Charlaine Harris likes True Blood
Cassey White from ABC News interviewed recently Charlaine Harris, the author of Sookie Stackhouse’s novels. Cassey also runs the blog The Shallow End, and asked her readers what questions would like to ask to Charlaine. This is a just an excerpt.
Nina: Bill, a character so significant in the first two books, has been sidelined. What are the chances of seeing him with Sookie in hot and unforgettable moments again?
“That’s not going to happen in book 10, that’s all I can say.”
Jane Blount: Why would you kill Bill? He is the most fascinating character I’ve read in years – so mysterious, cool and dark. I’d kill to hear his voice, as you describe it … and I want to finish your wonderful books without crying.
“I did not kill Bill. Alan sort of said something at PaleyFest in an interview. He said ‘Charlaine thought about killing Bill in the last book but she was talked out of it.’ That was something of a mis-statement and I certainly wish he hadn’t made it! In casual conversation I mentioned that had been one of the possible endings for Dead and Gone and that I’d thought about it and discarded it. But the truth is, and I think almost every writer does this, I’ve considered killing every character at one time or another, and some of them I follow though with. But some I decide I need to be alive.”
khansen: I read recently that you said you didn’t understand why so many fans love Eric so much? If this is true, why was he written to always be there for Sookie, give her what she needs, always tell her the truth, and be emotionally awakened by her, and happier with her than he had been in hundreds of years? He seems perfect for her. Have I read all of the books wrong?
“I’m not denying that’s one side of Eric, but he’s also a ruthless killer and I think some of my readers tend to forget that in their enthusiasm for his sexier habits.”
Keep reading fan questions to Charlaine or Read ABC News Interview
Well, if Sookie and Bill won’t be together in Book 10, I guess I’ll wait until Book 11. Why would Charlaine have Sookie declare her love for Bill in Dead and Gone and then not even think about for the next book? Frustrating! Sorry, just a die hard B/S fan.
Honey, we all are. I am just as baffled as you are. I thought Dead and Gone would mark the beginning of a new and wonderful relationship between Bill and Sookie. Am I happy? No fucking way!
I agree on her assessment of Eric. He is a cold blooded killer and he has a grand scheme. I think Eric fans are just into himn because of the explicit sex scenes in the 4th book, BIG BILL FAN.
Let’s all take a deep breath. All she said was that Bill and Sookie wouldn’t be hitting the sheets in Book 10. Obviously they won’t be because he is sick with silver poisoning and she is trying to figure out what she feels for Eric. Bill needs some time to get well first and Sookie needs time to get things sorted with both Quinn and Eric before she can go back to Bill. There is a lot of stuff that Bill and the Sookster need to talk about anyway, which is what I assume will be happening in Book 10. They need to have a solid foundation of love and trust before they jump into bed again.
Very good points, Samantha. I concur. Much as I hate the idea of the damn books pandering to the ‘all Eric, all the time’ club, I would also think it would be crap if they pandered to the other side too. I just want better writing and fair treatment for all characters (and readers). A lot of original and new readers have felt completely shut out by Ms Harris and her vociferous fanclub, and have been wondering what is the point in reading these books when they cause nothing but aggro. If she brings some balance and sanity back to the bookverse, I might feel like reading again. Until then, meh. Who needs it?
Trust me, I feel the frustration. I’m a Bill fan through and through. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate Eric as a character. I do. I just don’t gloss over the fact that he is ruthless and manipulative to concentrate on his sexier qualities like the fans that you mentioned. As CH has said, Eric is all about Eric, and that’s how I see him. I think he cares for Sookie and I think their coming together was inevitable but I don’t think he is the HEA.
Since it sounds like she will be stopping at Book 13, I think balance is coming. Sookie needs to come to emotional understandings with all of the men in her life before she can make her final choice. That’s going to take a few books to sort out, especially with murders and other supernatural mysteries happening as well. So I think Books 10-12 will be giving time to each of the suitors so she can work out what she needs to work out with them. Then in Book 13 she makes her choice.
I personally think that choice is Bill, with Sam as my #2 choice if he comes on strong in Books 10 and 11. I think Quinn and Eric are beating their chests too much, thinking they are the ones competing for Sookie. They are underestimating Bill and Bill/Sookie’s feelings for each other. I think Bill’s stealth campaign will win the girl in the end. He isn’t bad-mouthing any of the other suitors. He isn’t forcing his attentions on her. He is simply telling her how much he loves her, being there for her when she needs him, and giving her the power to make the choice to be with him.
