The correct answer is, not entirely. I pick up on bits and pieces of people as I go through life: a physical trait, a speech habit, a character flaw or strength. I build my minor characters (though no character is really minor) based on an accumulation of observations.
Bubba seems to like keeping to himself, but I imagine he can get lonely at times. Would he ever consider creating a companion by turning one of those cats he’s so fond of?
—LINDSEY NEELY
I got a lot of questions about Bubba, so let me just condense this answer. (Animals can’t become vampires in my mythology, by the way.) Bubba does like to keep to himself. He still loves to perform, when he’s in the mood, but he hates to be reminded of his former status, so characters don’t mention his life name. Most vampires have gone through several names since they died, since they’re constantly reinventing themselves, by the way. They had to, before they were able to come out of the coffin. But Bubba will stick to Bubba.
How long did Eric know about Bill’s “mission” to seduce Sookie for Sophie-Anne ? And why didn’t he arrange for her to find out about it earlier?
—LADA KYST
Bill’s mission was not to seduce Sookie; it was to investigate Sookie and verify her power. Seduction was just one option in his investigation. Bill was the obvious guy for the job since he already had a home in Bon Temps. Though Bill came to Bon Temps on this assignment for the queen, Eric did not know what Bill’s specific mission was until he arrived in New Orleans in Definitely Dead. For several different reasons, Eric forced Bill to tell Sookie that he’d had a hidden agenda.
This has been bugging me lately. Did Bill set the Rattrays up? It seems that a vampire would know better than to go with strangers, and he should have been able to overpower them or at least put up a struggle. Also, did he offer Sookie the blood that the Rats drained from him so that she would have a connection to him, which he got anyway when he healed her later?
—JANEL SMITH
Bill did not set the Rattrays up. He should have known better than to go with them, but he was sure they were offering blood and sex. He misread the situation and was taken by surprise. He offered Sookie the blood because it would have been a big clue to her character if she’d taken it.
Did you originally intend the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mysteries to be more in the mystery vein, like your previous novels, and instead did you find that they snowballed into a much more intricate supernatural creature than you originally planned?
—STACY WHITMORE
Yes. Before the Sookie novels, my experience had been exclusively in mystery. I did intend each book to contain a separate murder mystery, but as the series grew, that became impractical.
I am interested in the editing process Ms. Harris goes through with her Sookie books. Does she overwrite and then pare down, or sketch and fill in? Does she go back after writing and say, no, Sookie would not do that/ say it that way? Would her editor ever question why Sookie is doing or saying things, or is that the author’s determination?
—DOROTHY BAKER
Editing is a critical part of the writing process; in fact, it may be the most important part. I wish I overwrote and had to pare down. My problem is the opposite. I tend to write very close to the bone as far as my word count goes. Certainly, I backtrack, delete sections, and steer Sookie in different directions, but after being with her for so many books, it’s second nature to me to step into Sookie’s skin. My editor certainly does ask questions about the various characters’ motivations, and if I can’t answer them, I’ve taken a misstep that I have to correct.
Will Sookie have a happy-ever-after? And if not, why not? I have heard that you said she will not have an HEA, but that seems so harsh for the heroine we all love.
—SHARON KNAUER
I think this rumor arises from comments I made while on a panel at Romantic Times. The point I was trying to make is this: Many romance novels have a black-and-white conclusion. Love conquers all, and the good people are all happy. The bad people get what’s coming to them. And it’s clear what category the characters fall into. There’s nothing wrong with this scenario. It can be wonderfully satisfying reading. But the conclusion of Sookie’s story may not be like this. Some characters will be happy, but some won’t, and all my characters have both good and bad in their natures. There’s no way to write an ending to this series that will satisfy all my readers. I can only be true to my own vision of the books.
Your fantasy world of the Sookie Stackhouse series includes many mythical beings: vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, fairies. Was this because of any outright decision to make sure nothing would be related to actual life (i.e., no political commentary, etc.)?
—BRET STEARNS
On the contrary, I think the books are full of commentary, though I see it as social rather than political. I’m writing about mythical creatures, but that doesn’t mean they can’t represent something else. I definitely have an agenda. But I am also happy for the books to be read as the adventure novels they are. I don’t answer questions about my own politics. If the reader “gets” it, great. If not, I think the books are a lot of fun anyway.
Is there a possibility of the fae extending Sookie’s life so she will age less quickly? I know you said that Sookie will not become a vampire; do you still feel that way now that True Blood and the Sookie novels have a cultlike following?
—SOMMER STRACHAN
These questions both relate to things I’ve said often and publicly. Sookie’s little dash of fae blood will not extend her life, nor will she become a vampire. No matter what happens on True Blood, and no matter how popular the books get, my vision for Sookie has not changed.
