I’m not going to go in-depth as to why these guys have influenced me since in many ways, it would be hard to nail it down. These are authors that have been favorites of mine and are ones that when I read them, I consciously go “Wow, look how they did that! I want to be able to do that!” I certainly read and enjoy other authors besides just these guys but these are the ones that I’d list as inspirations (in no order other than what popped in my head). Some of them have styles that are very different from my own but I still feel like I’ve taken something from them along the way.
Paul Ernst
Robert E. Howard
Walter Gibson
Stephen King (“old” King anyway — ’70s & ’80s)
Michael Moorcock (Elric specifically)
Rob MacGregor (his Indiana Jones work)
Andy McDermott
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Frank Herbert (his Dune series)
Timothy Zahn
Chris Claremont
Clive Cussler
Marv Wolfman
Geoff Johns
Jim Shooter
Wayne Reinagel
Arthur Conan Doyle
Derrick Ferguson
It’s a great compliment and honor to be included among such incredibly great writers on your list! Especially when so many of them have influenced me as well! Somewhere around here I’ve got a list of my influences. I’ll see if I can find it and put up a link here.
http://dlferguson-bloodandink.blogspot.com/2012/09/35-writers-who-have-influenced-me-most.html