C - Authors from A to Z Challenge

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by 

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  For more info, click the photo!

How I'm participating in the challenge:

I am trying to highlight at least three authors (YA or otherwise) per letter, some current favorites, others future favorites. If I cannot come up with three, I will substitute favorite books that start with the letter of that day. If that doesn't work, then just for fun I am going to list songs that start with the letter of that day. And if that doesn't work, well, it will be a surprise!

Today's Letter: C

Ally Carter

This amazing lady and author is one I can definitely credit for my return to YA.  I had the ever-so-fortunate experience of purchasing her first Gallagher Girls book, I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You just to see if it was any good.  And it was!!!  The concept was awesome - boarding school for spies - and it was so much fun!  And then I got my hands on the next book, and the next book, and the next book, and by golly, they just keep getting better!  Not only that, but the characters and the story grow with each new installment, which keeps me intrigued, and there is always lots of covert fun to be had. Also, and this might not matter to a lot of people, but I enjoy clean reads and Carter is able to deliver that while not sparing the romance (she is great at romantic tension, which is my favorite kind of tension).  She has another series that began with Heist Society and will be followed by the soon the to be released Uncommon Criminals, and I'm excited to read those too.  And on top of all this awesome, she has lots on her website to help aspiring authors and shed light on the publishing industry.  She is also a lot of fun to follow on Twitter (@OfficiallyAlly).  I promise I don't stalk her.  Not much, anyway.  ^_^

Meg Cabot

This is another author I didn't realized I loved until I thought back to exactly how many of her books I had read and enjoyed.  Meg Cabot is spectacular at creating fun MC's, zany situations, and lots of teen drama.  My first foray into Cabot's work was with the Princess Diaries, which I did enjoy, mostly.  That's the thing about her books - they are so fun that even if they aren't a perfect fit for me as a reader, I still enjoy them.  It was that way with me for Insatiable and Pants on Fire, and most of the PD series.  The ones I really, really liked were Shadowland, the first in the Mediator Series (haven't been able to get a hold of the rest yet) and the Airhead series.  Seriously, Airhead blew me away with the concept and I just fell head over high-priced heels for it.  I believe I'm moving on to Cabot's Avalon High next, and I'm ready for more fun!

Mary Higgins Clark

This amazing and thoroughly published author is really the first author who, when I saw her name on a book cover, I immediately picked it up and had to start reading.  I love mysteries, and MHC gave them to me.  I liked that the books were fairly clean, had lots of mystery, and they generally featured a strong or successful woman as the lead.  Some people shy away from commercial lit that seems formulaic, but I never caught myself thinking that one plot line was just like one of her others but with different details.  That may have been the case (I wasn't a critical reader back then) but her books still made an impression on me, especially those that had a possible supernatural or psychological twist.  If I had to grab a bag of books to read on the beach, I would definitely pack my MHC collection.  My favorites, to name a few, are All Around the Town, Remember Me, Stillwatch, Moonlight Becomes Her, and Loves Music, Loves to Dance.