Even though he gets a lot of ::rolls:, I definitely admire Nicholas Sparks as an author because although he writes romance novels, the characters' lives are multi-faceted. Unfortunately, most of the time this doesn't come across as well in the film adaptations.
For example, in
Dear John, the bulk of the book has almost nothing to do with the romantic relationship. It's mostly about the main character's experience in the military and his awkward relationship with his father.
I absolutely adore Francesca Lia Block's use of vivid, rich imagery, and she's the author that really inspired me to start writing.
And I'm a fan of B.J. Novak's tongue-in-cheek wit