Q & A with Charlaine Harris

From Nottingham.co.uk --

Q&A with True Blood author Charlaine Harris --

March 05, 2010 --

AMERICAN author Charlaine Harris is best known for vampires-in-the-deep-south True Blood novels featuring heroine Sookie Stackhouse. On Wednesday, she's signing books in Nottingham.



What inspired you to start writing vampire/supernatural stories? Is the deep south really that spooky or did you grow up watching Hammer Horror films?

I had reached a crossroads in my career, and decided to write something different. It seemed interesting to write about a young woman who was dating a vampire. Any region of the US can seem creepy, I'm sure; I just specialise in the south.

You've created a world of "supes" although the fairies have gone. (I'll miss 'em, I love the way you gave them Irish names). Are there any new beings to come?

In the next book there's an incidental character who's of another race. And there are still some fairies hanging around. Hope you enjoy them.

What did you think of the True Blood TV version and were you able to have any input in the series? (They did seem to go overboard on the sex.)

I love the TV show, and I really enjoy seeing my work through Alan's interpretation. (Alan Ball, who created American series Six Feet Under, is creator and producer of the True Blood television series.) My input lies in writing the books the show is based on.

What did you think of our true Brit Stephen Moyer's performance as Bill Compton?

I admire Stephen. I'm so pleased he's in the series, and I think he's given Bill depth and great appeal.

What's in store for Sookie, as the next book is out in May? Will the FBI come back to recruit her?

You'll have to find out then. You'll be surprised.

Why do you think the world's gone bats over vampires?

In depressed economic times people turn to fantasy literature, and my books fit the bill. In our youth obsessed society, vampires represent the ideal in keeping their looks, never ageing, never getting ill.

You also write crime fiction with the Harper Connelly "grave" stories. Would you like to see Harper get the same small screen treatment as Sookie? The latest instalment, Grave Secret, seems to flesh out some characters, such as Manfred and Harper's sisters, aunt and uncle, so there seem to be plenty of cast members for a TV series. Was this deliberate?

No, I fleshed out the characters because they were an integral part of the story. But there has been TV interest in the Harper books, and it may happen, may not.

How do you divide your time between the genres, as we're told writers have to be very focused and disciplined?

It's like switching heads. It's a nice change of pace.

How do you relax?

I read. Sometimes my husband and I go to the movies. We watch my daughter play baseball. I e-mail friends.

You're only making three stops in the UK and Nottingham is one. Do you have a fan club here or is it a hot spot for sales?

As I understand it, it is a hot spot for sales. I don't book my own tours in the US or overseas, and I enjoy seeing different places and different fans.

Interview with Charlaine Harris

From Metro Spirit (Augusta, GA) --

Vampire mastermind --

BY STACEY HUDSON --
Issue #21.26 :: 01/20/2010 - 01/26/2010 --

Author Charlaine Harris talks about the inspiration behind Sookie Stackhouse and the Southern Vampire Mysteries

AUGUSTA, GA – Charlaine Harris counts herself as lucky. But patient might be closer to the truth.

It’s true that she got her start by taking a college creative writing class from a former editor at Houghton Mifflin, who obviously had the connections to get Harris’ work reviewed by the right people. And that part might have been luck.

But “Sweet & Deadly,” her first book — which she finished as a member of that writing class — was published in 1981. So for 29 years, she’s paid her dues, putting out a lot more than luck.

Harris has published four books in the series about grave-finder Harper Connelly, eight that focus on librarian-detective Aurora Teagarden, and five with crime-solver Lily Bard.

It’s her most recent protagonist in the Southern Vampire Mysteries, a series of books detailing Louisiana barmaid Sookie Stackhouse’s adventures with the supernatural, which has made her nearly a household name. But even that series is almost 10 years old — and despite its current popularity, it wasn’t easy.

“My agent was against it at first,” Harris said. But she was determined to move toward darker fare, the usual realm of male writers.

“I was really tired of people who write amusing things just not getting the respect that people who write darker do — when really they’re both as challenging,” she said. “I just decided to see if I could do it. I think it worked out OK.”

The twist is that Harris didn’t see vampires as inherently dark.

“I thought, ‘Well, what if they’re funny?’” she asked herself.

It took two years for her agent to sell the books.

“It got turned down again and again,” she said, followed with a triumphant but good-natured cackle.

Even after the books caught on with readers, the road to “True Blood,” the HBO television series that focuses on her vampire mysteries, was a long one.

“You know, my books were on the New York Times bestseller list before the show, so I think I would have been fine,” she deadpanned, with the wry humor that characterizes her series.

But they were so popular that she had four offers from television producers. One optioned the rights, but didn’t bring it to fruition. Two were solid offers. But a fourth was from Alan Ball, the mind behind “Six Feet Under,” who wanted to work with HBO again. Ball was looking for a new project. HBO no longer had “The Sopranos” or Ball’s previous series to carry it. They wanted Ball, and Ball wanted “True Blood.”

“You know, it was Alan Ball,” Harris said, stressing his name with all of the gravitas one can muster for a producer who is both critically and popularly acclaimed. “He understood what the books were about, a mixture of extremes: humor, violence, awakenings.”

He was also polite, considerate and believed in putting out the best product.

“When I was out there, I met a lot of jerks,” Harris said, with her characteristic good humor. But everyone who works with Ball, she said, loves him. And that made Ball the most attractive creative partner.

And yet, because so many optioned books never make it to a screen — small or silver — Harris didn’t allow herself to get excited as casting began and scripts progressed. Then, shortly after shooting began, the writer’s strike happened. But the series progressed when it was able, and Ball sent her the opening credits.

“I thought, ‘Oh, my god, I’m going to have to move,’” Harris laughed. “It was so extreme.”

It was also more explicit. While the books spend an awful lot of enjoyable time on the sex lives of its characters, Harris bristles slightly at a complaint about Sookie’s dry spell in Book 8.

After all, she isn’t a romance writer.

“If it doesn’t work naturally in the story line, it’s not going to be in the books,” she said.

Yet the TV series is different. A number of the stars have had some very sexy nude scenes, along with takes that frequently require actor Ryan Kwanten, who plays Jason Stackhouse, to sit around with his shirt off. Pity the ladies. But no one is complaining — in fact, one Metro Spirit reader sent in a request that Harris consider an all-nude episode. Harris referred the reader to Ball for that request.

“There’s a lot of ‘hottitude,’” Harris said, on the set of the show. “But they’re just all so hard-working, and they’re just people. They all have cell phones and sit and text between takes.”