In previous books Sookie has had brushes with evil and has lost loved ones to supernatural as well as garden-variety evil. These losses toughen her little by little. In Dead and Gone, Sookie herself experiences radical evil as she is tortured nearly to death by her sadistic captors. Large pieces are torn from her in both the literal and the abstract. I think this was shocking to many readers. Why did you decide to take Sookie’s narrative to such a dark place? Her horrible experience has definitely stiffened her resolve to protect those she loves by being more proactive (if a little ruthless) instead of defensive.
—BRIDGET PAGE
I’m not always sure why I make the decisions I do, but in this case I knew that eventually Sookie’s involvement with the supernatural world would lead to something irrevocable happening to her. And when something terrible has happened, she must change as a result. It would be amazing if she didn’t. To me, that’s one of the most interesting parts of writing: following the character through growth and change.
Through all the books, anything seems possible to the imagination. Did you ever think of a story line that made you think again and not include it because it was too far-fetched?
—ESTHER SCHMIDT
Yes, I did. I had worked out a fantastic story line in which Niall was actually Sookie’s father instead of her great-grandfather, but I’d already said too much that contradicted that for it to be a viable part of the mythology. I had a happy two hours thinking it through, though, before “reality” set in. I’ve also written some passages that my editor deemed too gross to include. No, don’t ask!
If Sookie inherited her telepathy as a fairy power from her grandmother’s foray into fairy blood, how is it that her cousin Hunter has it, too, unless Gran had another child of fairy descent? Who are Hadley’s parents? There’s virtually no reference to them in the books, yet Hunter must have fairy blood.
—EILEEN PRESCOTT
Though Sookie didn’t exactly inherit the telepathy from her grandmother’s lover (there is more about this in Dead Reckoning and possibly in the books to come after), Hunter has a dash of fairy blood through his mom, Hadley, Sookie’s first cousin. Hunter’s parents are Remy Savoy and Hadley Delahoussaye. Hadley is the daughter of Adele Stackhouse’s daughter, Linda (who died of uterine cancer), and Linda’s husband, Carey Delahoussa
ye. Hunter is Adele’s great-grandson. This has been asked so frequently I felt I had to address it.
You adapted the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina into Sookie’s story. Do you feel that this event drastically changed your vision of the story? How much of a challenge was it to adapt if necessary?
—JENNIFER MORGAN
The main effect of the inclusion of Hurricane Katrina has been the changes in the timeline of the books. Now they’re taking place in the past instead of in an indeterminate present, since Sookie’s life is anchored to a real-time event. You’ll see timelines in the “Life in Bon Temps” section of this book. When Katrina occurred, I decided it would be disrespectful to the many people affected by it if I left such a disaster out of the narrative of the books. I stick by that decision.
As a pagan and practicing witch, I was very happy to see Wiccans portrayed in a positive light in your books, and not as Satan-worshipping crazy people, which has been my experience. What kind of research did you do to develop your Wiccan characters in the book, and did it change your view of non-Christians, being a Christian yourself?
—WENDY CARROLL
I did a lot of research into both witchcraft and Wicca so I could write about them with some authenticity. There are differences in the two, and I wanted to be accurate. Since I’m a Christian, I feel obliged to try hard to be fair, open-minded, and nonjudgmental; that’s my interpretation of our creed. I’m convinced that there are people who are both good and evil in every classification, whether it be racial, political, or spiritual—and quite often these contradictory traits are combined in one person.
There seems to be so many vampire mythologies. Some can walk in the sun, some can’t; some don’t have a problem with garlic, some do; etc. How did you choose which mythologies to take inspiration from? Why are the vampires in your series the way they are?
—LUCIA MATEO
The glib answer is, “Because that’s the way I needed them to be.” It’s true that there are a lot of vampire mythologies, and in general I followed the classical Dracula pattern, with a dash of Anne Rice’s and Laurell K. Hamilton’s. However, I had to pick and choose among these other mythologies for what would work for my own storytelling purposes. I hope I’ve come up with my very own version. My vampires are the way they are because that’s what moves Sookie’s story forward.
When you started writing this series—which started off as one book—did you have in mind a story arc for Sookie to go on?
—BARBARA CRAMER
When I wrote the first Sookie book, I had no idea I’d ever get to write another one. I did have ideas about things I’d like to do with the characters, and most of those ideas I’ve been able to incorporate into her story. I have a few surprises left, I hope. From early in the series, I have known how I’ll end it.
Eric’s character seems to resonate so very well with the female population, myself included. Where did his character come from? Is he your dream man or a product of the plot? Is Alexander Skarsgard what you imagined Eric to be like?
