Stephen King, all the way always loved his books ever since I picked up Carrie at the library, and now I own almost all of them. He's got an incredible imagination and years of experience - I really like how his writing has evolved and changed over time. I like how he could easily retire, but he's still writing because he obviously enjoys it.
I think J.K. Rowling deserves to be on the list as well, Harry Potter is beyond famous now.
Yes I'm aware of the fact that most of you don't know who that is, maybe the gamers here know a game baised on his novels titled "The Witcher". The guy actually opened me up to books with his Witcher saga and his Hussite trilogy also is a great read. I read most of his books several times : )