Booking Through Thursday - Flavor

Think about your favorite authors, your favorite books . . . what is it about them that makes you love them above all the other authors you’ve read? The stories? The characters? The way they appear to relish the taste of words on the tongue? The way they’re unafraid to show the nitty-gritty of life? How they sweep you off to a new, distant place? What is it about those books and authors that makes them resonate with you in ways that other, perfectly good books and authors do not?

This is a tough one. I think there are two things that draw me to an author. The first is characters. They have to be believable even when they are doing something completely impossible. I don't mind fantasy, but the characters have to be consistent. The other important thing for me is that the author has to very firmly set the location in my mind. I want to be taken away from wherever it is that I am. Again, the descriptions of the location have to be consistent and provide enough detail for me to believe them. In the last novel I read, The Archivist's Story, the author did a fabulous job of setting the stage for his novel. His writing style matched the surroundings and the entire book came together. Even an action scene from Clive Cussler has to make me see what the characters see (and he does).