Here are 7 Author Shoutouts for this week. Find your favorite author or discover an author whose work you haven’t read yet.
Support Independent Bookstores.
You can find the books relating to our Author Shoutouts at our bookshop, on our list of LitStack Author Shoutouts.
In This Week’s Author Shoutouts:
Douglas Adams
An Author Shoutout to Douglas Adams, born in Cambridge, England, who was known for his various jobs such as hospital porter, barn builder, chicken shed cleaner, and bodyguard. In addition to his odd jobs, he was also a writer. One evening, while intoxicated in a field in Innsbruck, Austria, looking at the stars and holding a copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Europe, he conceived the idea for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which he later wrote.
His Guide, which eventually expanded into a trilogy in five volumes, originated as a radio show, progressed into a TV series, a significant movie, and ultimately earned its place as one of the most revered cult classics of all time. Adams passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack in 2001, at just 49 years old.
Jack Kerouac
An Author Shoutout to Jack Kerouac, a prominent figure of the Beat Generation, born in Lowell, Massachusetts. Raised by French Canadian parents, he only spoke French until the age of six and gained proficiency in English during his teenage years. It is said that he started writing On the Road in French.
His famous book On the Road, depicting his journey through America and Mexico and the impactful relationships he encountered, was written in three weeks with a revised version finished in just 20 days. However, its unconventional writing style and explicit subject matter caused a delay of six years before it was finally published.
Kerouac passed away at 47 due to cirrhosis-related internal bleeding from prolonged alcohol abuse.
Ridley Pearson
An Author Shoutout to Ridley Pearson, born in Glen Cove, New York, who is an accomplished author with over 50 books to his credit. His repertoire includes suspense novels and adventure books for children. Pearson is particularly renowned for his collaboration with humorist Dave Barry on the Peter and the Starcatchers series, which has received widespread acclaim.
Prompted by his daughter’s curiosity about the origins of Peter Pan and Captain Hook’s relationship, this prequel to the Peter Pan tale inspired a play penned by Rick Elice. Debuting on Broadway in early 2012, the play clinched an impressive 5 Tony awards. Ridley Pearson resides and writes in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tad Williams
An Author Shoutout to Tad Williams, born in San Jose, California, who is an acclaimed author known for his epic fantasy works like the Otherland series, the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series, the Shadowmarch series, and standalone novels such as The War of the Flowers. His writing has not only captivated numerous readers but also inspired authors like Christopher Paolini, Patrick Rothfuss, and George R.R. Martin. As a nod to Williams, Martin referenced him in A Game of Thrones by creating House Willum, whose characters’ names are from Williams’ The Dragonbone Chair.
Williams, in addition to writing many short stories and crafting various storylines for DC Comics, has also worked as a cartographer for the maps featured in his publications. Furthermore, he hosts live readings on Facebook every week.
Ben Okri
An Author Shoutout to Ben Okri, born in Minna, Nigeria, and a member of the Urhobo people from Delta State. Okri moved to London with his parents before returning to Nigeria at the age of nine. His early literary works criticized the government, prompting him to leave the country. After returning to England, he experienced homelessness, which fueled his passion for writing.
At 21 years old, he released his debut novel, Flowers and Shadows, and received the prestigious Man Booker Prize for his book The Famished Road eleven years later. He has a total of 12 novels and 14 poetry collections under his belt.
Alice Hoffman
An Author Shoutout to Alice Hoffman, born in New York City, who is a celebrated author. She began her writing career at 21 and has since penned 31 novels, 12 works for children and young adults, as well as a collection of short stories. The majority of her works belong to the genre of magical realism.
In 1998, a movie adaptation of her famous book Practical Magic featured Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Her novel The Dovekeepers, often hailed as her best work, was adapted into a TV mini-series that aired in 2015. Today, Ms. Hoffman currently lives in Boston.
William Gibson
William Gibson, born in Conway, South Carolina, receives an Author Shoutout. In a short story from 1982, he introduced the term cyberspace and later became a prominent figure in cyberpunk speculative fiction. His debut novel, Neuromancer, won the Nebula, Phillip K. Dick, and Hugo Awards, marking the first time a novel achieved this science fiction triple crown.
The TV series The Peripheral, airing on Amazon Prime in 2022, is inspired by his novel from 2014, adding to his legacy of pop culture influences. He holds both American and Canadian citizenship.
Other LitStack Resources
Please take a look at other Author Shoutouts, a weekly feature on LitStack and be sure and support independent bookstores – buy a book today at LitStack Bookshop, with tons of author shoutout titles on our list of LitStack Author Shoutouts.
As a Bookshop, Malaprop’s, BAM, Barnes & Noble, Audiobooks.com, Amazon, and Envato affiliate, LitStack may earn a commission at no cost to you when you purchase products through our affiliate links.