And the show is only on its third season. The characters have plenty of sexy stories left to tell, and Harris has plenty of books left to write. She plans 13, in all, of the Sookie chronicles, and will decide after book 11 whether to continue the universe by spinning off and exploring one of the other characters.

“I’ll know by then if I’m ready to head towards the stable with Sookie or not,” Harris said. “I’ve loved writing her adventures, but I don’t want it to get stale.”

Author Charlaine Harris
Columbia County Library
Saturday, January 23
Doors, 6:30 p.m.; program, 7 p.m.
706-863-1946
ecgrl.org


F.A.Q. of CHARLAINE HARRIS

Author Charlaine Harris answers questions from Metro Spirit readers

By Stacey Hudson

Author Charlaine Harris gets a lot of questions about her work — and I mean a lot. So here are some answers — compiled from our interview, and from previously available interviews — to the most frequently asked questions Metro Spirit readers sent in!

Is the Sookie Stackhouse series complete?
No, but Harris doesn’t know how many there will be.

How involved is Harris in the “True Blood” television series? Does she like it?
Not very involved, and she loves it all — including the changes that have been made.

Will Sookie ever become a vampire? Will she have a vampire baby? How will the series end?
No, no and she’s not telling.

Will Harris write more of her other series?
There will be no future Lily Bard books, but perhaps Aurora Teagarden will return. However, Harris’ time is currently absorbed by her many Sookie-related projects.

Write faster! Write what I want you to!
Harris writes at the pace — and on the plotlines — that produce her quality of work.

I need more Sookie!
While waiting for the next book in the series, read the following short stories: “Fairy Dust” from the anthology “Powers of Detection”; “Dancers in the Dark,” from the anthology “Night’s Edge”; “One Word Answer,” from the “Bite” Anthology; and “Dracula Night,” from the anthology “Many Blood Returns.”

Charlaine Harris and her book Grave Secret

From The Sydney Morning Herald --

'I'm just a gruesome person' --

January 14, 2010 --

Draining every drop of her deep Southern cordiality, Charlaine Harris holds out on explaining exactly why her latest heroine is involved in an incestuous relationship.

The author behind the popular HBO series True Blood isn't into psychoanalysing her sexy murder mysteries, even though their kinky characters cry out for it.

But otherwise thoughtful and conventional people who have found themselves glued to the television adaptation of Harris's work might need a session or two on the couch to explain why they can't get enough of a story based on sex with vampires. Vampires are, after all, creatures who are dead.

Necrophilia and incest are not themes you would usually associate with a 58-year-old churchgoing mother of three who has lived for 20 years in the Bible-belt state of Arkansas. "I'm just a gruesome person," she says, matter-of-factly.

But there's no avoiding the contradiction between the writer and her subject matter. Speaking from her home in Magnolia, Arkansas, she is unnervingly relaxed.

Harris admits the contemporary gothic subject matter of her work is so confronting that it took two years to find a publisher for Dead Until Dark , the first of the Sookie Stackhouse series that was turned into the television hit. The first book was published in 2001.

The adaptation, True Blood, has catapulted her taboo topics into the mainstream. It was written and produced by Alan Ball, of American Beauty and Six Feet Under fame.

Since True Blood was released in Australia in February, sales of Harris's books have skyrocketed. In July, nine of her Sookie Stackhouse series were in the top 10 places of science fiction and fantasy. In December they occupied six.

On the surface, the concept sits happily within its official genre. Unable to exist in daylight and dependent on blood, vampires have "come out of the coffin" because a synthetic replacement to human blood has been invented in Japan. Vampires no longer need to feed on humans. They can resist the desire to bite.

But Harris wants to do more than entertain. Her aim is to challenge the reader.

Vampires turn into a race subjected to deep prejudice but the telepathic Sookie finds herself sexually drawn to them and submits to her lover's fangs. The series explores exclusion, Harris explains, and she has acknowledged the vampires' struggle is a metaphor for gay rights.

The author herself says she's "not a big fan of biting". But that's not the idea. "I wanted to talk about who the monsters are," she says. Too often monsters are blamed for social ills when in fact it's the human race causing all the problems.

With Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series still a bestseller, it is easy to draw the conclusion that a craze for bloodsuckers is sweeping cinemas and bookstores. Vampire experts argue the interest has been around since Bram Stoker wrote Dracula and Harris sees herself as following on from Anne Rice, whose Interview with the Vampire was published in 1976.

Harris also describes herself as a social observer. In her latest book of the "Grave" series, Grave Secret , the main character, Harper Connelly, is still living with the trauma of a childhood surrounded by drug addicts. At age 17, she was struck by lightning, giving her the ability to find and listen to the dead. She becomes an amateur sleuth in the process. "She gets to see the worst of human behaviour; its folly, silliness and the evil," Harris says.

Harper also carnally loves her stepbrother, Tolliver Lang, her escort on all her assignments. They plan to get married. The dysfunction of their shared childhood is at the forefront of the story, which includes frequent steamy scenes in their hotel room. "I will be the first to admit: it's kind of icky," Harris says of Harper's "love affair". On the other hand, "they're not related to each other. They are just dependent . . . Every now and then someone gets totally squeaked out about it but that's OK." Most people, she says, accept it and are happy for them.

In Magnolia, Harris serves in the respectable role of secretary of the vestry at the Episcopalian Church. The message is clear: judge not lest ye be judged.

She is a pure product of the Confederacy: born, schooled and married in the deep South with all of its segregation, voodoo and religion. But unlike the deeply damaged fictional characters she creates, Harris's upbringing was stable.

She grew up on a cotton farm in what was then the poorest county of the United States: Tunica, Mississippi. Her father Robert switched from farming to teaching and her mother became a librarian after having children. In this bookish household her late younger brother Ashley loved higher literature, while she stuck with genres such as mysteries.

Living in the middle of a cotton field, she says, taught her the greatest skill of being a writer – being alone. She has written for as long as she could spell, she says. But events since leaving home have given her material for her own mystery plots. She gathered her own sorrows. "There were a lot of things that happened that were less than pleasant," she says.

Her first marriage dissolved after three years when she and her husband realised they had made a mistake. Single again, she was living in Memphis, Tennessee, where she had gone to college, and while in her early 20s was raped by an intruder who threatened her with a knife. The perpetrator was a serial rapist and later convicted. An early book, A Secret Rage , is about a serial rapist who terrorises a college town in Tennessee.