That bit that khansen asks her, that is everything that Bill does for Sookie in the show. Why is it that no one seems to remember that? Another reason why I won’t read the books. I would get so pissed off at the author for writing Bill that way.
Because the author of the books is talking about…the books. Her characters. That she created. She writes the source material for Alan Ball’s fanfic.
Perhaps you can see now why book Eric fans are so irate with True Blood – because that’s exactly what they are dealing with.
Everything Eric did for Sookie in the books being given to Bill…very frustrating.
Dead and Gone was about redemption for Bill – Sookie’s forgiveness was not about marking a new beginning for a romantic relationship between them. It was about her gaining closure and being able to accept his friendship. They are done. I’m doubly sure of that being that she entertained the possibility of killing him off. If he was Sookie’s happy ending – the happy ending she says she has known since book 2 and has not changed – she wouldn’t even think about doing him in. It just wouldn’t be a possibility.
And with CH confirming that E/S are in a relationship in book 10, as well as have a sex scene I’m not sure why anyone would think Bill and Sookie were heading for a reunion.
Of course E/S aren’t going to have a smooth ride either but they are far from a fling.
I don’t see how CH flirting with the idea of Bill being killed means that Bill/Sookie are over and done. This is a world with a lot of magic floating around. If a bunch of witches could do an ectoplasmic reconstruction in Book 6 to figure out what happened in Hadley’s apartment in New Orleans, who’s to say that Bill couldn’t have been brought back from the dead later on if he had been killed. IIRC, there was a passage in either Book 6 or in one of the short stories that talks about bringing the dead back to life. Or he may just have appeared to have died to Sookie and thus the readers, but wasn’t really dead. There are ways that Bill could have come back into the story if she wanted to make it look like Bill died but was still Sookie’s HEA man.
I also don’t see how Eric/Sookie in a relationship and having sex in Book 10 means they will end up together. Bill and Sookie were in a relationship in Books 1 & 2 and having sex. They weren’t just having a fling. They were in a loving relationship, spending every moment they could with each other, but they aren’t together now. There are 3 more books to go after Book 10 so I don’t think Sookie is even close to making her choice yet. She still has more growing up to do and she has to start facing her feelings for all of these men rather than running away from them. She has feelings for Bill that she needs to sort out — can they only be friends or does she want to give him another chance. She still has to determine what exactly is going on with Eric — is it just the blood bond or do they honestly love each other. She needs to settle things with Quinn once and for all. With Sam getting a girlfriend, she may get jealous of that and start having some feelings for Sam as well. There are still too many variables at this stage of the game to say that she is choosing any one of them yet. Besides if she made that choice in Book 10, who would read Books 11-13?
I do think her relationship with Eric is important, but I don’t think it is the HEA. Eric made a comment to Sookie back in the early books about how she would run away when things got tough with her and Bill instead of facing the issues head on. That’s what I think her relationship with Eric is all about. Instead of running away, she is actually trying to face the problems and work them out. I don’t think what they have is a fling, but I don’t think they will have the HEA long-term relationship. I think their relationship does teach her an important lesson that she carries into her HEA with someone else.
Hmmm. I still think CH likes what AB has done with Bill and Sookie in the TV series. Readers will have to wait until book 11 to see what she has planned. As for the TV series, as has been said before, it would be boring if you knew exactly what was going to happen, so things will be different. As AB has also stated before, “power to the bookies, because they have both mediums to enjoy”.
She sai many many times in her web site that Sookie e Bill will never have a romantic relationship again…maybe a love scene before the final goodbye…but she was pretty clear about that in her website…she also sadi that Eric and Sookie gonna be two sure survivors of the saga..
she going to kill off many other characters, I see Bill coild be one of them, but not now…marketing business…
Eric is a ruthless as averybody knows, but he loves her, saved her many times, he did a lots of thing for her, even took her pain in the last books to let her live, and that’ s a point in book 10…He have to understand how to love, really love a woman, ‘couse I think Sookie is one of the few people in his lfe that ever made him feel so happy…
No point is a killer, he killed a lot also to save her life, Bill too is a killer, a young one, but who knows in the next 1000 yers how bill could be?
they’re vampire not domestic cats…
CH has not said that Bill and Sookie will never have a romantic relationship again. What she has said is that Bill and Sookie will never have the SAME relationship as they had before. Obviously they can’t because they have both changed so much throughout the course of the books. CH has also said that while they will never have the same relationship, they may have a BETTER relationship.
Also just because both Eric and Sookie are guaranteed to finish the books alive doesn’t mean they will end up together. Eric is 1000 years old because he is a warrior and survivor. As CH as said, he is all about himself first and foremost which is how he has survived those 1000 years.
