Her books tell stories of a world full of vampires, werewolves, witches and shapeshifters. And in every one of her male characters, played on Prime TV’s True Blood by Hollywood hunks Alexander Skarsgård, Stephen Moyer and Joe Manganiello, there’s a little piece of Charlaine Harris’ husband Hal.
“My husband said to say they are all modelled on him,” jokes Charlaine in a thick Southern drawl.
“Certainly my personal experiences provide context and background for everything I write. I don’t think you have to meet a werewolf to be able to imagine how it would feel.”
Charlaine with the cast
The author of the popular Southern Vampire Mysteries series, which spawned the hit TV show True Blood, has an active imagination – but was surprised when Kiwi Anna Paquin was cast as the lead character Sookie Stackhouse.
“I wrote a character about a buxom blonde Southerner and I was surprised when they cast a New Zealander with brown hair, blue eyes and was quite small. But she’s really inhabited the character,” says Charlaine, who recently visited New Zealand to promote her books.
“I’ve met her several times. I think she’s incredibly talented and I’m very fortunate she’s the public face of my character.
Charlaine has just finished penning the last book in the series, Dead Ever After, which is due out next year. She attributes her series’ success to the racy content in the books.
“I think the popularity of the vampire myth comes down to, after so many years, vampires finally got sex right. I think we’re always interested in the mysterious and the exotic.”
Emma Rawson
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
