Fiction Fridays: My Favorite Authors

The first few weeks of January, I am dedicating to doing "inventory" about not only my writing accomplishments and goals but also resources. And as any writer knows, being a voracious reader is essential to becoming a better writer and continuing our self-education. So, I wanted to take this post to praise some of my favorite authors and what they have helped teach me, either through their writing itself or writing advice.
This is in no way covers every writer I love, but this is a great start. I will continue to add to this list, and I hope it gives you a little more insight into me :)
Marisa de los Santos: Beautiful, poetic writing really tugs on the emotional heartstrings, and it's okay for some elements of the plot to be predictable if you throw in other twists.
Markus Zusak: Make your narrator interesting and unique; using bolds, spacing, italics and other formatting 'quirks' can help make your story pop; historical fiction can be very cool and give us more insight into history than textbooks.
Claire Cook: Shared her technique for staying focused on one big project at a time--Start an idea box. Write down an idea and forget it until your current project is finished; have your main characters do cool jobs that you could see yourself doing or at least have a genuine interest in so the passion and enthusiasm for the work is genuine.
Emily Giffin: Use bits of stories that you hear(celebrity gossip, news, real-life stories) and write a novel that fills in the blanks.
Lauren Wiseberger: Coming-of-age isn't just for YA, and identity is always a powerful theme.
Jeannette Walls: Show the good, bad, and ugly because that's how real life is.
Amy Chua: Hold firm to your beliefs and don't worry about being controversial (actually, it's worth striving to be controversial!)
Suzanne Collins: Pace, pace, pace. I read all three of her books in one weekend.
Elin Hilderbrand: Excellent use of multiple narrators/pov., plus heart-wrenching plot elements.
Nora Ephron: Love stories are timeless; use self-deprecating humor.
Ken Kesey: Interesting narrator is crucial.
Jack Kerouac: Use your writing as a vehicle to voice your opinions and point out injustices (same for Kesey too).
Mark Twain: Be witty. Be bold.
Richard Gravenese (screenwriter/director): Get people invested in the story by having the unspoken question looming: "What would you do?" (And make'em cry if possible *smile*).
Jason Katims (tv writers): Incorporate as much of the human experience as possible (ups, downs, family, career, friendship, love, money, pregnancy, parenthood, etc. etc.).
Who are some of your favorites? Any recommendations for me?