Charlaine Harris became a household name when her #1 New York Times bestselling Sookie Stackhouse novels became the inspiration for HBO’s hit drama True Blood. Last year, Harris delighted fans once again withMIDNIGHT CROSSROAD, the first book in an all-new series that takes place in the same world as a Sookie Stackhouse.
Midnight Crossroad can be seen as a mash-up of ‘Harper Connelly’ and ‘Lily Bard’ with a bit of the Sookie Stackhouse universe thrown into the mix. Can you tell us a bit about it and why you decided to bring some of these old characters into this new universe?
I like to think of it as its own thing, with a character from the Harper books, one from the Lily books, one from the Aurora books, and (later in the series) one from the Sookie books. These were characters I missed. I wanted to find out what they were doing now, and how they’d aged. And as it happened, I had roles for them to fill in Midnight.
I guess you could call Midnight Crossroad a supernatural mystery. Is it the mystery or supernatural part you enjoy writing the most and why do you think the combination is such a huge hit among your readers? Would you say you are somewhat moving back to the mystery side of your writing with this series?
Definitely this series is more mystery based than the Sookie novels, though each of those contained a central mystery. I did want to revisit my roots, since I started out as a conventional mystery writer. If I’d had any idea the combination would be such a hit, I would have done it much earlier! I love the combination of the two elements because it makes such a rich mix, and it’s so much fun to write. I try never to have my characters solve a mystery solely by supernatural means, though.
The second book in the series, Day Shift is being released in May. Can you give us a sneak peak into what we have coming?
I’m not much for giving peeks. But readers will find out more of the secrets of the town’s inhabitants, and there will be some gory action.
Would you say this series has been more challenging or different to write? Here we have multiple POV and male protagonists whereas previously you have written more female heroines.
This series has been SO MUCH harder to write. Not only are there multiple points of view, there are males, as you’ve pointed out. My previous series were told from the first person, which is such a unified (yet limiting) way to write. But I needed to do something very different to shake myself up.
I guess you get asked this a lot, but I have to ask. How has your life changed since True Blood became such a hugely popular TV Series?
I do get asked that a lot, and I always say, “Now I have more money.” Which is true, but also a simplification. The money comes not from the television rights, but from the increased book sales, for most writers. That’s certainly true for me. And with the increased visibility of me as a person came being a more tempting target for haters. Life has been easier for me in some respects since the show concluded, though of course I miss seeing the cast and crew.
What was your first reaction when you heard your Sookie Stackhouse books would be turned into the True Blood TV series?
I was as excited as a person can be. Of course, Alan is such a great guy and a great talent: I definitely picked the best offer. My next television series is with the Hallmark Movies and Mystery Channel, two-hour adaptations of my convention Aurora Teagarden series, and I am much calmer about this adventure, because of the previous experience.
Have you ever struggled between what you would like to happen to a character and what you considered more sensible to occur? Can you tell us when and what did you do at last?
Yes, I can, though often I prefer to forget my changes of plan. I wrote a great death scene for Bill Compton in – I think – DEAD AND GONE, and then I thought the better of it. He was a valuable character and one I needed in later books. It sure was a good death scene, though, full of nobility and self-sacrifice. Sigh.
How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?
Ha ha ha. I wish. I don’t have a formula, but I do think books have a rhythm, and you have to throw in some excitement at regular intervals. My characters are who I need them to be to get the plot moved along, but I have to say, developing characters is the most fun.
How do you feel you have evolved as a writer throughout your career?
I certainly hope I have done that. I’m used to making 300 decisions a day, which is what writers have to do. At least I make them more quickly now. And I think I’m better at establishing a good start and a good finish. Middles, I still need to work on.
On some of your projects you have worked with other authors, Christopher Golden among others. Can you tell us a bit about your experience collaborating with other authors?
I’ve worked with Chris and with Roxanne Conrad (Rachel Caine). Both experiences were very good, so I’m not scared of doing it again. Chris and Roxanne are both (a) great writers and (b) very nice people, so I actually enjoyed the process. And I think I learned a lot in the process, both about how to write a graphic novel (with Chris), and how to inject my own voice into someone else’s work so it blends and the product turns out to be better (the short story I wrote with Roxanne).
For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books?
When I’m traveling, it’s ebooks all the way to save luggage weight. When I’m at home it’s traditional books. The first thing I started buying when I began making any money I could consider “extra” was books. It’s still my big luxury.
What kind of books do you read, any favourite authors?
I read across the board, mysteries and fantasy, science fiction and biographies, and every now and then a romance or horror. I am a huge fan of a long list of writers. A few of them are Naomi Novik, Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Kate Atkinson, Lee Child, Ben Aaronovitch, Suzanne McLeod, and Benedict Jacka.
What do you do when you’re not writing, any hobbies?
Ahhh . . . well, reading! We have three rescue dogs, down from four, and three adult children and two grandchildren, so that all keeps us quite busy.
What’s next, what are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on the third Midnight book, NIGHT SHIFT. Chris Golden and I have just finished the third Cemetery Girl graphic novel (the second will be out Oct. 15). I just wrote a short story for a charity anthology, and I’m writing one now that I’ll send in to EQMM, with my fingers crossed. Chris and I are due to collaborate on a vampire story. And I’m going to write two chapters of a collaborative novel.
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Interview by Dag Rambraut – SFFWorld.com © 2015
