Charlaine Harris Defends Herself Against Bill-killing Rumours
By CitizenErased on October 30th, 2009| 38 Comments »
Bill Compton will not fade away in Alan's vision
It appears that mild creative differences might have surfaced in the parallel universe of True Blood. I was pretty horrified to read a spoilerific Tweet from the Paley panel discussion we covered for you yesterday from Alan Ball himself, involving the possible fate of Mr Compton in the books.
Yes, those books that cause endless arguments all over the internet, le sigh…anyway, the Tweet read as follows.
Warning, spoilers:
“Stephen Moyer will not be marginalized. The characters of Bill and Sookie may go through some rough patches that may last longer than team Sookie/Bill might like but Bill and Sookie have a connection that will never die in the TV world. I know in the book world that Charlaine had to be talked out of killing Bill in the last book but I’m saying in our world Sookie and Bill have a connection that will not die.”
Gasp, horreur, WHAT? Now when I read the end chapters of Dead and Gone, I suspected Charlaine Harris intended to kill off my favourite character and then had a sudden change of heart, for whatever reason. I read rumours that confirmed my paranoid suspicions, but to hear it from a reliable source was kind of shocking. And it appears that Ms. Harris might be a little pissed at what was said, as she responded to Alan on her forum at www.charlaineharris.com, where she regularly answers questions from fans. Her post read as follows:
“I understand that Alan was commenting on the differences between the future of the series and the plot of the books at Paleyfest, and remarked that I’d been “talked out of” killing Bill. That’s leaving an inaccurate impression with many readers, my moderators have told me.
Unfortunately, in a conversation with Alan some months ago I did tell him that when I was finishing DEAD AND GONE I did consider the possibility that Bill might die in the fairy assault on the field hospital. I did not realize that Alan might remember and repeat my words. During the course of the Sookie series, I’ve considered killing off several characters who haven’t bitten the dust yet and may never. That’s one of the choices a fiction writer considers with every book. And you’ll notice that in the end, I decided that Bill had more story to tell.
So please don’t give Alan’s words any more weight than they’re due, or blow them out of proportion. It never occurred to me that he might repeat a casual remark of mine about a possibility that never came to pass.“
Make of it what you will, whether a cooling in the relationship between the show auteur and the author has occurred, but as a reader (and purchaser) of the books I am allowed to register my disgust that she would even contemplate doing such a thing, particularly considering the bearing such a move might have had on the show. And her explanation doesn’t make me feel much better.
I am comfortable with the twists and turns of Bill’s fate in the books and the show, but killing him off? Not cool at all, ma’am. To destroy one of the main characters in your books that is, in my view, one of the most compelling and fascinating fictional creations in 21st century writing, seems like utter madness and kind of insulting to the loyal readers that love him to bits. Is it too late to ask for a refund?
Have anything to add to this mildly informative rant? Post in the comments below!
I’m horrified. I thought they were just rumours but then this… so sad.
I knew about this some time ago and although I am team Eric/Sookie, I never thought Bill should be killed off. I actually am team Bill/Sookie on the show. Their relationship is a little more intense and passionate on the show which is very nice. But all watchers beware; once we see Eric and Sookie get together, all the Team Bill fans may change their mind! =]
Sorry, chica, but it will be a cold day in hell before I become Team Sookie/Eric! Bill is the one and only, in the books and on the show.
Unlike some, when my loyalties are put on the line, my loyalties don’t change. I preferred Bill in the books and I prefer Bill in the show, not that I don’t find Eric interesting, but….he’s Eric. He’s not the kind of guy you fall for and have a meaningful relationship with, he’s the guy you have fun with and f*ck while you look for the meaningful relationship.
I can’t believe CH thought AB wouldn’t remember something she said about the demise of a main character, something odd there.
