Charlaine Harris: 5 questions about Sookie, end of the series, killing Bill May 9, 2011

Photo by Sigrid Estrada

Charlaine Harris is smack dab in the middle of her DEAD RECKONING book tour, but she took time out to answer five quick questions from me. As usual, Charlaine  won’t give away  much, but she always tells us a little something! Note — no spoilers or anything. These are just general questions. I’ve posted the rest of her book tour schedule below. For those of you in San Diego, she’ll be signing  DEAD RECKONING — book No. 11 in the Southern Vampire series — at the Mysterious Galaxy bookstore on Tuesday (May 10) at 5 p.m. If you haven’t had  chance to meet her, go hear her talk. She is really fun!

Q. You’ve said you have 2 more books in the series. I once heard that you knew when you started the series that you
wrote the ending first. Is that true? And — won’t you miss Sookie? Isn’t she a big part of your life?
A. It’s not true that I wrote the ending first, but it’s one of the first passages that came to me when I began writing the books. I did know very early how the series would end. I’ll miss Sookie, who’s been with me for so many years, but I also look forward to new creations.

Q. Is it true that you once thought about killing off Bill?
A. I thought about it and went so far as to write the scene, which was GREAT. But in the end it seemed like the wrong decision and I cut it out. Normally, no one would know about this –I’m just fond of writing death scenes — but unfortunately, it leaked.

Q. True Blood. I know you like the character of Jessica. Why? Any other characters you like in the series that you don’t ‘have in your books?
A. I think Jessica is a perfect foil for Bill, and it would have been fun to write her. I’m pretty content with the books as they are, for the most part.

Q. Can you talk about how your life has changed — or not — since the success of your book series and later the HBO show? Is it harder now to juggle writing and speaking engagements etc? Do fans stop you at the grocery store to ask about Sookie/Eric/Bill?
A. Yes, yes,  yes. My life has changed for the better (I have more money) and it’s more complicated, since the books and the television show have become more successful. My time just gets eaten up by extra stuff that has nothing to do with the writing. These are great problems to have! But problems, nonetheless.

Q. Do you think your vampires can really, truly love? They’ve been around for so long. But can they really love — especially a human?
A. Isn’t that the big question?

DEAD RECKONING BOOK TOUR

DENVER, CO
Wednesday, May 11, 7:00 PM – TATTERED COVER BOOK STORE, 1628 16th St, Denver, CO 80202, 303-322-1965

KANSAS CITY, MO
Thursday, May 12, 7:00 PM – BARNES & NOBLE, 4751 West 117th Street, Leawood, KS 66211, 913-491-4535

HOUSTON, TX
Friday, May 13, 12:00 PM – MBTB AUTHOR LUNCHEON SERIES, The Briar Club, 2603 Timmons Lane, Houston, TX 77027, 713-524-8597 or 1-(888)- AGATHA – This event is ticketed and limited to 200 people, the ticket includes the purchase of a book.

Friday, May 13, 6:30 PM – MURDER BY THE BOOK, 2342 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX 77005, 713-524-8597 or 1-(888)- AGATHA

KNOXVILLE, TN
Saturday, May 14 – WJXB-FM AUTHOR SERIES, Knoxville, TN, 865-656-2975 – Exact location to come. B&N will be handling booksales

INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Sunday, May 15, 3:00 PM – BARNES & NOBLE, 14709 US Hwy 31 North, Carmel, IN 46032, 317-844-2501

DETROIT, MI
Monday, May 16, 7:30 PM – NICOLA’S BOOKS, The Michigan Theater, 603 East Liberty Street, Ann Arbor, MI 98104, 734-662-0600