In her late 20s, Harris met her husband Hal (she prefers to keep his surname out of interviews) at a New Year's Eve party in Atlanta, Georgia. Hal bought her a typewriter and gave her a metaphorical room of her own in which to write. A chemical engineer who works for a military supplier, he has always supported her writing.

What the neighbours and her three children think are another matter. Her children struggled with the idea of their mother being a professional writer, unlike other mothers. And she worried that the raunch of True Blood would mean social death in Magnolia.

But since the success of the TV series, family and friends have enjoyed the accolades. Patrick, 25, Timothy, 22, and Julia, 19, posed on the red carpet with lead actress Anna Paquin. "They are very excited to have a cool mother," she says.

Caring about what people think does not seem to be high on Harris's agenda. After Julia was born, she took to weightlifting, a sport that evolved from a passing passion for karate.

These days the only exercise she gets is walking her three dogs. Harris maintains a blog in which she reviews other writers' work and despairs at domestic challenges, such as finding the time to put out her Christmas decorations and where to store her college-age children's gear.

Sookie Stackhouse and Harper Connelly have, meanwhile, adopted lives of their own. She expects the "Dead" series will outlive "Grave" by 13 books to four.

She's on to her next heroine but won't divulge her character. "I think if you talk about things you don't end up writing them." But expect a tricky character: "Damaged people are more interesting to write."

Grave Secret, by Charlaine Harris, is published by Gollancz, $29.99.

A must for the ‘True Blood’ fan (Charlaine Harris)

From Graffiti --

A must for the ‘True Blood’ fan --

By Amy Mendenhall --
October 27, 2009 --

Need a True Blood fix? Fear not, for New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris has released a collection of short stories starring Sookie Stackhouse in “A Touch of Dead.”

In five short stories to go along with the books, Harris explores a bit more of the world of Sookie, the telepath waitress who regularly is in the company of vampires, werewolves, fairies and plenty of trouble. In the introduction, the author tells the reader the time period each of the stories takes place in, and each story is accompanied by a wonderful illustration.

The first one, “Fairy Dust,” follows Sookie as she investigates a whodunit concerning Claude and Claudette’s (who knew they were triplets?) sister. While Sookie must use her telepathic powers on the humans the fairies have captured that they believe are suspects, she also must use her own deductive reasoning. And when the culprit is finally found, Sookie learns just how dangerous fairies can be when you cross them.

In my favorite story of the collection, “Dracula Night,” Sookie is invited to a big celebration at Fangtasia, Eric’s vampire bar. It’s the annual celebration of Dracula’s “birthday” and Eric has spared no expense in prepping for the festivities, hoping against hope that this is the year the Master will show up at the party in his honor. When someone finally does show up claiming to be Dracula, and everything breaks loose, Sookie finds herself in danger, go figure, and dressed to kill.

This is my favorite story due to the humor Harris’ injects into the situation and it also concerns two of my favorite characters, Eric and his second-in-command, Pam.

In “One Word Answer,” a late-night visitor notifies Sookie of a relative’s death. And while the “lawyer” informs Sookie that she now has a legacy due to her vampire relative’s death, it probably is not what Sookie is expecting.

Vampire Bill makes an appearance in this one, as well as one of my favorite secondary characters, Bubba, who happens to be the undead version of someone very famous.

Sookie also has a meeting with royalty in this short story.

In “Lucky,” Sookie is once again called on to use her detective skills to solve who is messing with an insurance agent’s business. Along with her witch friend, Amelia, Sookie tracks down the lead suspects, has a run-in with a vampire and an ex, and runs afoul of a magic spell or two.

Finally, in “Gift Wrap,” Sookie is facing spending Christmas alone this year. Wishing she had something to occupy her time, Sookie opens her door to find a hurt werewolf outside, a rival group of werewolves out to get him, and now has a hunk to spend the holidays with.

It’s all very romantic and unexpected for Sookie, but we the readers get to find out the real story behind it all.

The stories have all appeared in various short story collections previously, but are now available in one package for the Sookie Stackhouse fan. While fans of the television series may need to familiarize themselves with the books before reading (there are spoilers throughout these), this book is a must for any true fan.

Interview, Chat and Contest with Author Charlaine Harris

From Bitten by Books --

Interview, Chat and Contest with Author Charlaine Harris --

by Site Hostess --
22 October 2009 --

A big welcome to our readers today! Be sure to read to the end of the interview to find out how to WIN the fabulous prizes being offered up.



Interview:

Hi Charlaine!

Welcome to Bitten by Books, we are excited to have you here today!

I would like to thank you taking the time to join us for the question and answer session with our readers. It has been very interesting to get to know more about you and what makes you tick as a writer! Readers, if you haven’t done so already please stop by and get your copy of Charlaine’s newest book A Touch of Dead.

BBB: What are the most challenging and the most rewarding aspects of writing?

CH: Challenges? Every day is a challenge. I hate to use a sea metaphor, but being a writer is like being the entire crew of a large ship. To extend that, when you reach your destination in one piece . . . that’s a great reward.

BBB: Do you consider different books paranormal romance or urban fantasy? and do you think it is important to distinguish between the two?

CH: It’s not important to me personally, no. But to the people shelving the books it’s quite important, because readers are looking for a book skewed more to romance or more to adventure, and they want to look in the right place.

BBB: Do you feel that the South provides a particularly rich setting for vampire and other paranormal fiction?

CH: I’ve read great paranormal fiction set all over the world, so I don’t think so. We southern writers do like to present the South with a flourish, though.

BBB: What is the most ridiculous thing that you have thought about doing to any of your characters but never did?

CH: I think I’d better keep mum on that.

BBB: You mentioned in an another interview that you know who Sookie will end up with. Can you tell us how long we have to wait to find out? Or, you know, maybe a hint? : )

CH: No.

BBB: How do you keep track of your world building?

CH: Not very well. Actually, I’ve had to hire a couple of people to help me on continuity. After this many books in the series, I may blank out on some bit of business I did five years ago, say.

BBB: What do you feel are the benefits of the new electronic readers such as Kindle 2 or Sony Digital Book Reader to the environment?

CH: I know my agent loves his, because he gets so many submissions it cuts way back on hauling a ton of paper around. And I see people on vacation very happy at having so many books at their fingertips without having to pack them. I myself still prefer to hold a book.

BBB: What impact do electronic readers create on the bottom line for authors in the end? Do you feel they have a negative impact or positive, or no impact at all that you can see?

CH: I’m sure they’re going to have an impact, but I’m not sure what it’ll be in the long run.

BBB: What one thing would you change about the TV series if you could?

