collection once I’m finished. Coming… well, eventually!
Cheers again!
Ah, wonderful! Always good to hear something is going to drop from your pen. Count me standing in line. 🙂
Life does at times get in the way of living. Hopefully, good things will come from the busyness.
And you’re welcome. Always pleased to give you a shout.
Cheers!
Thank you so much, Mr. Hawes! I’m glad you enjoy my books and honored that you chose to mention me here. I know it’s been a long time, but FYI I’m working on a new novel in the series. It will be titled THE GIRL IN THE PORTHOLE. I suppose a major house move and Covid were partly to blame for the delay (we can blame almost anything on Covid, right?), but another reason was me dabbling in horror sci-fi for a while under another pen name. I’m still doing that, but the Outer Banks drought will soon be over!
I am so glad to hear that the Outer Banks will be coming into my home once again. Storm and crew are simply fabulous. And I love the descriptions of the islands and life there. Thanks for the update!
OMG, what a wonderful thing to say! I’m grateful right down to my toes. Now, to set about living up to it…
Nothing to live up to. You are already there. Love your books and just wanted to give you a well-deserved shout.
Nonetheless… What it will take is another project that will sweep me off my feet and drag me along faster than I can type. I may never find it, but I’ll never stop looking!