How much of Sookie’s personality is a reflection of yours, or is she more like an alter ego?
—JESSICA SMITH
There are definitely elements of Sookie in me—or, more correctly, there are elements of me in her. I think there’s a sliver of me in all my characters. I wish I were as brave as she is!
Is there any limit to the animals Sam can shift into? Can he shift into creatures that are more than one animal (like a hippogriff, perhaps)?
—PATRICIA RUOCCO
Sam can’t shift into mythical animals, and he refuses to shift into the form of another human being. To a true shifter, that’s a disgusting perversion. True shifters almost invariably stick to mammals when they choose their animal form, and most of them have a favorite.
Are some of the minor characters based on people you know/knew?
—SANDRA RUSSELL
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.