I am a Team Bill fan all the way. I am up to Bk 4 but already see Bills character dissappearing in the books. He still is there with all his love for Sookie but after Bk 5 and Erics big reveal she dishes him for good. A pitiful reason. Eric has had his manipulative side emphazises on trueblood and his humour but I see him as manipulative in the books as well. He will have Sookie no matter what.
I am a Bill fan on TV and the books and hope the connection Bill and Sookie have survives on TrueBlood even if it doesn’t in the books. At the end of Bk 9 Sookies Grandfather says “that vampire loves you” and she asks which one. I doubt its Eric. He did not save her. it was BILL.
I for one will never change my mind about Bill and Sookie their relationship is more intense and passionate something that you can hold on to for a lifetime not just some onenighter with a badboy.
This Team Bill girl will always be a Team Bill girl. Doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate Eric or the great storylines that are sure to come with different romantic pairings, but Bill will always be my #1 priority. Reading this stuff makes me really glad that I never read the books. And why would she be pissed that Alan would mention that conversation? Of course he would. It had bearing to the question he was asked. From what I was told Bill HAS been marginalized in the books. He’s had little to no story (again from what I was told) and she thought about the possibility of killing him. I think it was worth mentioning.
And may I say CE, that you held yourself in check admirably.
Yeah CE, I’m with Aem. You’ve shown some hefty restraint right here. Thanks CE, you know we love a good rant!
I think I’ve always thought that CH wanted to kill Bill off so this doesn’t feel like new news to me. The strange thing about this is that she really does seem sort of upset that AB brought it up. Was it a secret? Woman just doesn’t seem to have much fun writing for Bill so she doesn’t do it well or often (MO only). It’s her choice to write anything she wants and our choice to buy/read or not. It sure does look like keeping Bill around is about $$. Personally, I like $ too, so not sure how upset I can be.
I’ve said it many times before having been frustrated by the books, if she’s not going to give our beloved Bill anything compelling to do, put him out of his misery. But sweet jeezuz! Looks like AB *will* keep Bill busy with something (hanging wallpaper? I don’t care actually – I’d probably watch that)! So Hallelujahs! I’m grateful, as I do like Bill quite a bit…almost as much as Terry Bellefleur ;)
Okay, this is obviously a Team Bill site, lol. I’m Team Eric for the books, and definately Team Eric for the show now. I was Team Bill during the first season, but then they got so… mushy and crap. They’re boring. They’ve been together for what? 2 months? And he’s already proposing? Blech. I’ll agree that Eric is manipulative, but so is Bill. Probably not to the same degree, but he is. He’s also boring, and without a sense of humor. (book versions, that is)
IMO, CH killed off Bill in her first draft of Book 9. Everything leading up to a certain point in the books is there to give the Bill fans closure for the character. He really made a comeback to some extent… saving her, defending her when he was weak, and Sookie finally seemed to forgive him… So when he lived, it was sort of a WTF? moment. I think another clue is the fact that we know he’s going to be pretty sick in the next book from the silver poisioning. I think maybe he wasn’t supposed to be in Book 10, so he’ll spend most of it down for the count.
I still honestly believe that CH was talked out of it. She’s said that she had to do a major re-write on the end at the suggestion of her editor. I mean really, if the show-only’s knew that Bill was killed off in the books, and they thought the same might happen in the show, why would they watch? It all comes down to money. Publishers saw the potential zeros…
Also, by Book 9, Bill isn’t a major character, so I don’t know why people are thinking it would’ve been like killing a main character. Yes, he was a main character in the first three. Yes, he played a big part in a lot of developments in Sookie’s life. But, people die, and if Bill had died in D&G then it would’ve felt more complete, like closing a chapter of her life. That’s all my opinion though…
As for who Niall was referring to…
1. He calls Eric “the vampire”
2. Everybody knows Bill loves her still… why would that need to be pointed out?
3. To me, Niall would’ve felt the need to tell her that Eric loves her, because she would obviously be wondering why he hadn’t come for her. Surely he knows of her “marriage” to him, being a part of the Supe world as well, and he probably knew the circumstances too.
