{"id":16717,"date":"2010-08-01T14:41:37","date_gmt":"2010-08-01T18:41:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wormholeriders.com\/blog\/?p=16717"},"modified":"2010-08-02T10:04:59","modified_gmt":"2010-08-02T14:04:59","slug":"comic-con-spotlight-on-true-bloods-charlaine-harris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wormholeriders.com\/blog\/2010\/08\/01\/comic-con-spotlight-on-true-bloods-charlaine-harris\/","title":{"rendered":"Comic-Con Spotlight On: Charlaine Harris – Source of HBO’s True Blood"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Comic-Con<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Greetings SciFi\/Fantasy Fans!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

While hordes of Comic-Con <\/a>attendees were checking out their favorite comic book artists in the Exhibit Hall, lining up for a chance to see stars like Angelina Jolie and Sylvester Stallone, or pursuing one of the other fantastic opportunities at the convention, die-hard fans of\u00a0HBO\u2019s True Blood series<\/a> and the \"Click<\/a>books that were its inspiration\u00a0packed the house for the author that started it all, Charlaine Harris<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Harris is the author of the Sookie Stackhouse<\/a> books, which follow a small town cocktail waitress with a gift for reading people’s minds who falls in love with a vampire and is subsequently sucked into\u00a0the world of the supernatural.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>\"Click<\/a>
\nAfter being warmly welcomed,\u00a0 Ms. Harris was presented with the Comic-Con Inkpot Award<\/strong> for achievement in science fiction\/fantasy.\u00a0 She appeared to be completely surprised and genuinely thrilled to receive the award, and posed for pictures before taking her seat.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Charlaine<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Ms. Harris spoke with what I can only describe as a genteel southern accent.\u00a0 There was a gracefulness about the rhythm of her voice and her use of language, and I wondered whether her patterns of speech influenced her writing, or whether crafting the books had influenced her manner of speaking.\u00a0 Either way, the books are terrific so if you have not yet read them, what are you waiting for?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"True<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To start us off, Ms. Harris told us that she had been a long time fan of Anne Rice<\/a>, and talked about how daring and innovative Interview With a Vampire<\/a><\/em> had been at the time it was first published.\u00a0 Ms. Harris had an idea that she wanted to write a book about a regular woman dating a vampire and wondered \u201cwhat kind of woman would do such a stupid thing?\u201d\u00a0 She said her agent hated the book and tried for two years to sell it.\u00a0 Finally they found a publisher, the same one that handled Laurell K. Hamilton\u2019s<\/a> books (Ace<\/a>).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Going back to Anne Rice, Ms. Harris said that at some point she decided it would be a good idea to get a Facebook account and the first person to post a message on her Facebook was none other than Anne Rice!\u00a0 Ms. Rice said she was a fan of True Blood<\/em>, whereupon Ms. Harris suggested she read the books.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Click<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Attendees were invited to line up at the microphone for questions.\u00a0 I did my best to record all of the questions and answers but one or two may have gotten lost along the way, so what follows is a transcription of my handwritten notes, not a word-for-word transcription of the Q&A.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Charlaine<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How did you come up with the name Sookie Stackhouse?\u00a0 In the south, when you say someone is \u2018sookie-sookie\u2019 it means they are a very good looking girl.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

My grandmother’s best friend\u00a0was called Sookie.\u00a0 It just seemed like an old southern name that had fallen into disuse and Sookie is a girl with old fashioned values.\u00a0 I can’t remember exactly where I got the name Stackhouse, but I think it might have been from the telephone book.\u00a0 The actors probably wish I\u00a0had chosen a name other than Sookie Stackhouse because it is very difficult for people with fangs to say.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You are an Episcopalian.\u00a0 What is the role of religion in your books?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It has an important role in\u00a0my writing because it is part of who I am.\u00a0\u00a0I think it is impossible to believe in people [characters] that have no opinion about whether there is a god or not.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"True<\/a>
\n<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Jessica is a new character created for the True Blood series.\u00a0 Will you be integrating any of Alan [Ball\u2019s] new things into the books?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I liked the character of Jessica and wish I\u00a0had thought of it first, but no, the books and the series are two separate entertainment vehicles.\u00a0 The characters are sometimes the same and sometimes they are very different.\u00a0 The show has its own writers who have to consider what is going to be great on screen.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How do you come up with new characters? Do you plan it all out ahead of time?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u00a0am a\u00a0\u201cpants-er\u201d\u00a0which means I just\u00a0\u201cfly by the seat of\u00a0my pants.\u201d\u00a0 I just invents people as I need them and flesh them out later.\u00a0 It is\u00a0kind of like playing with paper dolls.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"True<\/a>
\n<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Do you have any input on the [True Blood] show?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

No.\u00a0\u00a0I feel good about having given the rights to Alan Ball, and it is \u201calways an adventure for me, what they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Is Lafayette or any of the other characters based on people you know?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I do gather bits and pieces of people from all around, but mostly they come from\u00a0my imagination.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

[Ms. Harris noticed that people waiting in line at the microphone were kneeling, which she thought was so polite.\u00a0 She said she was recently at a fan event in Portugal and the fans there curtsied.\u00a0 She also said that the newest books in the series had not yet been released in Portugal, so it was very difficult for her to respond to the fans\u2019 questions.\u00a0 They were asking about books that she\u00a0had written\u00a0several years before and it was hard to remember all of the details (and probably equally hard to keep from giving away spoilers).]<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In one book, Bill is able to levitate.\u00a0 Why hasn\u2019t he ever done that again?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I just never needed him to do it again.\u00a0 Maybe if someone wanted him to dust the high shelves\u2026.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How was Bill able to teach Sookie to manage her \u201cgift?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t explain how he could teach her because I never had to explain it. \u00a0Since Sookie\u2019s ability came naturally to her, Bill probably was able to just help her figure it out for herself.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Have you always wanted to be a writer, and what writers were you inspired by?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, I always wanted to be a writer.\u00a0\u201cInspiration\u201d is not\u00a0my favorite word, though.\u00a0 It makes it sound like everything would happen if you had the right idea but that\u2019s not true.<\/em> [She listed quite a few authors including Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Bronte, Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, and Shirley Jackson.]<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When is the next book coming out?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

They come out every year in May.\u00a0 Other projects include:<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n