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January 13th, 2009
I recently had the privilege of a brief interview with the author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels, which were adapted into the HBO show - True Blood. Mrs. Harris is a talented writer who has brought vampires into the modern age in a sophisticated and relevant way, and True Blood on HBO is the latest television work from creator Alan Ball.
YFS:
“First off, what was the impetus for writing the The Sookie Stackhouse stories?”
Charlaine Harris:
“I’d been writing conventional mysteries for many years, and I wanted a career change and a personal challenge.”
YFS:
“What is it about the vampire mythos that remain so intriguing to readers/viewers?”
Charlaine Harris:
“I think everyone’s interested in immortality, especially in this youth-obsessed society. Also, the image of the vampire is inextricable from one of the favorite images in American romance, the “bad boy.” He’s secretly sensitive and (amazingly) senses how special YOU are, when that’s not apparent to others around you. Under his rough exterior lurks someone who’ll defend you to the death, etc.”
YFS:
“The character name Sookie Stackhouse is one of the most colorful and memorable character names I have ever heard or read. How did you come up with such an interesting lead character?”
Charlaine Harris:
“It took a lot of mental work to build Sookie. I built her backwards, once I’d decided I wanted to write about a girl who was dating a vampire. After that basic decision, I had to answer a series of questions about her — Why was she doing such a dangerous thing? Why couldn’t she date the guy who works at the filling station? The answer, that Sookie had a disability that made a regular dating career impossible, led to another series of questions. In the end, I arrived at Sookie’s life situation and her character.”
YFS: “How did your books turn into one of the best new shows on HBO? What was the process, from your perspective, of having the novels translated to the television format? And how involved are you with the production process?”
Charlaine Harris: “I’m not involved in the production process at all. In return, Alan doesn’t tell me how to write my books. It works for us.
Alan read the books and loved them, his agent called my agent, and after the previous option on the books expired, we made a deal. Alan assured me he would stay true to the spirit of the novels, and I knew that strict adherence to my text would not be filmable. I knew going in there would be changes. I enjoy being surprised.”
YFS: “What’s next for you? What new things are you writing on, and will you be working on anything we can expect to see on film or TV in the future?”
Charlaine Harris: “I’ve finished Sookie Nine (DEAD AND GONE) and it’ll be on the shelves in May. I have a Harper Connelly novel, the fourth, in October. I’m in an anthology called MUST LOVE HELLHOUNDS, which should be out in September or October. Some of my books are being looked at for film projects, but that’s an ongoing process.”
YFS: “Favorite vampire movie?”
Charlaine Harris: “Hmmmm. I don’t think I’ve got a favorite. There were things I liked about several vampire movies, but there were also flaws that I disliked. I have to say that “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV show has been my favorite.”
Big thanks to Mrs. Harris for speaking to us. If you missed the first season of True Blood, be sure to catch up on one of the hottest new shows before next season. Also, visit Charlaine’s website for more info on her novels : http://www.charlaineharris.com/
–Jeremy http://www.yourfilmsucks.com/
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