I believe I shall talk about Douglas Adams again, because I was too shocked and dismayed when I found out he was dead to say what I really needed to say.

Adams and his books were important to me because his work was among the stuff I really devoured when I was in middle school and just forming whatever writing abilities I have now. So what I'm trying to say is that his writing had a pretty profound effect on my style, and I think that's probably most evident in Clarity. He was, like Jaimie-J said, one of my literary heros and someone that I would have loved to meet, and it's just really depressing that not only will I never meet him, but he'll never write anything again.