Charlaine Harris - True Blood - interview

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First published on 10 Sep 2009. Updated on 18 Aug 2010.

Charlaine Harris What do you think of True Blood?
I love watching the show. It’s visually rich, the scripts are wonderful, and the casting is intelligent.

Why was Alan Ball the right man to bring the Sookie Stackhouse series to TV?
Alan understands the mixture of blood, fear, love, humour and lust that comprises the books. I knew that from conversation with him and from his track record.

How do you imagine the Tru Blood synthetic blood feeling in the human body?
I never thought of it… I guess, it would be like licking your own blood when you have a cut; just another fluid, with a faintly unpleasant taste.

Do you believe there are vampires in real life?
I know there are people who think they are vampires, though I haven’t got a clue as to whether they actually physiologically need blood or have persuaded themselves that they do. I doubt there are vampires like the ones in my books.

How are the worlds of True Blood and Twilight different?
I leave that up to the readers to decide.

What was your own first exposure to vampires?
Fictional vampires? Dracula, naturally. And then Anne Rice’s wonderful Interview with the Vampire, which changed the fictional world of vampires completely.

Vampire Bill aside, who is your favourite vampire in popular culture?
I think Don Simon Ysidro, from Barbara Hambly’s Those Who Hunt the Knight.

How do you imagine an Australian vampire?
I'm trying to imagine Crocodile Dundee as a vampire and failing! I think an Australian vampire would be very practical and lethal, a no-frills, get-the-job-done sort of vampire.

How well has Sydney boy Ryan Kwanten captured Jason Stackhouse?
He’s made an art form out of being stupid. Seriously, it’s hard to do "stupid" well. Ryan manages the vulnerability, insensitivity, and courage of the character wonderfully. Plus, he’s incredibly easy on the eyes!

How do you get yourself in the mood to write the Sookie books?
I slip back into her skin, and think about her problems from her point of view. After ten books, that’s increasingly easy.

What’s the weirdest request ever made to you by a Sookie Stackhouse fan?
A teenager begged me to be sure not to die before I finished the series, since otherwise she wouldn’t know who Sookie picked as a mate.

How would your Episcopal Church welcome a vampire into its flock?
They would all read up on the needs and habits of vampires so they wouldn’t be impolite, and they’d try to schedule a service or two at night so the vampire could attend.