Consult voracious readers for perspective

The saying goes, "You don't know someone until you walk a mile in their shoes." What if, "You don't know a person until you've looked at ten novels they have read?" Next time, at the book store look for the person carrying around more than one novel before they checkout. Ask them without being creepy, is that their favorite author and why. They will probably say they love the character or the style of the writing. Thank them without getting arrested and go pull one of those books off of the shelf. What makes the book character or author endearing? Imagine asking your readers what makes or could make the character of your book endearing. Know your character. They may just talk back. Write On!