My favorite novelists include:
Christopher Fowler
Stephen King
Anne Rice
Roddy Doyle
Stephen Laws
I like lots of others, but these are my favorite modern writers at the moment. Yes, most of it is horror!
Personally I find good characterisation one of the most important factors to my enjoyment of a book. Stephen King is particularly good at creating 'real' characters that you can empathise with. I'm glad that in England he is now gaining some respect as a 'serious' writer - he was always viewed as pulp fiction before because of his subject matter which just shows how narrow minded some reviewers are.
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Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.
Epona of The Laughing Hyenas and The Ladies Guild.