Bill also loves her, saved her many times, he did a lot of things for her, and put her life above his own in Book 9 by nearly dying for her. Bill also has learned how to love a woman and his times with Sookie made him feel happy. Those aren’t exclusively Eric things. Both vamps have been changed by their interactions with Sookie.
Charlaine never said in her website that Bill and Sookie will never have a romantic relation again. And if she did, please paste us the evidence. Charlaine helps herself from doing such statements. She nows how to keep both teams around. Teams=$
Interesting points ladies. But WTF? we all know Sookie will choose Sam at the end, don’t we?? you know, get married, have children, be peaceful blah blah ;) oh…and clean!
Not necessarily. While Sam would probably be the best choice to give her a “normal” life, CH was remarked that things would not be tied up in a neat little bow for Sookie. She will have true love but it will be a complicated love. And while I like Sam (he’s my #2 and a great, solid guy who has always been there for her) I just don’t see what would be so “complicated” about a life with him. They could still live in Bon Temps. He could move into her house so she wouldn’t have to give it up. She’d still have her job. They could spend 24/7 together. They can get married and have kids. The only complications I can foresee would be…1) Sookie still being involved in vampire business and having to deal with Eric/Bill, two former lovers or 2) repercussions from FOTS or other such extremist groups after the were revelation.
If she chooses Bill, they could have somewhat of a “normal” life but there would be some complications. On the plus side, they could live in Bon Temps. They could either live in her house or go back and forth between their houses. She could still keep her job. Since vamp/human marriage was made legal back in Book 8, they could get married. With Bill being an independent contractor in the vamp world due to his database, he probably has some political clout of his own now to help protect Sookie. He’s a big money maker so the higher ups will want to keep him happy. Sookie staked Lorena so he will not have a maker coming back to make a claim on him. On the complicated side, she could only be with him at night. She would still have to deal with Eric on occasion if she is still involved in vamp business. They wouldn’t be able to have children of their own. But on this point I have a feeling that Hadley’s son Hunter, who is telepathic, would fill in that gap for them. I can see Bill and Sookie helping Hunter hone his telepathic abilities, especially since Bill is the one who helped Sookie with hers. She will grow old and die while he won’t.
Sorry, Eric lovers but I just don’t see her ending up with him. She doesn’t want to leave Bon Temps, her house or her job. I don’t see Eric moving to Bon Temps with her. He would want her in Shreveport with him. He cannot put her first, which is a big sticking point with her. Area 5 will always come before her. If he gave that up to be with her, how could he protect her then? He would be a low man on the totem pole again, just like Bill was at the beginning of the books. No matter how much he cares for Sookie, he will not give up his area for a human that will die in 60-70 years. He also has a maker, Appius, who could come calling for him at any time, just like Lorena did with Bill. Plus I just don’t think that Sookie is in love with him. I think Eric has been trying to get her to love him but she just can’t do it. I have a whole theory on that issue but it would take me too long to type right now.
Alguém me responde,pelo amor de Deus!
Isso é mesmo verdade?
CH afirmou em seu site que somente Eric chegará ao final da saga com Sookie??
Então porque eu continuarei a lê seus livros??
Preciso saber se isso é verdade,por favor,alguém me responda!
CH did not say that only Eric and Sookie will survive the whole series and that no one else would. She said that the only ones she would guarantee would survive are Eric and Sookie, but she has since said she regrets making that statement. She made that statement last year, but has since said that she has the right to change her mind if the story dictates that she go in another direction. If you notice her quote from the above article she says…
“…I’ve considered killing every character at one time or another, and some of them I follow though with. But some I decide I need to be alive.”
So that seems to me that at one point in the past she may have thought about killing Eric, but she decided that Eric needed to remain in the story. Sookie obviously will not be killed because she is the one telling the story. No Sookie=no story. Eric will probably survive because he is 1000 years old and has an incredible sense of self-preservation that has has honed over those 1000 years. He isn’t going to do anything stupid to get himself killed. Since he has survived this long, why wouldn’t he survive another 1000+ years?
But once again, just because CH said last year that they may be the only two characters that she won’t kill, that doesn’t mean that they will end up together or that she won’t change her mind and kill Eric down the line. CH has also said that Eric was just supposed to be a minor character. However, the more she wrote his character, she realized that he was so fun to write that she changed her mind and expanded his role in the story. She’s already changed her mind once about Eric. You never know she could do it again. The only thing she said she has never changed her mind on is who Sookie ends up with. She said she knew who that would be when she started writing Book 2 and that has never changed.
