Diana Gabaldon 

This woman can write like no other! I highly highly highly highly HIGHLY encourage you to read her books.
There's really not a single genre they fall into.  A lot historical fiction, a little bit sci-fi (there is a time traveller or two in them), a little war story (Both the Jacobite Rising of 1745 and the American Revolution) a love story, raping, pillaging, farming, family... You name it these books have it! The first book is Outlander.  Find it! You'll be happy you did!

At any rate.  Over the last few years we have managed to see this woman in person on several different occasions.  Three times here in Seattle and once we had dinner with her in Scottsdale.  My mom won a trip to Arizona for the weekend and dinner with Diana.  On her birthday (Mom's not Diana's) it was very cool.

Here are pictures of that occasion along with some of Trisha and her family. Handy that we got to see them while we were there too!!

On two different occasions we got to see Diana at Third Place Books in Seattle.
This year I got to meet up with one of my friends  from the Yahoo Group "Outlandish Voices"  . We had a very nice evening getting our NEW book Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade signed and here are some pictures from that night.