What do you think about the changes Alan Ball has made to the TV version of your Sookie Stackhouse series (HBO’s “True Blood,”) especially expansion of characters like Tara and Jason, who have relatively smaller roles that don’t impact the story quite so much in the books?
I think it’s great. He has to fill the screen, and it can’t always be with Anna. I tell my stories from the first person point of view, which doesn’t allow for the same latitude.
How did you develop your vampire mythology? So many vampire stories differ in their mythologies – how vampires are sired, the hierarchy in their culture, who originated their “race,” etc. What lead you to the mythology you created?
I used what seemed logical to me in the context of the story I wanted to tell.
While vampire literature has been in existence for quite a while, like Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, what do you think drives the growing attraction in recent years for vampire literature, and other preternatural stories?
I think people are fascinated now with the idea of living forever at peak physical condition.
Have you read (or are a fan of) Laurel Hamilton - the Anita Blake series? There are some similarities between the expanded preternatural communities in both author's books and the romantic entanglements of the protagonists (the interaction between vamps and shifters, their politics, "sheriffs" in CH books and "master of the cities" in LH books, romantic relationships between the protagonists and both vamps and shifters, and the challenges therein) – were you at all influenced by Laurel Hamilton?
I’m a huge fan of Laurell K. Hamilton. I love her Anita Blake books. That having been said, I think you’ll find a lot of similarities between any series of books featuring a strong female protagonist involved with vampires. People say the same thing when they compare me to Stephenie Meyer, whose books came out after mine.
Throughout the series Sookie finds herself in some very sticky situations – from her first trip to Dallas, to fending off jealous female shifters and recently surviving torture at the hands of some sadistic faeries. How has Sookie grown throughout the series and what is it about her that keeps her coming back to the preternatural communities knowing the dangers that always await her there?
Of course Sookie’s changed during the course of the series; she’d be pretty strange (and I’d be a pretty poor writer) if she hadn’t. In some ways she’s grown, and in some ways she’s become a tougher form of herself. But she feels a little more at home in the supe community than she does in the human, at this point.
Let’s have a little fun – Sookie is stranded on a deserted island. She can bring one companion, one personal memento and one survival (or practical) item? Who and what does she bring?
I think she’d take Amelia the witch, since Amelia can actually be of help in solving the situation. She’d probably take something of her Gran’s, and she’d also take the Benelli shotgun.
“Dead in the Family” will be released next month? What can readers expect from some of our favorite characters – another love connection for Sookie and Eric? Where does that leave Bill? Will the Faeries continue to have a presence or is that door between worlds truly closed? And what challenges will the “two natured” face now that they’ve come out?
Sorry.
And speaking of the Sookie/Eric love connection – many of your readers would like to formally thank you for the shower scene in “Dead to the World.” As Bubba would say “Thank you. Thank you very much.”
You’re welcome!
For fans of the Sookie Stackhouse series who may not have read your other works, can you tell us a little about the Lily Bard “Shakespeare” series? How did Lily come to life and what are the personal connections between you and those books? (Set in Arkansas where CH lives, a difficult personal past…)
Sure, I can tell you about the Lily books, though it’s unusual you asked about those books instead of the Harper Connelly series, which is much more recent. I’m a rape survivor, and I wrote the Lily Bard books to say a few things I was feeling about the recovery experience.
You’ve said that reading is one of your favorite past times. What are you reading right now? What draws you to a new book or author – (sub questions to further the discussion if needed – are you drawn to certain genres, something new by someone you’ve previously read, or do you find you find you read different authors/subjects depending on where you are socially/emotionally/professionally in your life?)
I’m reading Wendy Moore’s “Wedlock,” a nonfiction book about the disastrous marriage of the Countess of Strathmore. It’s a fabulous picture of Mary Eleanor’s life and times. What draws me to a new book or author? Lots of things. My publisher sends me books, sometimes my agent sends me a book he thinks I might enjoy. My friends Toni (Kelner) and Dana (Cameron) also recommend books they’ve liked. Sometimes I just read the list of new publications on Amazon. I would wait in line for books by: Lee Child, Barry Eisler, Kim Harrison, Kelley Armstrong, Jim Butcher, E.E. Knight, Adam-Troy Castro, Charlie Huston. Sometimes I’ll put books aside because I find I’m not ready for them. Jon Krakauer is great, but I just wasn’t ready to read his book about Pat Tillman.
TheNovelBlog.com would like to thank Charlaine for her time and answers.
Deana Travetti
Blog Reviewer
TheNovelBlog.com