Also, if we’re going with the theory that CH killed him in her first draft, then Niall had to mean Eric, since Bill would’ve been dead. That’s given that he still said what he did then.
Anyhoo, I just want to reassure you that I’m not an Eric fangirl, and I don’t necessarily think she’ll end up with him in the books, and she sure as heck won’t in the show. I just happen to love the character of Eric. I’m not one to condemn Bill for everything he did in the books either. I just don’t like him because I don’t. He doesn’t happen to be my cup of tea.
Thanks for reading!
Interesting points, Lorena.
If “showies” are always defending that Alan is entitled to have his own vision, I think I may respect that Charlaine has it also. SO the books and the show, two different worlds. I agree in Charlaine’s vision Bill has gone to second row, but she somehow tries to mantain “Team Bill” in the game throwing them a “cookie” from time to time and giving some hope about Bill/Sookie. We shall not forget that this is a bussiness, after all. I never been a major fan of the books but had to recognize that I always follow them for that reason, so reading that CH was ready to give Bill “The passport”, makes me a bit mad with myself to have retained the hope for tthem coming together again. I think Charlaine sometimes should be more brave about what’s going on really with Bill, and things like “for a moment I loved him again” just don’t help. If Sookie is written in first person, she should be more clear about her feelings. I’m Team Bill Lorena, but like Eric’s storyline and the tension it brings to True Blood. There couldn’t be one withouth the other.
Exactly ZZ. I can’t tell you how many times I hear from showies that I “just need to get that the show and books are two separate things.” Believe me, I totally get that. In fact, I love some of the things AB has done with not-so-major characters from the books, like Lafayette, Tara, Jason, Sam… I think he effed up on the Maenad plot, if only for the fact that in the books, it was humans who were killers, and they did it without supernatural influence. That’s one of the things I loved about the series… Just because something is supernatural, doesn’t mean it’s evil. Whoa… off track, lol
I can definately understand how Bill lovers can get frustrated with the books, and you’re right on your reasoning. They want to have hope that Sookie and Bill could happen again, and those little “cookies” feed that hope, and then something like this happens and you wonder why you keep reading.
The same sort of thing happens for Eric lovers in regards to the show. AB says that E/S will happen in the show, so we get excited, but then he’s handing a lot of the E/S interaction to Bill (staking Longshadow, changing up dialogue… etc..) To Team Eric, it’s like he’s ruining the foundation of Eric and Sookie’s relationship. (By goodness, if Bill gets her that driveway…grr, lol) I can totally accept that AB’s endgame is Bill and Sookie, but it gets frustrating when we’re told E/S is going to happen, but see no progress. The dreams were progress, for example, but then it was taken away when they made it that every person that’s had a vamp’s blood has erotic dreams about them. (really looking forward to Sam’s dreams of Bill *snort*) It just feels like he’s making their relationship too much of a manipulation in the show, and at this point, we just want to see more Eric, regardless of what he’s doing.
And I agree as well about CH being more brave. If she felt the need to kill Bill off, she should’ve gone through with it. And if she didn’t want to kill him, but still doesn’t plan on puting him and Sookie back together, then she needs to let them get closure with one another, and stop giving hope where none is to be had (if that’s the case)
LOL Lorena! It’s true that Sam should be having wet dreams with Bill, would be fantastic to watch that.
The fact that you have erotic dreams with the vampire that gives you blood, makes B/S fans freak out a bit too, since Bill gave his blood to Sookie also at second episode, on season 1. Even Eric refers to that in one of Season 2 episodes(don’t remember which one).
I agree and I see how Team Eric can feel a bit “Teased” with Alan, just the same way Team Bill is with Charlaine. But i think Alan has been always more brave, saying that Bill and Sookie would remain the core of the show months ago and now with his latest words about the connection that will never die.
I think both teams should do a simplicity effort and consider the facts we have so far. Bill and Sookie probably won’t end together in CHarlaine’s world, same way Eric and Sookie won’t in True Blood.