CH: Honestly, I can’t think of a thing. I am so pleased with the way it’s going, it would be ridiculous of me to want more.

BBB: What else do you currently have in the works? When can we expect your next book?

CH: A Harper Connelly comes out later this month, the collection of Sookie short stories just came out and it’s doing well, DEATH’S EXCELLENT VACATION with an original Sookie story will be out next August, and Dead in the Family will be out next May.

BBB: Have we seen the last of Alcide?

CH: Gosh, no.

BBB: Will we ever see anymore of the fae???

CH: Yes.

BBB: Where do you see the urban fantasy genre headed? Can you see it slowing down in the near future, or do you think that the immediate future is pretty bright for it?

CH: I see no signs of a slowdown. It’s an exciting genre with some fantastic talent.

BBB: if you had to choose for yourself, would it be Bill or Eric? Or Sam?

CH: Fortunately for me, I get all three.

BBB: How do you navigate the actual story writing, e.g. do you pre-plot it all out, get the main details and pantz it, divide up chapters, etc.?

CH: Ha! I wish I were that organized. I just flex my fingers and go.

BBB: Soooooooooooooo which vampire was Sookie’s great-grandfather referring to in the last book?

CH: Mum on that one.

BBB: Do you have any plans for book signings/ readings anytime soon? If so, where can our readers find you?

CH: All they have to do is check my Calendar on my website http://www.charlaineharris.com to find out where I’ll be, and when.

BBB: If you could choose to be either a shapeshifter or vampire for eternity, which would you choose and why? Or would you be some other creature?

CH: I like being human, actually.

BBB: Did you ever in your wildest dreams ever think your series would become such a huge success and the show as well?

CH: No, I did not. It’s been a wonderful ride.

Q&A: Charlaine Harris on Sookie books and 'True Blood.'

From Orange County Register --

Q&A: Charlaine Harris on Sookie books and 'True Blood.' --

By DIANA McCABE --
Thursday, August 6, 2009 --


Charlaine Harris is pretty much everywhere these days. The author of the Sookie Stackhouse series, which HBO is basing its "True Blood" shows on, is working on her 10th Sookie book (due May 2010) and keeping an eye on the TV show.


I asked her a few things about the latest book out, "Dead and Gone," and a little bit about the show.

Q . Do you think Eric (the powerful vampire and love interest in the book) has grown because of his relationship with Sookie, who is human?

A. I think parts of Eric have surfaced that he thought were buried for good.

Q. What will it take for Sookie to understand the blood bond? It seems as if she is losing her ability to distinguish between her own feelings, Eric's feelings and those generated by the blood bond.

A. This is an issue in the next book.

Q. How would you compare the strengths between the bonds of vampire and sire, a vampire and his/her king or queen, and a vampire and his/her sheriff?

A. The vampire/sire relationship is the strongest.

Q . In one podcast interview, you said you didn't see Sookie turning into a vampire or even winding up with one – in the sense that she would lead a normal life and be with a human. Do you still think she will be able to do that – settle with one person? Not a vampire?

A. I said that Sookie will never become a vampire. And a vampire can't give her what she's always thought she wanted; a regular marriage with children. But that doesn't mean Sookie will end up with exactly what she wants. I see no reason why she couldn't settle with one person.

Q. What did you want readers to take away from "Dead and Gone"?

A. I don't know that I had a specific goal; I had several themes, though. The ruthlessness and inhumanity of the fae, the outrages we commit in the name of love, and the loneliness of those who simply can't fit in and are doomed by their own nature . . . those were all elements of the book.

Q. Do you have a good idea of how the series will eventually end? If so -- have you ever changed your mind about the ending?

A. I do know how the series will end. And I have never changed my mind.

Q. Tell us a little bit about your cameo at the end of season 2.

A. I'm sitting in Merlotte's at the bar talking to Sam. I'm wearing a striped shirt. I have a line. I almost hope they cut it. I'm not an actor.

Q. Alan Ball has certainly developed the HBO show differently from the books. Does his vision of the show make you think about how you're writing your current book? Have you ever gotten an idea from the show to build on in the book series?

A. I keep them separate in my mind. The book characters have been living with me for a long, long time.

Q. Do you and HBO's Alan Ball talk before, during, after the season?

A. We e-mail back and forth from time to time, more frequently before each season. We are both very busy people. If I'm in Los Angeles, we usually have lunch together or something. And we have some good conversations when we're doing publicity for the show.

Q. What's been the most interesting/surprising or creative storyline(s) that HBO has developed in the series?

A. Jessica, without a doubt.

Q. Which parts of the TV series most visually match what you envisioned when you wrote your book series?

A. Sookie's house is perfect, though it doesn't have the same layout. But the rooms are just right. In Sam's office, the desk is turned in a different direction, but other than that it's wonderful.

Q. Do you know ahead of time what is on each episode? Do you watch each Sunday?

A. I do know ahead of time. And I do watch each Sunday.

Q. OK— gotta ask because fans of your books and "True Blood," and fans of the Twilight series and movie are fighting about this all over the Internet. Your vampire Bill Compton vs. Twilight's vampire Edward Cullen?

A. There is no contest.

Grave Sight etiquette (Charlaine Harris)

From Examiner.com --

Grave Sight etiquette --

June 29, 2009 --
By Jaclyn Owens --

Death hangs around every corner, lurking in the shadows and the hearts of the wicked, but for Harper Connelly, death hovers over grave sites for her to see. Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris encompasses the elements of every classic novel—mysteries, murders, the ability to see the ghosts over corpses. A lightning strike left Harper with the ability to see the dead, and from this she gained a business (helping families find loved ones) and a severe fear of thunder storms. Along with her step-brother, the duet works to solve cases of murder and missing persons, and during a particularly aggressive investigation, scarcely escape danger themselves.

While upholding many literary conventions, including having an abnormal main character, this book holds an interesting aspect of showing blatant flaws, weaknesses, and pure human qualities in the main characters—a breath of fresh air from the normal super brain mystery solver.

This book would be ideal for older teens even to the middle aged and beyond, though would not be recommended for those under the age of eighteen as there is some slightly graphic content. Overall, the plot is interesting and light despite the constant element of death, and it is a must read for those who enjoy a supernatural air to their murder mysteries.

