The otherworldly lives of vampires in literature have rarely been hardscrabble. But author Charlaine Harris turned the world of bloodsucking bluebloods and counts upside down when she set telepathetic barmaid Sookie Stackhouse — and her adventures in fending off paranormal attentions — in a workaday environ of trailer parks and Walmarts. Harris’s books have resonated in a way that something truly unique always does. TV producers came calling, and she hit #1 in the New York Times bestseller list. At the outset of this Halloween week, the author of the books behind True Blood and Midnight, Texas, spoke with Lone Star Lit via email about the amazing success she has experienced.

LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE: You were born and raised in Mississippi and spent time in Arkansas, Charlaine; now you call Texas home. How have the places you’ve lived influenced your writing?

CHARLAINE HARRIS: I’m a true daughter of the South. Every place I’ve lived (including South Carolina), no matter how different the regional accents, confirms that some traditions do  hold true throughout. Good manners and hospitality are two of those norms, as is a toleration of the odd (within certain boundaries). Southern people talk slower, but they don’t think slower. I’m afraid the South is changing, becoming more homogenized, and I’m sad to see it. On the other hand, the social changes necessary to bring the South into this time are moving along, though slower than I would have imagined.

What authors did you enjoy reading growing up?

I read a lot of Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Carolyn Keene, Louisa May Alcott . . . plus anything else I could lay my hands on. It was hard for my parents to keep me in books.

Did you always want to be a writer? Or— when did you know that you wanted to be a writer?

I always wanted to be a writer. That was my secret identity. It remained secret for a good many years!

What was your first big break?

My first big break was getting published at all. I was very fortunate in that my first book was published by a major house, Houghton Mifflin. My second big break was finding my agent, Joshua Bilmes. At the time, he was struggling even more than I was. We grew together. My third big break was writing the right book at the right moment, Dead until Dark.

What’s it like to have your work turned into a television series — first with True Blood and then Midnight, Texas? For our readers who aren’t familiar with the two book series, perhaps you could describe them.

I’ve also had my Aurora Teagarden books produced as a series of two-hour mysteries on the Hallmark Movie and Mystery Channel. Appropriate to that channel’s demographic, the Aurora books are my most conventional series of mysteries, about a small-town librarian in Georgia. The Sookie Stackhouse novels, about a telepathic waitress in Louisiana, were of course made into True Blood, which had a great run on HBO. The three Midnight books have been adapted for NBC, and at the moment we’re waiting to hear if the show will be renewed. The Midnight books are neither as cozy as the Auroras nor as explicit as the Sookie novels. Of course, it’s tremendously flattering to have your books chosen for adaptation, and the process is fascinating. It’s always interesting to see another industry at work, and to see your work through someone else’s eyes. I’ve met many people I never in my life thought I’d meet, from all aspects of the film industry, and been to events that I didn’t even know existed when the process began. It’s been a privilege and a learning curve.

How has publishing changed since you started?

Publishing has changed enormously since I began my career. My first book appeared in 1981, and I wrote it on a typewriter. Not only have the tools writers use changed, but the whole process of submission, of getting an agent, and of editing a  manuscript are completely different. Of course, one of the biggest changes is the rise of self-publishing. When I started out, it was a last resort, and the businesses that would publish memoirs and the like were often deeply shady. Of course, there are still dubious companies in the business that rip off uneducated writers — know your industry! — but there are also many opportunities for self-publishing that actually may turn out to be lucrative and successful.

What’s your creative process like?

The creative process is still complicated and mysterious after all the books I’ve written. I begin with a kernel of an idea, something or someone that interests  me, and the whole book builds around that — from that kernel outward. I am not an outliner, which is both my strength and my weakness. I do work every day I’m physically able. This is my job, and though creativity is a huge part of it, discipline is also a  necessary component.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Advice. I get asked this a lot, as you can imagine, and it can be summed up in two sentences. Close the door and write. Finish the book. That’s it. Don’t keep hopping from idea to idea in the hopes of finding the perfect one. FINISH YOUR BOOK.

What was the best decision you ever made in your career?

The best decision I ever made . . . was to go with my agent, Joshua, rather than stay with the big agency that let him go. My second best decision was to leave the original agent I had on the left coast and sign with APA.

What project are you currently working on?

I’ve turned in the first book of a three-book contract with Simon and Schuster. It’s set in an alternate America with a different history, in 1939, and it’s about a very young woman who is a gun-for-hire. I really like to shake up my topics and my points of view and my genres. Keeps me on my toes creatively.

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