I feel awfully gauche barging in and posting a response to this so late, but I came across it and feel contractually obligated as a card-carrying "character-focused fantasy" fangirl to toss out a few names.
1. I'm guessing, since she's written some SGA tie-ins, that you may be familiar with Martha Wells? If not, she's an absolute must. Start with "Death of the Necromancer" and continue into the "Fall of Ile-Rien" trilogy, or try out "The Element of Fire" for free (http://www.marthawells.com/eof1-8.htm).
2. Carol Berg- I first read her and Martha Wells around the same time, and the two of them are my goddesses of awesome characters. :) Her first trilogy, the Rai-Kirah books, starts with "Transformation" and is a MASSIVE must-read for folks who enjoy friendship stories. In a nutshell: "A mistreated slave and the arrogant prince who owns him must put aside their differences to save the prince from the evil forces out to control him and take over the world." (Only better. :) )
3. Elizabeth Wein - These are a bit YA-ish in length, but filled with lovely, nuanced character interactions that make me squee all over. The first book, "The Winter Prince", is a variation on the Arthur/Mordred story. The sequels carry the story off to Africa... though a lot of emotional baggage from Camelot comes along for the ride.
Have you read Jacqueline Carey? I've only read the first Kushiel book so far, but it surprised me with how good it was, so that might be a contender, too.
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1. I'm guessing, since she's written some SGA tie-ins, that you may be familiar with Martha Wells? If not, she's an absolute must. Start with "Death of the Necromancer" and continue into the "Fall of Ile-Rien" trilogy, or try out "The Element of Fire" for free (http://www.marthawells.com/eof1-8.htm).
2. Carol Berg- I first read her and Martha Wells around the same time, and the two of them are my goddesses of awesome characters. :) Her first trilogy, the Rai-Kirah books, starts with "Transformation" and is a MASSIVE must-read for folks who enjoy friendship stories. In a nutshell: "A mistreated slave and the arrogant prince who owns him must put aside their differences to save the prince from the evil forces out to control him and take over the world." (Only better. :) )
3. Elizabeth Wein - These are a bit YA-ish in length, but filled with lovely, nuanced character interactions that make me squee all over. The first book, "The Winter Prince", is a variation on the Arthur/Mordred story. The sequels carry the story off to Africa... though a lot of emotional baggage from Camelot comes along for the ride.
Have you read Jacqueline Carey? I've only read the first Kushiel book so far, but it surprised me with how good it was, so that might be a contender, too.