Torn between two vampires: a book review of 'Dead and Gone' by Charlaine Harris

From Kansas City Literature Examiner --

Torn between two vampires: a book review of 'Dead and Gone' by Charlaine Harris --

June 2, 2009 --

By Lisa Westerfield --

‘Dead and Gone’ is the 9th book in the Charlaine Harris series known as the ‘Sookie Stackhouse Novels.’ Most people know Sookie and her vampires from the HBO show, ‘True Blood’ which is a brand name of the synthetic blood that has allowed the vampires to, as Harris describes, “come out of the coffin.” Of course all of it is an allegory about the acceptance of all people despite their differences…even those that need to suck blood (I don’t recall if Harris has ever referred to her vamps as hemoglobin challenged).
Harris has lucked upon a winning combination with Sookie and all of her supernatural suitors which not only include two hunky vampires but in the past a werewolf, a werepanther, a weretiger, and a shape shifter who also doubles as her boss. Sookie herself can read the minds of others and until the vampires revealed themselves as real, she always thought of her telepathic ability as an affliction – one until the last book, ‘From Dead to Worse,’ she didn’t realize she had inherited from her grandfather who was half fairy. If you aren’t familiar with the book or television series all of the above sounds like gibberish but Harris has been able to weave all of it into a very likeable tale which since ‘True Blood’ debuted has shot her into the ranks of Anne Rice, J. K. Rowling and Stephen King and into direct comparison/competition with Stephenie Meyer and her ‘Twilight’ series. In fact it is rather difficult to judge ‘Dead and Gone’ on its own accord without taking into consideration that it is really just a chapter in a larger tale along with which Harris has shown sparks of inspiration as well as inconsistency with the span of certain characters and at some points sloppy writing.

Although the Sookie series was probably fairly well known within vampire fandom it has really exploded in the sense of recent pop culture. In early autumn of 2008 when ‘True Blood’ premiered on HBO the ratings steadily climbed and it became the most successful HBO series since ‘Sex and the City’ and ‘The Sopranos’ which apparently was not anticipated by the book publishers who were pushing other Harris mysteries and were appeared to be blindsided by the sudden demand of the Stackhouse books. Of course now they have rectified the situation and one can spot paperback versions of the Stackhouse novels at any store that sells books, along with a big display featuring the hardcover version of ‘Dead and Gone.’

As far as ‘Dead and Gone’ goes, I don’t know if I would recommend the book if a reader hasn’t read previous books in the sequence, I would however recommend the series. Despite the before mentioned flaws, the books have made for lively reading and Stackhouse, her family, and friends have provided diverting plots. I think Harris has done a fine job in building Sookie’s world with each new book and ‘Dead and Gone’ is a better effort than some of the other books when it comes to staying true to elements presented in earlier stories. With the popularity of the books and television series, this endeavor of Harris’s seemed to have a direction as if Harris knows eventually in what course she wants to take the series whereas in previous books I thought she might be writing down the first thing that popped into her mind. I wonder if I was the only fan annoyed by the ‘Word of the Day’ calendar references?

Overall, I had fun reading ‘Dead and Gone’ and would highly recommend the series for anyone who likes the fantasy romance genre. Oh, and no, if you are already a fan, I’m not even going to hint if Sookie chooses Eric over Bill…over that sparkly vampire that Robert Pattinson played in that movie, you know which one I mean so don’t pretend you don’t.

Author hits jackpot with vampire series (Charlaine Harris)

From The Providence Journal --

Author hits jackpot with vampire series --

May 26, 2009 --

By MOTOKO RICH --

MAGNOLIA, Ark. Charlaine Harris was sitting in the small dining nook of her suburban cedar-and-stone home one recent afternoon when she took the call from her editor in New York. After she hung up, she yanked both fists down and let out a triumphant, “Yes!”

Harris, the author of the Sookie Stackhouse vampire mystery romance novels, had just heard that the latest book in the series, Dead and Gone, would make its debut on the New York Times hardcover fiction best-seller list in the No. 1 spot. It was a first for Harris, who has published 26 novels in nearly three decades and sold the original book in the Sookie series, Dead Until Dark, for just $5,000 nine years ago.

When her husband, Harold Schulz, arrived home from work later, he stepped into Harris’ office in a converted mother-in-law apartment next to the house. “No. 1, huh?” he calmly noted with a smile.

But with their daughter Julia’s high school graduation looming, he wanted to know whether all six acres of the lawn on their property had been mowed, and when certain family members would be arriving.

It was the kind of juggle that might be familiar to Sookie, the telepathic human barmaid who narrates the novels and lives in the fictional small town of Bon Temps, La., amid an ever-expanding cast of vampires, shape-shifters, fairies and witches.

The formula of small-town life regularly disrupted by the supernatural world — and some mind-blowing sex with vampires — has propelled Harris through nine Sookie novels. For her latest three-book contract, of which Dead and Gone is the second, Harris was paid a seven-figure advance.

The books have also spawned True Blood, the HBO adaptation created by Alan Ball, the maestro of Six Feet Under. The first season of the series, which roughly followed Dead Until Dark, concluded last fall as the cable network’s most popular show since The Sopranos and Sex and the City. The new season, based on the second novel in the series, Living Dead in Dallas, begins on June 14.

This heady brew of success has allowed Harris, 57, some luxuries: earlier this year she hired her longtime best friend as her personal assistant. She bought a diamond ring. And this year, because of Julia’s graduation, she could afford the ultimate indulgence: She refused to go on a book tour.

“It was just a huge relief that I finally hit on the right character and the right publisher,” said Harris, who had previously written two mystery series that never quite took off. Or, as she put it more succinctly, with a cackle that evoked a paranormal creature: “I had this real neener-neener-neener moment.”

Born and raised in Tunica, Miss., the daughter of a schoolteacher and a homemaker turned librarian, Harris, an avid reader of mysteries, always wanted to be an author. She published two stand-alone mysteries in the early 1980s, and a few years later began the Aurora Teagarden mysteries, featuring a Southern librarian turned amateur sleuth. Despite promising reviews, sales were modest.

In the mid-1990s she plunged into a more violent and sexually explicit story line about Lily Bard, a cleaning woman who investigates murders. Harris believed she had hit her stride, but sales did not meet her expectations.

So she decided to try something new. She had always wanted to write about vampires. From the outset, she wanted to set the story in the prosaic trailer-park and strip-mall landscape of northern Louisiana, to distinguish it from the gothic opulence of Anne Rice’s New Orleans.

Nominally a murder mystery, Dead Until Dark was filled with inventive details, like the synthetic blood that allows vampires to live openly among humans, and a vampire bar called Fangtasia, where humans who like to have sex with the undead hang out.

