Even though I have yet to be published I like to still consider myself a writer first and foremost. Here are a few writer's resource books that I recommend wholeheartedly.

If you find one you like click on the title or the image of the book cover to go to amazon's page to read more about it.

The Writer's Journey
by Christopher Vogler

For anyone wishing to write fiction this book is a must! Based on the work of Joseph Campbell, Vogler gives you an extraordinary means for accomplishing those elements every good story needs. This book also provides you with a basic structure for your plot, the hero's journey. Since first reading this book, my writing has improved greatly and I view the stories of our culture in a whole new light.

The Writer's Digest Handbook of Novel Writing
from the editors of Writer's Digest 

I find that I use this book over and over again. From the beginning idea to the published manuscript, this book covers it all. The articles were taken from the magazine Writer's Digest, another excellent source for writers of both fiction and non-fiction.

How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy
by Orson Scott Card

Though this book focuses more on the genre of Science Fiction than Fantasy in my opinion, I still find it useful in creating new worlds for my stories. I have not come across many books that deal with the topic of Fantasy writing, but this one was pretty good.

Everyday Life in Renaissance England
by Kathy Lynn Emerson

Everyday Life in the Middle Ages
by Sherrilyn Kenyon

From vocabulary to clothing to food to religion, these books give you everything you ever needed to know for creating stories for these two time periods. I use the Middle Ages one frequently for my Viarek novel. There are also other Writer's Guides to other time periods: Everyday Life from Prohibition through World War II, Everday Life in Regency and Victorian England, Everyday Life in Colonial America, Everyday Life in the 1800s.

Get That Novel Written!
by Donna Levin

This book does wonders for getting you past your writer's block. Not only does Levin provide terrific articles on the fundamentals of writing a novel, she also provides some very helpful writing exercises to get your creativity going again. She has also written Get That Novel Started!, but I have not had a chance to read that one yet.

Writing Personal Essays: How to Shape Your Life Experiences for the Page
by Sheila Bender

Though this book is specifically for non-fiction writing, I still find Bender's information valuable for writing in general. The exercises she includes are terrific for keeping up on your writing skills. I use them frequently.

This category is very broad, but I have put together some quick reviews on a few of my favorite books here for you. 

If you find one you like click on the title or the image of the book cover to go to amazon's page to read more about it.

The Wheel of Time Series
by Robert Jordan

When it comes to fantasy books, this series is by far one of the best in my opinion. If you are a follower of the "Hero's Journey" as illustrated in the Writer's Journey by Christopher Volger, you can easily follow the structure in this series. From heroism to magic to betrayal to prophecies, this series captures them all. The characters are believable and lovable, the story is intriguing and inspiring. I have read this series at least four times already! I recommend them to anyone, not just fantasy lovers.

Lonesome Dove
by Larry McMurtry

A wonderful story with charm and wit western style. I loved the characters immediately and the story touched me more than any other novel I have read. McMurtry is a classic storyteller with a narrative that makes you feel right at home. This is the first novel written in a series, though it takes place in the middle of the three.

Dead Man's Walk
by Larry McMurtry

This is the story about the two main characters from Lonesome Dove, Gus and Cal in their younger days as Texas Rangers. It was actually the last one in the series to be written, though it is the prequel to Lonesome Dove. I liked this story the most out of all three. There have only been two novels that I have read and actually cried over the story. This was one of them. I have read this one at least five times.
 

Streets of Laredo
by Larry McMurtry

This one is about Cal and takes place after Lonesome Dove. Out of the three, this is my least favorite, but it is still a great book by itself. McMurtry captures the old west beautifully in all of his stories, but I felt that this book had the most imagery.

Wizard's First Rule
by Terry Goodkind

If you like fantasy this book is a terrific story dealing with magic and heroes. I fell in love with the main characters Richard and Kahlan at once, and I was engrossed by their story of love and magic. This is the first of five in a series, but this is my favorite of them all.
 

Wind from a Foreign Sky
by Katya Reimann

Book one of the Tielmaran Chronicles, though I have only read this one of the series. I really enjoyed this story. I identified with the main character, Gaultry immediately and I especially liked the author's use of magic - very unique. I have read this book once, but I would like to read it again as well as read the others in the series.

The Princess Bride
by William Goldman

You may have seen the movie version of this story, and that was a great movie, but nothing when compared to the novel. Goldman's own narrative throughout the story actually had me laughing out loud in public places. It's a great read and a fairly short book in my opinion.
 

Still Life With Woodpecker
by Tom Robbins

This book is a real kick. I love Tom Robbins' humor. The story is a modern fairy tale so to speak about a spoiled princess and a mad bomber, and their extraordinary love story. He explains many things in it, like why red heads are so strange, the difference between an outlaw and a criminal, and how the moon effects humans, to name a few. I have read his other books too, but I absolutely love this one.

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
by Douglas Adams

Even if you are not a fan of science fiction, this book and the others in the series are a great read! Douglas Adams captures the comedy of being human splendidly. I think his dry humor and extraordinary use of aliens make this a classic novel.

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax
by Dorothy Gilman

If you like mysteries and adventures, the Mrs. Pollifax books are a lot of fun. Mrs. Pollifax is an unusual secret agent, hired by the CIA by mistake, but turns out to be an extraordinary spy. She reminds me of my grandmother, witty and brave at the same time. I have read a few others of the Mrs. Pollifax books as well and enjoyed them greatly.

Texasville
by Larry McMurtry

Yet another McMurtry book. In case you haven't noticed, he is one of my favorite authors. This one is very different from his Lonseome Dove series though. It is the story of a small town in Texas set in the 1980s. It is actually the sequel to The Last Picture Show, which I have read too. His characters are so believable I feel that I have met them in real life. Most of McMurtry's books have been made into movies and TV Mini-Series. He is also the author of: Anything For Billy, Terms of Endearment, and The Evening Star among many others.

The Dragon King Trilogy
by Stephen R. Lawhead

A wonderful series of Christian fantasy. Lawhead's use of Christianity is subtle, yet prominent enough to be noticed by those seeking it. I enjoyed this series greatly. The first book, In The Hall Of The Dragon King was my favorite of the three. I have yet to read his other books, though I want to.