—MARIANNE MCCLEARY
Eric has surprised me over and over. When I began establishing him, I thought it would be fun to include a Viking as a counterpoint to Bill, my Civil War veteran. In many ways, Eric is Bill’s opposite, absolutely on purpose. Around that time, I happened to see a movie called The Thirteenth Warrior, based on a Michael Crichton book. I thought the actor Vladimir Kulich (a Czechoslovakian who plays Viking leader Buliwyf) was a great presence—commanding, regal, determined (and handsome). Although Eric is not completely based on Kulich’s portrayal of Buliwyf, the film character was certainly a factor in fine-tuning Eric. The process of character building is a mysterious one, not least to the writer. So, no; Alexander is not exactly what I imagined Eric to be like, but then, no one is.
Would you ever consider bringing someone from the Sookieverse into a different author’s books? Maybe Dresden Files . . . Amelia could be in the Witch Network for New Orleans. . . .
—KRISTINA MINCEY
Jim Butcher would have a few things to say about that, and so would his lawyer. As much fun as such a crossover sounds, not only would I have to agree with the other writer on how such a “visit” would be accomplished, but we’d have to figure out how to blend two different worlds in a seamless way and reconcile two separate publishers (in some cases, though Jim and I have the same publishing house), two separate agents, and two separate contracts. There’s a lot more to consider than the fun of it—which would be considerable.
Would you ever do a spin-off series based on any of the characters in your books?
—JOHN BONFIGLIO
I don’t have any plans for that right now, but I certainly don’t rule it out. I will not write the same story from another point of view, which is a related question I get frequently.
As a writer, is it hard to “not bring the work home”? Do you plot literary murders over breakfast? Take a pause to write down an idea while watching a movie? Miss sleep while wondering how to tie up a loose end?
—SILJE ARSETH
I do plot murders over breakfast, and while I’m in the car, and while I’m on planes. I have ideas all the time—when I’m showering, when I’m doing the dishes, when I’m having phone conversations . . . and I apologize to the person on the other end of the conversation, here and now. I don’t miss a lot of sleep, but sometimes I think over what I’ve written during the day as I’m drifting off to sleep or just waking up, and I’ve gotten some resolutions to problems at those times. The trick is remembering them long enough to get them into the book.
I’ve just finished reading Dead in the Family, and I was somewhat confused that Sookie can feel Eric, Alexei, and Appius Livius Ocella in the bond—but not Pam. If they are all from the same blood, surely Pam should be present in the bond between Eric and Sookie.
—PATRICIA DE VRIES
The bond works “up.” Sookie can feel the one she’s bonded with (Eric) and his maker, and therefore the maker’s other child (Alexei) . . . but she can’t feel “down,” which would be Eric’s children or Alexei’s child, if he’d ever sired one.
In Sookie’s world, can vampires be brought back to human life once they are made vampire?
—SALLY JOHNS
No. They’ve already died, so life is not an option for them.
If a vampire has been publicly found guilty of killing a human, will he or she be tried in human court?
—BRIAN COTTRELL
Yes, unless the vampires catch him or her first. They don’t want bad publicity, and such a trial would definitely be detrimental to the image they’re trying to project—if the guilty vampire simply killed from overfeeding or for the pleasure of it. However, if the vampire was being attacked by a group of Drainers, the vampire hierarchy would be glad to see the trial, since it would send a message to those who were thinking of doing the same thing.
It is well-known that when vamps cry, it is blood. So my question is, Do vamps go to the bathroom? We also know that vamps are very sexually active, so if they cry blood, what is in place of their “other” bodily fluids? Is this why Sookie couldn’t get pregnant?
—JENNIFER VAN HORN
I got lots of questions about vampire bodily fluids, so I guess I have to respond. Vampires do cry blood. Their sexual emissions are tinged with blood, too. Males and females are sterile because birth (and engendering birth) are processes of living, as is using the bathroom. Vampires only ingest blood (though they may occasionally sip a nonblood drink), and they use every bit of the blood as fuel.
During the ride to look for Bill, Alcide tells Sookie that bitten Weres, or the half-man, half-wolf Weres, “don’t live long, poor things.” Does this apply to the werepanthers as well? What does it mean for Jason?
—SANDY SMITH
In some packs, the halfies are killed as soon as they’re discovered. Other packs allow them to live, but running with the pack engenders a lot of wear and tear on bodies that don’t heal as quickly as pureblood bodies. (By the w
ay, this is where the legend of the Yeti and of Bigfoot came from: sightings of halfies.) Though Jason has a good chance of remaining a very healthy and vigorous man when his friends are starting to slow down, his life span will not be as long as if he had not been bitten.
A Guide to the World of Sookie Stackhouse
BY VICTORIA KOSKI
Codes for Sookie Stackhouse novels:
DUD: Dead Until Dark
LDID: Living Dead in Dallas
CD: Club Dead
DTTW: Dead to the World
DAAD: Dead as a Doornail
DD: Definitely Dead
ATD: All Together Dead
FDTW: From Dead to Worse
DAG: Dead and Gone