Despite her track record, it took two years to find a home for Sookie. Although writers like Laurell K. Hamilton had staked a niche in the paranormal genre, it was not the booming category that Stephenie Meyer has made it today.

Finally, Ace Books, a science fiction and fantasy imprint of Penguin Group USA, bought the manuscript in 2000. “The voice is terrific,” said Ginjer Buchanan, editor in chief of Ace. “And I liked the setting. I think it’s an interesting and different milieu, and she portrays it in a way that’s fresh and understandable, but not stereotypical.”

Driving last week along a tree-lined country road dotted by an occasional horse farm or a row of abandoned chicken coops, Harris said it was how she imagined the road to Sookie’s house. Ideas for characters come from all over the place.

“Every trip to Wal-Mart is an inspiration,” she said. But don’t try to find a model for Merlotte’s, the bar and restaurant where Sookie works. Magnolia, in southern Arkansas near the Louisiana border, is the seat of a dry county.

Harris gave Sookie the power to read the most unpleasant thoughts of others as a way of reflecting on the veneer of courtesy that permeates small-town Southern living.

“I think that must be the worst thing, not to have that buffer zone between how people really think and feel and how they present themselves to you,” Harris said. “That’s one of the reasons I love living here, because people are so polite.” For Sookie, consorting with vampires comes as a relief because she cannot actually read their thoughts.

Harris works most mornings in her office, a cozy room with a lumpy purple loveseat and a shelf of knickknacks sent by fans. Like many a commercial writer, Harris wishes the literary establishment would pay more attention. “I think there is a place for what I do,” she said. “And I think it’s honorable.”

Sookie Stackhouse proves she's not Dead and Gone (Charlaine Harris)

From The Houston Chronicle --

Sookie Stackhouse proves she's not Dead and Gone --

By TARA DOOLEY --

May 15, 2009 --

For Sookie Stackhouse fans, it’s been a long year. Sure, September brought our Southern-fried heroine to the small screen in HBO’s True Blood. But even with the unexpected twists of the show, that plot was a little 2001 for anybody who’s been devouring Charlaine Harris’ book series since its inception.

A year after the last installment of the Southern Vampire Series, book number nine, Dead and Gone, hit bookstores this month. June 14, HBO turns on season two of True Blood with a set of characters that may turn out to be even more of a departure from Harris’s creation.

Luckily, Dead and Gone deposits book readers in familiar territory.

The plot takes up where we left our telepathic barmaid: In a world of supernatural creatures that mingle among the regular Wal-Mart shoppers of Bon Temps, the north Louisiana town where Sookie lives.

The witches are still camped out in Sookie’s house, the fairies remain mysterious, and the hunky vampires can’t seem to keep their fangs off her.

As Dead and Gone opens, werewolves have decided to follow the vampires’ lead and announce their presence to the human world. Alternative lifestyles, it seems, cannot bear to stay underground when there are supernatural reality TV shows to develop.

“Coming out” creates some trouble in Bon Temps, and the regular world seems interested in Sookie’s special talents. All this free-to-be-you-and-me attitude leaves only the fairies to wreak havoc under the radar.

Sookie must uncover the threats, beat back the danger and find love, perhaps in all the wrong places.

Of course, that is why we come back to the series year after year: To root for Sookie. She’s the oddball who lurks in us all.

To the regular world she is chubby, weird and underemployed. In Harris’ fantasy world, Sookie is an irresistible princess. And as Sookie and every modern princess with a head on her shoulders knows, only she can get the job done right, friends and family disappoint as often as they deliver, and sometimes the prince turns out to be a frog.

Or a vampire.

Not 'DEAD' YET (Charlaine Harris)

From Tulsa World --

Not 'DEAD' YET --

May 10, 2009 --

By GINNIE GRAHAM World Staff Writer --

Harris continues to find new fictional life in her paranormal series.

Within the first 60 pages of the latest Sookie Stackhouse release, shape-shifters make their existence known, a person is shot, another crucified, federal investigators show up and the resident telepath/barmaid finds she may have unwittingly married a vampire.

And that's just a warm-up in this ninth addition to the series by Arkansas-based writer Charlaine Harris.

"Dead and Gone" takes a delightful step up from the last installment, with the main character maturing and finding peace and possibly love in her sometimes violent and unfair world.

The author gets back to basics by keeping the story in sleepy Bon Temps, La., and focusing mostly on characters introduced in earlier novels.

As with Harris' previous books, Sookie reads the thoughts of others as she gets wrapped up in solving a mystery while trying to unwrap her tangled life, which has included vampires and were-animals among her suitors.

The series is the basis for HBO's "True Blood," which has taken some liberties in the portrayal of characters and story lines. Harris writes her books to be read in sequence. She does a fine job of including enough background to jog the memory of the Sookie Stackhouse faithful, but to truly understand and appreciate the developments, a reader needs to dive into the past titles.

Harris is a master at taking several paranormal worlds and plunging them into our reality with humor. Sookie hasn't lost her wit, as when she ponders whether fairy parents told their fairy children human stories at bedtime.

The dialogue is sharp and realistic, and action is swift, especially considering most of "Dead and Gone" takes place in one day.

The outing of the shape-shifters adds a fun dimension full of possibilities. As with "The Great Revelation" of vampires years earlier, Harris uses this as a mechanism for examining prejudices and the limits of societal acceptance.

Harris gives more insight into the character of vampire sheriff Eric and addresses Sookie's questionable family lineage and details of her parents' deaths.

Sookie says goodbye to some she has grown to love and care about, closing a chapter on what could have become an outlandish plot line. The sadness and even trauma she experiences is somewhat offset by the calm she finds within herself and the loyalty of a sweetly rekindled old flame and longtime friends.

Telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse is Back in 'Dead and Gone' (Charlaine Harris)

From The Canadian Press --

Telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse is Back in 'Dead and Gone' --

Sookie Stackhouse has returned for another bloody adventure. "Dead and Gone" is the ninth novel about the telepathic waitress from fictional Bon Temps, La., and her dealings with the supernatural world of vampires, wereanimals (they're not just wolves), shape shifters, witches, demons and fairies.

In the latest tale, wereanimals and shape shifters, known as the "two-natured," have joined vampires in "coming out" to the human race. It starts with a woman turning into werewolf on the evening news.

The subsequent backlash could have made a good story line but author Charlaine Harris doesn't go there. The only consequence is told in a third-person account by Sookie's boss, Sam Merlotte, whose mother, also a shape shifter, is shot by her husband. Lesson learned: If you're planning to tell your spouse that you're a little different, hide the weapons first.

