On occasion, an author is asked who influenced them, whose storytelling had an impact, what authors they admired. Alistair McLean and Ludlum, sure, yes. But I never would have written my In Service series if it hadn't been for @meganwhalenturner telling me stories when we were adolescents. We told stories to each other, and hers were always so much better. I was always in awe of her, of the tales she could conjur out of mid-air, of the amazingly torturous things she would do to her heroes. She beat the living crap out her heroes (which was something I found thrilling) and they, in true heroic form, still came out on top, even if she cut off one of their hands.
I have to confess that the reason Major Kitt loses a few fingers along the way in my series about the Irish butler and the spy who loves her, is because of Megan. But the mushy romantic side of things, the kissing bits in my books, that's all me. I always wanted kissing bits. Megan beat up the hero I wanted to kiss.
I still think whenever Megan writes a new book she has written it for me.