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 Delahoussaye. 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.