Should be a point of agreement in both Teams so we can smoke the Peace Pipe together. ;)
Count me in for Sam’s erotic Bill dreams. Then pass me that smoke please.
Lorena -
Just have to say how much I enjoyed your points and the ensuing dialog. It’s nice when people can have intelligent conversation even when there are differences. Very refreshing!
ZZ- I agree, I at least believe AB when he says Bill and Sookie will remain the core of the show. We know he’ll go through with it. I see TB as the ultimate Fanfiction for the Bill lover, lol. I just hope AB can do it without totally ruining a favorite character of mine. Just as Bill lovers would like to see CH write the books without totally ruining Bill, but they’re not getting a whole lot of reassurance there.
*takes the Peace Pipe*
shocknawe- *hugs* Like I said, you won’t get the fangirly screaming from me. I like a good healthy debate, and some maturity. Ya’ll are awesome!
Having seen S1 before reading the books I’ve always felt Book Bill is not treated well at all – so whether CH planned to kill him off or not he practically disappears. I’m just glad SM is Bill and that Alan Ball appears to recognize the value of both his role and the S/B connection. As long as that’s the case – the books can go where they go.
Here is my opinion on this. Not having written a book or knowing what pull a publicist has on a writer, I have to say if it was a case of being “forced” to change the book then CH did what she had to do. Maybe self-publishing should have been the way to go, to hold some type of integrity to the writing.
As a writer, if the intent was to kill off a character then she should have held to her vision and killed Bill off. After all, the books are *her* vision, not Alan’s. To change her mind, which she has stated she is allowed to do, without re-writing the book properly basically pissed off both fan groups. This time the *cookie* was not good enough for either side. In fact, I think, she slapped the Eric fans harder then the Bill fans in the last book.
You can tell in the book that she intended on killing Bill-you can tell something is missing and when she apparently changed her mind. She first denied this, then said she had the right to change her mind, and she does. But, to now be publicly pissed at Alan for stating something that was a fact, makes her look even worse. It also shows that she thinks her fans and readers are not smart enough to figure this out on their own. This is insulting.
I am a Bill fan but I was disappointed she didn’t kill him off. I would have preferred it. This would have given the show vs. book the split that some of us desperately yearn for. But, that wouldn’t have made her any money and the Bill fans would have ultimately dropped the books since they have been hanging by a thread since book 4 anyway. Again, it is a business.
If I could have my wish, Bill would die in the beginning of book 10. Be done with it and let the “showies” have Bill and the “bookies” can have their Viking. There… peace on earth and harmony in the land of True Blood.
But then you do have the “BOWIES”… YES, I just made that up. A “BOWIE” is someone who loves the show and the books, and wishes everyone would just shut the hell up. ;)
TC ! It is true that Bowie is Vampire! Have you seen “The Hunger?”
If there will be Bowies, can their theme song be, “Bowie to Bowie” by Bret & Jemaine?
Tincar- I love you! You get it exactly right, and put it better than I ever could. If she made that major of a change, there should have been much more re-writing. The reader shouldn’t have been able to tell where the change was made, let alone been able to guess at what it was.
I must say that it’s nice to see a Bill fan say they would have preferred to have him killed off, because I agree. I may not be a Bill fan, but I feel so awful for the way his character has been treated in the books. He was completely shoved aside. And the end of Book 9 would have been the perfect place for him to die. He got his comeback, and proved how loyal he was to Sookie, and how much he loved her. Silly Charlaine.
I feel like CH is doing a lot of backtracking now. The clues are all there, and I have a hard time believing her anymore.
Lorena i agree with you on her creditability, at times when it comes to her books. I often log into the CH Q&A and she does change up often when her fans ask questions that seems very valid to me; however when she replies it seems very hostile and now I think i understand why (backtracking)
I am a Bill fan and on her CH Q& A they posted a reply when she said she didn’t get the fuss about Eric I was confused because she is the one that writes the stories for eric’s character so now she doesn’t get him so I get confused on who it is she wants for Sookie. I do understand it is her right to write the books in the way she wishes too.