Instead, Harris focuses on the fairy world and the struggles of Sookie's great-grandfather, Niall Brigant, within his fairy kingdom. He's a powerful prince who shows up occasionally and mostly puts Sookie at risk. A war is brewing between Niall and his nephew, and Sookie becomes a target. But Harris hides this mysterious world from the reader, which makes for an even more convoluted narrative.

Some colourful characters from previous Harris vampire books get scant mention in "Dead and Gone," leaving you to wonder, "Where did they go?" An unexpected visit from Sookie's former weretiger lover amounts to only a few words. Another former lover happens along and a fight ensues. Then, both men "up and went." What was the point?

The constant theme in these Southern vampire novels is Sookie's aptitude for self-preservation. Armed with water pistols filled with lemon juice, and a gardening tool, she manages to battle her more powerful fairy enemies. But she does not escape unharmed. After drinking vampire blood, which is highly restorative, she recovers to fight another day.

For those who haven't read the previous Sookie Stackhouse novels, "Dead and Gone" is not the place to start. Your best bet would be to pick up, "Dead Until Dark," the first novel in the series and the basis of HBO's surprise hit series, "True Blood," produced by "Six Feet Under," creator Alan Ball.

While Ball dedicates more time to the development of secondary characters, Harris keeps her books focused on Sookie's perspective. The problem, though, is that you don't get to know the other characters well enough to care about them.

Charlaine Harris's Vampire Empire

From The Wall Street Journal --

Charlaine Harris's Vampire Empire --

May 4, 2009 --
By JEFFREY A. TRACHTENBERG --

The author releases her latest book in the best-selling Sookie Stackhouse vampire series -- the inspiration behind HBO's hit show, 'True Blood'

In Charlaine Harris's new novel, "Dead and Gone," she again puts her good-natured, telepathic barmaid Sookie Stackhouse in harm's way. That's saying a lot in a town where vampires, werewolves and other suspicious characters drink together at the same bar.

Vampires, at least those imagined by such writers as Stephenie Meyer, Laurell K. Hamilton, and Anne Rice, have emerged as one of the most popular genres in American fiction in recent years. Ms. Harris's Southern Gothic Sookie Stackhouse books have also been big sellers, boosted by the HBO series "True Blood" that debuted at last fall and had an average viewership of 2 million, according to Nielsen Co. A second season, which again stars Anna Paquin, is scheduled to start June 14. The show was created by Alan Ball, who wrote the screenplay for "American Beauty" and later served as executive producer for HBO's "Six Feet Under."

Ace Books, an imprint of Pearson Plc's Penguin Group (USA), says it has issued 400,000 copies of "Dead and Gone" -- and that there are more than 8 million copies of the nine-book Sookie Stackhouse series in print.

Ms. Harris, 57 years old, has written nearly 30 novels, including three other mystery series. She lives in Magnolia, Ark., where she says there aren't any supernatural creatures "that I know of."

The Wall Street Journal: What accounts for the fascination with vampires in this country?

Charlaine Harris: America is obsessed with youth. We all want to look young forever, and vampires do. They are caught in their prime, if that's when they've been turned. And they'll be that way forever.

WSJ: How did the HBO "True Blood" series come about?

Ms. Harris: Somebody had an earlier option on the Sookie books, but it didn't come to anything. Most writers go through this once or twice in their careers. When that option expired, I had three more offers. One was from Alan Ball, who convinced me that he understood what I was doing with the books. If I wanted the spirits of the books represented as I'd written them, he said, his was the offer I should take. And I've been so happy with the choices he has made.

WSJ: Do you have any input in the show?

Ms. Harris: No, I'm on the sidelines, and I'm happy to be there. I have plenty to do. He doesn't tell me how to write my books, and I don't tell him how to run his series.

WSJ: What did you make of the show's racy material?

Ms. Harris: The sex scenes startled me very much. There are sex scenes in the book, but not as many as in the show. The books are all written in the first person, so when Sookie's brother leaves a scene [for a romantic encounter], you don't see what goes on. But you do with the show, and that took some getting used to at first.

WSJ: How did people you know react?

Ms. Harris: I live in a really conservative town. I thought, oh my gosh, people will just hate the series because it shows so much skin. But so far, so good. They don't seem to be objecting too much. Or if they do, they are too polite to tell me about it, which I really appreciate.

WSJ: Did your life change after Sookie became a hit on TV?

Ms. Harris: Yes, my sales have become incredible. That's been the biggest change -- I have a lot more money. Of course with being better known comes some problems, too. On occasion a yo-yo person approaches you and wants to be your best friend. They feel they already know you because they've read your work. It's part of becoming well-known in America. It's been more puzzling and bewildering than frightening. I'm a middle-class former housewife who goes to my daughter's softball games.

WSJ: You were born in Tunica, Miss. How did your Southern heritage affect your writing style?

Ms. Harris: I'm very much a product of my raising and the place I was born. It's had a complete influence on my work, especially in the topics I write about. I almost never set my books in cities because I like the small-town setting. And I almost always have Southern characters. I try not to write in dialect because it looks condescending. But I retain the Southern speech pattern, in which people change their verb tenses sometimes, or tend to add extra words to their sentences. And they tend to elaborate on things a little more.

“The closer I got to the vampire bar, the more my pulse picked up. This was the downside to the blood bond I had with Eric Northman.” Read an excerpt from "Dead and Gone"

WSJ: You set the Sookie Stackhouse series in Bon Temps, La. Did you think that the South's conservative, religious heritage would sharpen the drama?

Ms. Harris: That was one of the reasons I set it where I did.

WSJ: Sookie preaches an unwavering message of diversity. Were you having a little fun with political correctness?

Ms. Harris: Yes, humor is my way of dealing with the unpleasant parts of the world, I guess. I amuse myself very much with my own books.

WSJ: Are there any Southern writers who inspired or motivated you?

Ms. Harris: I don't really trust the word inspiration but there have been some wonderful Southern writers I admired. Truman Capote was a great writer. Margaret Maron is a very successful and revered mystery writer. Joan Hess, who lives in Arkansas, is a sardonic writer I admire very much. And James Lee Burke is fantastic.

WSJ: What is the appeal of genre fiction, is it that we take comfort in the familiar?

Ms. Harris: I think we enjoy seeing the familiar become unfamiliar. Also, it's an escape, which people need, especially now. They need to get away from the very real troubles and confusions of everyday life and they need to escape to a place where justice triumphs.

WSJ: You've written a numbers of series over your career. Are you thinking of ending this one, and starting something new?

