I have been told my numerous people to avoid these authors like the plague. What are your thoughts?
I have more experience with Doreen Virtue.
Now, I hate using the term 'fluffy bunny' to describe anyone, but I think I'll make an exception here.
She is, without a doubt, one of the most fluffy new age white light everything is sparkles and rainbows and unicorns author out there. I have her "Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards" (DON'T ask!) and she flat out says: "There are no frightening cards in this deck" (pg. 7 of the guidebook). She even "whitewashes" Kali, KALI! Someone once asked her if she was ever going to do a tarot deck (as opposed to one 44 card oracle deck every year) and she basically replied that a lot of people she's talked to found that tarot cards were too "scary" for them.
Usually I don't say things like this, but there's a good reason people are telling you to avoid her. The focus on goddesses is just another "flavour of the month" thing to her. She definitely isn't the person to get good quality information on Paganism from, IMHO.