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I'm not saying this discussion about emulating "so and so" is wrong, but it's not quite that clean cut in reality.
Some excellent advice that is given to writers is to read a lot and to read widely, and also that they must be familiar with genre they plan to write in. Such advice is not there specifically to tell writers to emulate successful authors, but it is intended that writers should learn what works and what doesn't, particularly in their genre. One consequence is that some things will rub off, intentionally or not, and a writer will be influenced by those they have read. It's not really something you can avoid, though you can alleviate the problem by placing emphasis on "read widely".
Of course a writer is supposed to know the rules, but the rules for fiction are not quite the same as the formal rules you find elsewhere. They're close, but stick to strictly formal prose and your work will be lost before you start. You learn that you can get away with more stuff in dialogue than you can in direct narrative. But then you also discover that certain situations require a more direct character point of view in the narrative. And so the rules start to get hazy.
There is only one solution: write. Write lots and eventually you will start to learn what works for you and what doesn't.
Recently, in another thread, I mentioned my failed attempt to emulate Neil Gaiman's fairytale voice from Stardust. I almost got it for a couple of thousand words, but I couldn't keep it up. As ApK mentioned, recognising failure is the trick. In this case it was obvious, but other situations it becomes try it and see what the readers think.
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