Ms. Harris: I'm still entertained by Sookie. It's not so much the writing that is exhausting as everything else. I do three interviews a week. I get back copy-edited manuscripts that I need to reread. I stop by my Web site every day. There is always some task waiting to be accomplished.

Write to Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg at jeffrey.trachtenberg@wsj.com

Harris' 'Dead to Worse' arriving in paperback (Charlaine Harris)

From Monroe, LA The News Star --

Harris' 'Dead to Worse' arriving in paperback --

March 22, 2009 --

Good new for Sookie Stackhouse lovers. The paperback version of "From Dead to Worse" by Charlaine Harris, the No. 8 book in the Southern Vampire Series and the literary origins of the HBO series "True Blood," will be released in paperback at the end of March.

Hot on its tail will be the hardback release of "Dead and Gone," the ninth book of the series.

"From Dead to Worse" finds Sookie back in Bon Temps after the terrorized attack on a vampire convention. The small town has its own problems, however, with a political split in the werewolf pack of Shreveport, the Louisiana vampires regrouping after Katrina devastated the queen's home in New Orleans and an old and beautiful fairy with streaks of the frightening visiting Sookie. Jason, Sookie's brother, is up to his usual irresponsible antics, Sookie's boss Sam shifts into something besides a dog this time and another witch joins Sookie's roommate to add to the mix.

If this all sounds convoluted, you haven't read a Sookie Stackhouse book. Harris throws at this poor telepathic girl every paranormal being in mythology and fiction, placing us in her shoes and being equally astonished at what she sees, yet provides us with good laughs and endless entertaining suspense.

Every book opens up a new world as well. By the time you get to the end, all of Sookie's love interests have developed in new ways, tension starts anew and suddenly her family has grown by two. Don't miss it.

And according to the jacket of "Dead and Gone," it looks like the weres may be coming out of the — woods? — and a war is brewing with "a race of unhuman beings." The book will be out in stores in May, just before HBO starts up the next season of "True Blood."


Acadiana resident Cheré Coen is an author and instructor of creative writing at UL's Continuing Education. Visit her Web site at www.LouisianaBookNews.com and write her at bacoen@cox.net.

Get ready for True Blood (Charlaine Harris)

From Manila Standard Today --

Get ready for True Blood --

By Deni Rose M. Afinidad --
Contributor --

They say it’s the adult Twilight, but to some, it’s no more than the wannabe Twilight. One thing is certain though, True Blood is such a hit in the United States, it would be a pity not to bring it to the Philippines.

So, guys, it’s now here!

True Blood Season 1 will be premiering on HBO Asia’s new channel, Max, on April 9 at 9 p.m. This original HBO production brought lead star Anna Paquin to her recent Golden Globe win for Best Actress in a Television Series-Drama. The series was created by Six Feet Under’s Alan Ball, based on the New York Times bestseller Sookie Stackhouse novels of Charlaine Harris about the tale of a perky waitress with telepathic gifts and an irresistible attraction to a vampire named Bill Compton.

“This is a dream role for me,” says Paquin who plays Sookie Stockhouse.

“She’s fragile but very intuitive; she’s had a really hard life, but she’s still innocent. She believes in love, and believes that it’s actually possible, even in circumstances that seem completely impossible. She’s brave, she doesn’t mind being the odd one out… Life’s kicked her pretty hard, but she hasn’t become bitter and she hasn’t become a totally damaged person. I think it’s an amazing quality to be able to roll with the punches and not be totally ruined as a person because life’s been rough for you. That’s a really admirable way to go through your life,” Anna says of her character.

Apart from Paquin whose first claim to fame is her portrayal of Rogue in the X-Men films, the saga stars The Starter Wife’s Stephen Moyer as Bill Compton; Summerland’s Ryan Kwanten as Sookie’s womanizing brother Jason; Rutina Wesley as the outspoken Tara Thornton; Judging Amy’s Sam Trammell as Sookie’s good-hearted boss Sam Merlotte, Nelsan Ellis (The Inside) as the iconic cook Lafayette Reynolds; and Alexander Skarsgård (HBO’s Generation Kill) as Eric, a Nordic vampire.

“I loved the way it was funny and scary and sexy and romantic, and it had a lot of interesting things to say about what it’s like to be other than mainstream. And it’s not just the vampires: Sookie is a telepath, and there are other non-human characters in the story,” says Ball on what made him want to turn Harris’ book into a sequence.

According to him, the first season is the first book in the series, with some new stories created for the characters of Jason, Tara and Sam to provide balance.

“One of the things I love about Charlaine’s books is the way she treats the supernatural world so matter-of-factly. We’re trying to do the same thing in our production design and the way we shoot everything. We want to keep the supernatural rooted in nature, so that it’s just more nature than we’re used to in everyday life,” says Ball, adding that he has been trying to avoid all the vampire clichés.

“I watched just about every vampire movie, and most of them told me what I don’t want to do. I wanted to avoid the crazy contact lenses, the opera music, the blue light… I want it to be rooted in the characters, and seem like it could be really happening, and not some fantasy world,” he explains.

In addition to Ball, the series gathers the directors of some of today’s big hits: John Dahl (Rounders), Nick Gomez (The Shield), Anthony Hemingway (HBO’s The Wire), Michael Lehmann (HBO’s Big Love), Daniel Minahan (Grey’s Anatomy), Nancy Oliver (writer, Lars and the Real Girl), Marcos Siega (Veronica Mars), and Scott Winant (Hidden Palms).

Unapologetic and irreverent, True Blood is a radical option for those who feel Twilight is teeny-bopper. This Max series has all the ingredients of a hit-maker: sex, action, mystery, violence, suspense, and rock and roll.

Even before the series’ local premiere, it has already created a following among Filipinos. Some have even recorded the series’ opening song and made it their ringtone!

Indeed, it was so popular that in conjunction with its Asian premiere, HBO Asia has also launched an online game, Fang Fighter, available at www.cinemaxasia.com/trueblood. Players of the game will take on the character of a vampire who has to defeat various opponents standing in his way.

Max, which will hold True Blood’s Asian premiere, is a re-branding what was originally Cinemax. It targets a generally male market through genre-driven action, sci-fi and suspense programs presented with a bold, direct, and unapologetic attitude.

“True Blood has a much lighter tone. It’s more of an adventure. It’s a story you’ve never seen before and a world you’ve never seen before. It’s fun. It’s a show I would watch,” says Ball on why people ought to sink their teeth into True Blood, no pun intended.