I have authors that I really like.
Anne Perry--I'll read just about anything by her.
Robin Paige(pseudonym for husband and wife writing team Susan Wittig Albert and Bill Albert)-- I love their series.
Haywood Smith--A dear, dear friend and wonderful writer who started out writing these incredibly detailed historicals and has recently launched into mainstream women's fiction (she calls it "anti-romance")
But occasionally, I'll see a book cover that intrigues me, so I'll flip it over and read the back cover blurb. If I'm still interested, I'll buy it.
I got interested in Debbie Macomber simply because she's a knitter, like me, and wrote a 2 part series about a woman who opens a yarn store.
Also, as a writer, I read the market. Since I'm writing mainstream women's fiction with (I hope) strong alpha-type females, I like to read about them. So, I'll often go on recommendation to read this book or that.