As a Bill fan if that was her intention to kill bill off, then yes I too wish she would have gotten it out the way instead of me having me hoping for a reunion between Sookie and Bill.
Yes, I would have still continued to read because i enjoy the books and the characters and it is not like i have been reading much of Bill’s character in the books anyway he is few and between pages and now I know why…
I too have noticed all the backtracking done by CH when it comes to the Q&A on her site and a lot of her answers to fans have changed up since TB came around. It sure has created much dissatisfaction in Bill and Eric fans.
I still don’t understand her excuses for all the mistakes in her books:
1) it was meant to be one book, not a series of books.
2) She wrote them too fast.
Didn’t she realize it was more then one book when she wrote the second? And if it’s an issue writing that fast, maybe she should have negotiated her contracts differently.
Although not a huge book fan(yes, I’ve read them)or CH fan, I do respect what she has created.
I am right there with you. Not a fan but appreciate her books and the stories behind the characters. I think it is great how she invented the idea of True Blood made by the Japanese that was great what better way to have vamps come out. . lol
ROFL!
TC, I call myself a Shookie!
ho visto la prima puntata di TB è mi sono innamorata di Bill, spero che alla fine di TB Sookie e Bill rimangano insieme…è giusto shocknawe….i libri possono finire come vuole la Harries, lo show come vuole Alan ed io spero che voglio Bill e Sookie….ciao
I have read all 9 books and the short stories in between. I often wonder why she continued to show Bill as a name not to be mentioned by Sookie in a continues manner she wrote the character as though he wasn’t any importance.
I think her cover is blown with the constant reply, that she didn’t have any intention on killing Bill. When she really did. I think her books are great; however I don’t think she was ready for all of this publicity which
I am sure is overwhelming for her and she changed her mind at the end not to kill the character off for now. She actually was very upset by the question she continued to receive in regards the DAG book because it seemed as though she was going to kill bill but changed her mind. Her answer was always No!
Wow, what to say that hasn’t already been said? I really do adore CH, she seems to be a very nice woman, and she is very receptive to her readers, both through her website forums and her personal appearances. But she still has to be a slaesman on some level. She is selling a product, her books are her livelihood and the goal is to grab as many readers as possible and keep them reading. There is a reason she has never publicly stated, until now, that she had ever considered killing Bill.
(And it is very possible, and I personally think probable, that she is bringing Bill back into Sookie’s storyline in a very big way.)
I’m not sure Alan Ball understood the impact his words would have, though he should know quite well that fans never miss *anything* and boy, do we jump on it!
I almost wonder if he will issue an apology lol
Oh dear! I think CH likes what AB has done on TB and in particular, the Bill/Sookie relationship and I think she now sees that she has missed an opportunity of delving into Bill – his past, current and future “life”. I think she got so into the E/S thing because some fans loved that storyline, that she went with that rather then expanding on the more complex Bill storyline, as it would have been easier to write. In the end, I think she thought it too late to do anything about Bill and now regrets it. She has also come out with the “I regret doing the blood bond with E/S” – why??? Did she give any explanation?
I did not care for the books – I could see the potential for Bill and thought he needed expanding, which is why I love the series so much more. I did not enjoy Eric in the books – I was not glamoured by him!
Also, this business with the driveway – didn’t Sookie and Bill negotiate $10,000 from Eric as a fee for going to Dallas and the reason being was for Sookie to get a new driveway??
RE the driveway – yet another example of book Eric’s deeds being given to True Blood Bill.
In the books Eric is driving Sookie home, they are having a fight and he has a whinge about her driveway and why doesn’t she get it fixed. Sookie goes off her tree about not being able to afford it.
Eric then arranges for it to be regravelled – he just does it, she comes home and it’s done.
