Dark Lord
Dark Lord
My husband and I were talking about Dostoyevsky and Hugo last night. We agreed that their novels are absolute masterpieces...but nothing strokes the fires within our hearts like fantasy (for me) and post-apocalyptic (for him). Literary fiction has its place in the fiction world. Some of the best books I've read have been literary. Except for the Scarlet Letter but that's another discussion entirely. I do find some literary works interesting but I rather read genre fiction for the simple fact that I read to be entertained. Given a choice between a literary classic and a fantasy...guess what I'm choosing. 
Istari
IstariThis is fun...
I LOVE "every person" characters and I hate superman characters.
I'm neutral about talking animals.
I dislike D&D-type settings and characters. If I get the slightest whiff of a "class" or "alignment"...I'm outie. (I did however write a paladin...but "paladin" is a thing from nursery rhymes in my world, and he's both a soldier and a religious fanatic, so...he wants to be a paladin). I promise, it's more interesting than it sounds right now
I also love religious antagonists. I use both organized religion and cultists as antagonists, and of the two, I think the religious leader of the organized religion is the stronger. Of course, those two things are set in different worlds/ novels, so I have time to rewrite the cultists with more flair. HA.
I hate mention of eye and hair colors so much I rarely mention them at all and it makes me sigh whenever I read them in books. And I could group skin colors into that category, too. I purposefully never mention skin colors, other than saying that a shadow fell over someone's face, or that they were hard to see in the darkened alley. Mostly, because I want a reader to be able to picture whatever they like when they read. My characters could be any skin tone, with a huge range of feature colors, because I tend to describe tone and texture, and leave out color unless it's critical to the story (which is rare). I don't find it distracting if it's a brief mention in a story, but if it's outlandish, it's an immediate immersion-breaker for me. And I have a purple-black mohawk right now...
I don't like humanoid races, especially if they feel like hobbits, argonians, or orcs. I do write a few elves, but I think a more true description would be dryads. I write werewolves and dragons, but don't have a ton of other magical creatures. Pixies, which are carrion-eating pests found in only the wildest places, and once, risen corpses (including dragons). I guess that leads into my next thing...
I don't write monsters because most of my stories take place in towns. I like Historical urban stories. Not modern, but somewhere between the Renaissance and Steampunk. Yeah, that's my thing. So...I hate historical inaccuracy with a passion, and so most of the misinformation in "medieval" settings really makes me put books down. I choose to write a later period because I think they offer more of what I'm looking for. More personal independence for the characters, more opportunity to write about concepts and issues that are pertinent today, and I can use all my weird knowledge to deepen my work and character experiences.
Speaking of nerdy knowledge, I also like to read about things I didn't know. Those moments last with me for ever, I guess. I also like to write them into my books. Good fun.
I'm a sucker for love stories, so every book I write has a love story accompanying the adventure. I don't mind reading stories that don't include romance, but it's my preference. However, I expect a sort of realistic progression. If I have to sit through endless pining, and a couple stolen kisses is supposed to satisfy my need for resolution, there had better be an awful lot of deep moments and emotional gratification attached to the relationship. Not that I expect stories to turn erotic...but I do feel like a balance needs to be reached. I also appreciate romance that unfolds slowly and focuses on friend-love in the end, or letting go, or setting a bird free and having it return. I mean, those are all splendid concepts that can be magical and emotional..and there's no sex. But whatever it all ends up as, I need to have that expectation along the way. A turn for the erotic when you're reading what feels like a light-hearted adventure rife with sexual tension...well, it doesn't feel right, I suppose.
I avoid stories about saving the world, and prefer stories about the human condition.
I enjoy both quick reads and books that are beautifully written and complex.
I don't tend to write weapons or fighting, but when I do, I have swords, bows, guns, magic, war horses, randomly grabbed objects...I like it all equally, I suppose. Whatever's right for a scene. And I agree, swords get boring, but that's mostly because most fights I've read were done in books that had D&D themes, and it all felt sort of choreographed and impractical--swinging 20-pound swords around and lopping heads off monsters. In my favorite books, there is little actual fighting, and no one's great with any weapon. In most of the books I write, it's pretty much the same. Some fist fights, a little bit of sword play or the drawing of a pistol...and maybe a werewolf tearing someone up. HA! I much prefer arguing to fighting, anyways. I'm a sword-fighter, so I guess I avoid it a little because I worry I might overdo it if I'm not careful.
Dark Lord
Istari
Dark Lord
Mystagogue