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Here are 7 Author Shoutouts for this week. Find your favorite author or discover an author whose work you’ve not yet read.
In This Week’s Author Shoutouts
Khaled Hosseini
An Author Shoutout to Khaled Hosseini, who was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and lived there until age 11. He moved to America with his family after living in France for four years when they received political asylum. Hosseini, initially a physician, transitioned to writing full time after his first novel, The Kite Runner, received critical acclaim. His subsequent novels, A Thousand Splendid Suns and And the Mountains Echoed, both set in Afghanistan, were also best sellers.
His book, Sea Prayer, started as a VR experience inspired by Syrian refugees and later became a published illustrated book in 2018. He currently lives in California.
Leslie Marmon Silko
An Author Shoutout to Leslie Marmon Silko, an author born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Known for three novels, seven collections of short stories and poetry, and six other smaller works, she is a prominent figure in the Native American Renaissance. Silko’s debut novel, Ceremony, released in 1977, received critical acclaim and draws inspiration from her Laguna heritage.
She won the MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant in 1981, the Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994, and the Robert Kirsch Award in 2020, and she resides and works in Tucson, Arizona.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, born in Kelloe, Durham, England, receives an Author Shoutout. Considered one of the leading poets of the Victorian era, she gained immense popularity during her lifetime. The legendary tale of her courtship and marriage to fellow poet Robert Browning remains well-known.
Her intelligence and moral stance, openly advocating against slavery, child labor, and the mistreatment of Italian citizens by foreign powers, earned her admiration from notable figures like Edgar Allan Poe (to whom he dedicated The Raven and other poems) and Emily Dickinson. Despite battling illness, she passed away in 1861 at the age of 55, solidifying her legacy in literary history.
Brent Weeks
An Author Shoutout to fantasy author Brent Weeks, who was born in the wilds of Montana. He wrote The Night Angel Trilogy, released in rapid succession between October and December of 2008, a departure from the trend of prolonged epic trilogies. He later embarked on The Lightbringer Series, initially planned as a trilogy but expanding to five volumes.
In 2023, he revisited the popular Night Angel trilogy universe with Night Angel Nemesis, which is the first book in the Kylar Chronicles. He currently resides in Oregon, where he neither has pet cats nor sports a ponytail.
Eden Butler
An Author Shoutout to contemporary romance writer Eden Butler! She has authored 50+ books, including the Serenity, Thin Love, Shadow, God of Rock, and Protocol series, as well as works like Crimson Cove, I’ve Seen You Naked and Didn’t Laugh: A Geeky Love Story, and the time-crossing Infinite Us. Eden, a descendant of an English pirate, might just get her penchant for rule-breaking and rum from her lineage.
When not writing, Eden spends excessive hours watching rugby, Doctor Who, and New Orleans Saints football, edits, reads, among so many other activities.
Mickey Spillane
An Author Shoutout to crime writer Mickey Spillane, known as the king of pulp fiction, who was born in Brooklyn, New York. Despite starting to write in high school, his first novel was not published until 1947. Before venturing into writing, he worked various odd jobs like lifeguard, department store salesman, and trampoline artist for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. In 1940, he began writing for comics, creating stories for characters like Captain Marvel, Superman, Batman, and Captain America.
His crime fiction led to the sale of more than 225 million books, with his tough character Mike Hammer becoming an enduring symbol of American detective literature.
Johanna Lindsey
An Author Shoutout to historical romance novelist Johanna Lindsey, also known as the Queen of the Bodice Buster, who was born in Germany while her father served in the US Army. After a nomadic life, her family settled in Hawaii following her father’s passing in 1964. Lindsey’s writing career began in 1977, almost impulsively, leading to a successful journey with nearly 60 novels and over 60 million books sold, all of which made it to the New York Times bestseller list.
Her novels, featuring bold feminist protagonists who lived without fear, fought with zeal, and loved wholeheartedly, were instrumental in shaping the romance genre. In 2019, at 67 years old, she passed away due to lung cancer.
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