Crossword Genius

Excellent, regularly noted author (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

defoe

'author' is the definition.
(Daniel Defoe)

'excellent regularly noted' is the wordplay.
'excellent' becomes 'def' (old-fashioned term for excellent).
'regularly' indicates alternate letters (regularly take one letter, leave next etc.).
The alternating letters of 'noted' are 'oe'.
'def'+'oe'='DEFOE'

(Other definitions for defoe that I've seen before include "Daniel --, English novelist" , "Author of Moll Flanders, d. 1731" , "Robinson Crusoe's creator, d. 1731" , "Daniel . . . . . wrote ''Robinson Crusoe'' (5)" , "Gulliver author" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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