Let's face it, we all want to become one of those authors, the kind readers buy simply because that name is on the cover.  Readers buy their favorite author's works because they know what they're going to get--the author's signature style. And while it may take several books to develop a signature style, it seems to me that a writer should start thinking about it with that very first book. 

Chose a setting:

When writers meet, the first question asked is almost always, “what do you write?” And the answer is usually something simple, “I write historicals/romantic comedy/suspense/erotica/inspirationals.” It's an incomplete answer. Think about it. Think about your favorite authors. Take Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series as an example: Janet Evanovich writes romantic comedy with elements of suspense and adventure set in blue-collar New Jersey.

Think again about what you really write. Me, I write historical with a strong element of adventure and a dash of humor, set in England and France during the early years of the French Revolution. I'm not an Anglophile, or a Francophile, I just happen to be fascinated by periods of time when people's lives are thrown into turmoil and almost anything can happen. Revolutionary and reform movements are what I studied in college and graduate school. My interest in them is a large part of the reason I pursued a career in political/military analysis for the US government.  

I believe writers should keep one eye on the market and the other on their own strengths. Think about how you can translate your experiences into a setting that feels comfortable to you and that will sustain your interest over not just one, but several books.

Know Your Themes:

Stephanie Plum, for those unfamiliar with the character, is a low-level lingerie executive turned bounty hunter out of desperation. She has limited training, even more limited skills, and bad karma when it comes to cars. But she's smart, funny, and determined. She doesn't want to live at home; she doesn't want to settle for the wrong man, no matter how sexy he might be…

My heroines are women whose lives have been turned upside down and who've had to start over. They're confused, uncertain, frustrated, and underneath it all, more than a little angry.  In case you're wondering, they're a bit like me.  I gave up a career at the CIA, to move to the suburbs of Connecticut. Instead of doing fast turn around analysis for senior US policymakers, I am surrounded by wrestling boys, an enormous dog with muddy feet, cats who pick the furniture, a husband who stops by to repack his suitcase before leaving for another airport, and parents who like to drop in unannounced… (Mom, if you read this, yes, I do love you.)  Mine your life.  Use elements of the people, places and things in your life that make you happy, or scared, or just plain crazy in your stories.  Consider them your personal themes.

Create a community of characters:

If' you've read a Stephanie Plum novel, you know that Stephanie has an eccentric family and an even more eccentric set of co-workers. Her family, the bounty office, the police station where she brings her captures, these are her communities.  They are the communities from which Janet Evanovich has drawn the characters for more than eight novels.  

Sketch lives for your sub characters. They don't have to be detailed, just intriguing, like a hint of lace. My heroes and heroines have annoying siblings, interesting friends, eccentric servants and pets, and flamboyant mothers-in-law. My villains feel they are unfairly downtrodden. Seeding your writing with a community of characters not only gives your stories depth, but it encourages you—and your editor—to think about follow on work.