What genre of books do you read most? Or do you read many different ones? If you’re a writer - what made you decide on a specific genre (or more if you write in multiple ones)?

I tend to be a bit narrow when it comes to my taste in books. While I will read practically anything - I do read mainly historical romance (more often than not Regency-set). When I was a teenager I read mainly fantasy and horror - Tolkien, Eddings, Brooks, King, Koontz etc. I still pick up the occassional King/Koontz book as well as of course a variety of other books. Suspense, Historical… you name it. (Though admittedly I could be a bit better with picking up my course literature for my school work! - and no I’m not a child, I decided to go back and get my degree. Better late than never, right? )

But while I enjoy other books, there is something in the romance genre as a whole that interests me - the characters. In well-written books I find that the characters play such a large part, and characters is what I love. Whatever I am doing - reading a book, watching a movie or a tv-series… I tend to care more about the characters than the plot. If the plot is weak I can handle it if the characters are good - but not vice versa. But then - I’m a character person.

While characters in other genres are by no means bad, I can only think of few other places where we delve so deep into the minds of our protanonists. It’s quite simply heaven for a character-addict like myself.

So when I first started writing - well, first obviously I was a child and wrote children’s stories like the Brothers Banana and their Sister Apple *cough* *cough* and as a teenager I wrote fantasy. But as a teenager I noticed my stories always had people falling in love, and rather than focusing on the battle between good and evil (if one wishes to simplify the fantasy-genre, that’s the main point) I focused on the characters - and eventually the ones falling in love.

So when some years ago now I fell completely into the romance genre (I’d stumbled upon it at times - picking up a book here and there - but it was around 2001 when I got completely lost in it) I realised that this was the place for me. This is what I should be writing. I didn’t need to concentrate on the dragons and the battle against good and evil, I could concentrate on what I loved the most; the characters. I shortly thereafter fell in love with the Regency-setting and now I have trouble leaving it. I’m not even sure I want to. I write historical romance - set in regency. I am toying with an idea for a paranormal, but knowing myself - it will be set during the regency (with possible extensions into the Georgian era and forward to the Victorian).

So, what about everyone else? What do you read and what about it is it that interests you? What fulfills your needs and wants of what a book should bring you? Or as an author; what do you write and why?