I'm really enjoying Daniel Abraham's work. Both the completed Long Price Quartet (http://www.danielabraham.com/books-by-daniel-abraham/the-long-price-quartet/) and the still-in-progress The Dagger and the Coin () series have interesting characters (including women who are many things besides strong, and strong in many different ways) and take on aspects of semi-medieval society that are rarely explored in fantasy, while still resting firmly in the traditions of the genre. He's also writing space opera with Ty Franck under the pseudonym James S.A. Corey. Each book in The Expanse is pleasantly standalone, but read in order they make for a really epic tale and has women and POC characters galore.

I'm also reading N.K. Jemisin's <a href="http://nkjemisin.com/books/the-inheritance-trilogy/</i>The Inheritance Trilogy</a> which explores some interesting ideas about gods. That do for a start?