I've been reading Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Both great writers, and I love reading Gaiman especially not just for the story but to learn from him as a writer. Gaiman, to me, is a perfect example of what urban fantasy ought to be; I'm always surprised by the way he blends reality and magic into something completely new. 


And really you shouldn't try to learn writing techniques on the first read through a book, but I've caught myself paying a lot of attention to the way characters are introduced in this story. I've noticed this with Gaiman before--he has a knack for bringing in small characters. Characters that are only going to be around for a scene or two. He's great at making them unique and interesting without making them too important. This is something I struggle with as a writer; I think I'm afraid of new characters running away with the story, so I avoid giving details or unique characteristics to characters if I'm not planning a big part for them. My secondary characters tend to fall flat. His are brilliantly alive--but never so much that they steal the show. I need to figure out how to do that. 


Any Gaiman fans out there? Any idea how he does it?