The fact that she has mentioned it in front of Eric in season 2 gives me hope that this can still play out…though I doubt it since Ball has it in for Eric so badly.
Hi, Bill lover’ s! Too much sad it is my heart. I thought that it was rumor on Charlaine to want to kill Bill in book 9… to know that it is not rumor and yes truth, arrasou my heart. I do not believe more Bill and happy final Sookie! My heart is as one day sad and cold in the winter.
WTF?????
WTF- my sentiments exactly. Thanks for all the interesting and thoughtful comments from both teams, it made for very awesome reading. And yeah, this post was considerably more polite and restrained than I really wanted to be, cos I’m a professional like ;)
Wow! Has everyone forgotten that these books are not about Bill and Sookie or Eric and Sookie, there about plain old Sookie. It’s not about which vampire or supernatural she’ll end up with, it’s about her journey in this new world told through her eyes. As for the show I think it’s taken a lot of liberties, some of them great for developing the characters and others not so great. If your going to create a visual world based on per established characters then you half to treat them with care and respect. These characters were beloved long before the show came on the air, with a devoted fan base already in place. You can’t mess around with that. It’s probably why I have a love/hate relationship with Smallville.
Anyway as for the possibility of Bill bitting the dust, I’m sure every writer conciders the mortality of it’s characters as they write. Sure it may have been in the first draft, but there’s a reason it’s called a first draft. Writers are allowed to change their minds, and CH probably decided it was too soon or that her ideas for her next book wouldn’t make sense to kill Bill off. Either way, I think people are getting a little too excited and need to relax. Enjoy the books for what they are, as well as the show.
I don’t comment here much since this blog is obviously very pro Bill and I’m not – which is fine because you make no bones about that – but this post really forced me out.
“as a reader (and purchaser) of the books I am allowed to register my disgust that she would even contemplate doing such a thing, particularly considering the bearing such a move might have had on the show.”
For two years now, as someone who is rooting for Eric but watched True Blood hoping and praying that his character would be done some justice – all I have heard from Truebies is the mantra “This Is Not The Books!”.
For it to be suggested that Charlaine Harris should subjigate her plot, or her intentions for her character – HER character – in the interests of the television series is just galling.
Can I just say that as far as Dead and Gone goes, and as far as Charlaine Harris goes – this IS the books. She is entitled to follow her original vision and tell her story as she intended without having to be accountable to Alan Ball or HBO.
These books were started nearly 10 years ago, and have a fiercely loyal fanbase of their own. They have followed a certain trajectory, a certain arc that is logical and it makes no sense to change that now. When she changed the ending of DAG against her better judgement it made for an incoherent story that didn’t seem to satisfy either camp.
Can I also say that the reason Charlaine – and many of her readers – were so irate at Alan Ball for dropping the Bill bomb was because Ball effectively eliminated Bill from the happy ending. Just because I’m not rooting for Bill, that doesn’t mean I want to *know* that he is out of the running. CH has spent years guarding her intentions for the S/E/B triangle and Ball blew it all to hell in one careless comment. Even though she didn’t kill him, she “considered” it. She’s always known who will be left at the end. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that it’s obviously not Bill.
Ball had no right to say what he did.
“…a certain arc that is logical…”
ROFLMFAO!!! She said ‘logical’!
Bwahahaha *snort*
Whats the point of putting warning spoliers down the article if the heading is a spoiler?
I’m a Bowie then? I don’t even know how the books and the show can be compared? The Books are ALL ABOUT SOOKIE. That would make for a horribly dull show…all Sookie all the time.
I LOVE what the show (Alan Ball) has done with the characters. The casting has been superb…and characters that had no life…get a full RICH life…and sometimes death. There are many sl’s that fortunately have little to do with Sookie’s soapy supie journey through life which wouldn’t be possible if the show was all about Sookie.
Being an Eric fan…I was not well pleased to see him marjinalized in the show…the way Bill was in the books. I got over it!