Who is your favorite author and why?

I missed yesterday’s prompt and hoped to get back on track with this question, but I’m afraid this will be too hard to narrow down to one answer.

Therefore, a list:

• Harper Lee — I decided to start with Lee because she’s from my home state and To Kill A Mockingbird is just a good, well-written story. It deserves a spot among American classics.
• Rick Bragg — I like Bragg’s style and the fact he wrote for newspapers. He’s also from Alabama.
• Robert McCammon — Probably the final Alabama author on this list (because I haven’t read all of Forrest Gump), McCammon’s Boy’s Life kept me on the edge of my driver’s seat from early in the Audible narration.
• Markus Zusak — Finally, someone from outside the Yellowhammer State. I have read one of Zusak’s book’s so far, and if you can read only one read The Book Thief.
• Stephen King — King is a prolific author. His book On Writing is a must if you like words and crafting them into something meaningful. I listened to 11-22-63 recently, the first of King’s novels I’ve attempted to read since I don’t dip into horror much. It was a joyous jaunt through time.
• Alex Kershaw — A Brit who’s devoted his life to record the stories of America’s greatest generation, Kershaw’s books have been a wealth of World War II knowledge for me.

This is not an exhaustive list of my favorite authors or stories, but it’s a good place to start.