Our TTT prompt this week is a good one, and unique to boot. I don't think I've ever done a list on this topic: Top 10 Authors You Wish Were Still Writing Today. (Thanks to Rebecca over at Top 100 Books for suggesting it and, as always, to Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl for hosting TTT.) As much as I like this topic, I'm having a hard time coming up with ten authors. We'll see if I make it or not! 

1. Maeve Binchy—This Irish author is the first one who came to mind for this topic. I've read and loved all of her warm, engaging novels. Unfortunately, Binchy passed away in 2012.

2. Joshilyn Jackson—Don't worry, Jackson isn't dead! She's just turned her writing focus to domestic thrillers instead of the Southern women's fiction for which she used to be known. Although I do enjoy mystery/thrillers, hers just don't entice and enchant me the way her older books do. I hope someday she'll go back to the genre in which she truly shines. 

3. Mary Higgins Clark—Since this author's mystery novels were tame enough for teens, my dad got me started on MHC back when I was in junior high. I spent many a night reading way past my bedtime to finish one of her books. She continued writing up until her death in 2020 at 92 years old. Even though her newer books never enthralled me the way her older ones did, the "Queen of Suspense" will always reign as one of my favorite authors. 

4. Elizabeth C. Bunce—I'm a huge fan of Bunce's Myrtle Hardcastle historical mystery series for kids. It's tons of fun. It's been three years since the last installment was published and, while that doesn't actually sound like that long now that I'm typing it out, I'm still hankering for a new Myrtle mystery. It looks like Bunce may have turned to pursuits other than writing, but a reader can dream...

5. C.J. Omololu—This YA author died of cancer in 2015 at 49 years old. I enjoyed her novels, and wish she would have had time to write more of them. 

6. Agatha Christie—I have a feeling the Queen of Crime is going to be a popular choice today! Truth be told, I've only read a handful of her novels, but I think it would be really interesting to see what she could do with modern mystery themes and tropes.

7. Julia Keller—A Pulitzer Prize-winning author of both fiction and non-fiction, I thought Keller had last published in 2019, when she had two novels come out. After checking her website today, I see that she published a self-help book in 2023, BUT it's still been seven years since a new installment in her Bell Elkins crime series came out. I really enjoyed those books, and would love to see more of them published. It doesn't seem like that will happen, sadly.

8. L.A. Meyer—Meyer started writing his swashbuckling YA series starring the intrepid female pirate "Bloody" Jacky Faber when he was in his 60s. He finished it just before his death at 72 years old in 2014. The series is so fun. I wish he would have had more years to write. It would have been interesting to see what he did after the Blood Jack books.

9. Y.S. Lee—Lee is a multi-talented author who creates in various mediums. I'm currently re-reading her YA historical mystery series starring a teen Chinese-English sleuth in Victorian England. There are only four installments. I wish there were more. I'd also love to see Lee write additional YA novels. Fingers crossed.

10. Lois Duncan—I loved Duncan's mystery/thriller books back in the day. It's been decades since I've read a book by her, but still, there was a time when I could not get enough of her engrossing novels. She passed away in 2016 at 82 years old.

Hey, hey, hey! Look at that, I made it to ten. Have you read any of these authors? Which writers do you wish were still working today, or at least writing what you want them to write? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post, and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!