Charlaine Harris

answers the Usual Questions

Charlaine Harris (c) Sigrid Estrada

American writer Charlaine Harris has written several popular series over a period of thirty years.

Her Sookie Stackhouse series, which began with Dead Until Dark, inspired the television series True Blood.

Has your interaction with fans, for example, at conventions, affected your work?

Yes, in some ways. Readers' enthusiasm is very energizing. But by the same token, when readers insist that I wrote my books "wrong," it can be very hurtful . . . or exasperating.

Is there any particular incident (a letter, a meeting, a comment that stands out?

Yes. A woman wrote me to tell me that as her mother was dying, she sat in the hospital room and read my books out loud to the mother, and they both got some relief from their situation in laughing over the books and discussing them.

Do you have a favourite author or book (or writer or film or series) that has influenced you or that you return to?

There are so many that I couldn't begin to name them all. Charlotte Bronte, Barbara Paul, Daphne du Maurier, Shirley Jackson, Elizabeth Peters, Robert Crais . . . so many more.

Who is the person you would most like to be trapped in a lift with? or a spaceship?

Probably Lee Child's fictional character Jack Reacher, because he always has a solution for everything.

Who is the person you would most DISlike to be trapped in a lift with? Or a spaceship?

I had one teacher in high school, Mr. Clark, who was the first person I ever simply couldn't stand. I try not to think about him.

What would you pack for space? (Is there a food, beverage, book, teddy bear, etc that you couldn't do without?)

A towel. I've read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy several times!

What is the most important thing you would like to get/achieve from your work?

I would like to feel I achieve what I set out to achieve. I try my hardest. Sometimes I succeed. Sometimes I don't.

What is the special satisfaction of your work?

Are you kidding? I'm getting to do what I always wanted to do, and I get paid for it!

submitted by Charlaine Harris

4 August 2014

For other answers to The Usual Questions Click here

Just the facts:
Born: I was born in Tunica, Mississippi. At that time, it was the poorest county in the United States.
Resides: I live in central Texas.
Bibliography/Awards:
My entire bibliography is on my website. I have won two Anthonys, a Macavity, and several awards from Romantic Times Booklovers, plus some regional awards.

Web site:
www.charlaineharris.com

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