Young Authors

I have been wanting to write a book for a long time; I finished the first draft of my current manuscript earlier this week.  I actually did write a full draft six or seven years ago, but trashed it because it was poorly-planned and inconsistent and not really the book I wanted to write.  I think that, as I've matured, as I've read more in my chosen genre, I've become a better writer.  (Please, don't use this blog as a standard.  These posts are turned out pretty quickly and are designed to spur thought and discussion, expose you to books you may not have heard of before, chronicle my journey as I write, and point you to some resources -- humorous and serious -- that may help you also become a better writer.)

At any rate, I'm starting to see a lot of "about the author" sections where the writers were born in the 1970s.  This seems young to me, probably because I was born in 1977.  I will be absolutely weirded out when we elect our first US president born in the 1970s (though technically people from my generation are now eligible to run!).  Tom Lloyd is two years younger than I am.  Sam Sykes is, according to his website, a full eight years younger than I am.  Alaya Dawn Johnson graduated from college four years after I did which means she probably wasn't even born in the 1970s but instead, the 1980s.  Eek.  Joe Abercrombie is only three years older than I am.  Brandon Sanderson is only about two years older than I am.  China Mieville was also born in the 1970s.  (These are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.  I had to look every single one of them up; I don't regularly keep track of authors on their websites.  Bonus to Alaya Dawn Johnson for putting up a very nice, professional photo of herself.  Whereas I avoid being photographed at all costs.)

Then there's the whole Christopher Paolini thing.  I will admit to not even being tempted by Eragon or any of the others.  I did see the movie, and thought it was, well, not very good.  (Though if he was born in 1983, he's actually older than Sam Sykes, assuming Sykes updates the "about the author" section of his website with the correct age.  But Paolini started publishing as a teenager.)  I'm not saying that no teenager can write a book (hell, Paolini has four books published now, I think), but I think as we gain life experience, we become more widely read, and we mature, our writing becomes better, more sophisticated.

Do any of you particularly like young authors?  Are there any I have missed (mid- to late-1970s birth is my arbitrary definition of young)?