Então,se CH declarou que desde o livro 2 sempre soube com quem Sookie vai ficar e isso não mudou,só me faz pensar que não é mesmo o Bill,pois ela pensou na possiblidade de matá-lo…lamentável isso!Estou frustada.
Don’t be upset. If you read the quote again, she says that she has thought about killing ALL of the characters at some point, but there are some that she needs to keep in the story so she didn’t kill them. If you eliminate characters from being The One for Sookie just based on the idea that CH MIGHT have killed them at one time or another, then Sookie would end up alone because no one could be The One.
Also keep in mind the world that CH has created. There are supernatural characters with various magical powers that inhabit that world. Just because a character “dies” in one book doesn’t mean that they couldn’t be brought back through magical means later on. Let’s say that Bill had died in Book 9. Perhaps Sookie would have been so upset and realized that he was the one she truly loved. Niall, seeing how upset she was over losing her true love, could have used his fairy magic to bring Bill back to life for her.
Nor does it mean that the character actually “died”. They may just have appeared to be dead but a later book could bring them back fully healed. For example, let’s say that in Book 9, Sookie would not have seen Bill’s hand move to know he was still alive after the attack on the hospital. She would have thought he was dead and as readers we would have thought he was dead too. But in another book he could come back alive and explain that when the bodies were being removed from the hospital, someone noticed that he was still alive. So for the parts of the next book or books that he wasn’t actively in the story, he had been off somewhere healing from his injuries.
Oi,Samantha !
Muito obrigada por sua atenção!
Eu sou brasileira e desde que li “Dead Until Dark” naveguei no romance de Bill e Sookie.
Foi muito reconfortante ler suas palavras,pois desde a confirmação da suposta morte de Bill,havia perdido toda emoção e vontade de continuar nessa viagem criada por CH.
Você me reanimou e eu continuarei a dá crédito ao que meu coração me diz.
Eu sempre acreditei que Sookie reconhecerá que não pode e que não quer ser feliz com nenhum outro,a não ser com Bill.
Ela tentou avançar em todos os livros depois do rompimento com Bill e não conseguiu.
Ela não se entregou ou amou nem Eric,nem Quinn e nem mais ninguém…não vejo Sookie sendo tão feliz e completa com nenhum desses pretendentes,como foi com o vampiro Bill.
Muitos falam que devemos nos ligar que os livros são “as aventuras” de Sookie…até concordo,só não concordo que ela possa terminar sozinha.
Acredito que esse não é o caminho que CH quer seguir…não há aventuras sem romance,romance sem amor.
Quando li os 2 primeiros livros,me apaixonei pela história e confio que no fim,a escritora CH nos dará o final de um amor que superou e sobreviveu a tudo, como sendo é claro,o amor de Sookie e Bill.
Eu pelo menos,quero ver esse final,pois foi a essencência dos dois primeiros livros que me levaram a admirar o talento de CH e o que me motivou a continuar nessa leitura de uma série de 9 livros até agora…foi o fascinio e o encanto por um dos personagens mais cativantes e eterno que já li,o senhor Bill Compton junto com sua amada Sookie.
Depois de tudo isso,espero que minha leitura não continue sendo tão frustada como tem sido,com toda a exclusão que Bill tem tido nos livros.
Ele é um personagem fabuloso e merece voltar ao lugar que lhe pertence.
P.S.não creio que o metaformo Sam é o ideal para Sookie,meu copração me diz que Bill sempre será o amor verdadeiro e o certo para ela(espero que seja para CH também).
Um grande abraço,foi maravilhoso lê seus pensamentos.
Obrigada Samantha.
I can’t stand Bill! I think he is a jerk.. I think Sookie is where she belongs.. WITH ERIC
Eric, and only Eric. He is
1. incredibly gorgeous.
2. caring and protective.
3. has a sense of humor but is serious at all the right times
4. would do anything to keep you safe.
5. gives you his most valuable keep sakes.
5. makes sure you know that you are all he thinks about
Samantha, I love you! You make everything sound so perfect, you really do honey.
I’ve been a big fan of the books, althoug it’s been quite frustrating seeing how Bill started fading away in each book after the end of book 4, not that he was ever out completely, it’s a fact that he plays a major role in Sookie’s life and we always have the feeling that for some reason or another he’s never really gone, no matter how small the part is, that one little scene always makes a difference and that’s why I’ve kept on reading, but in book 8 I satrted feeling a strong come back of a much bigger Bill, then book 9 was all about Bill’s redemption, I really though he was goint to die but she kept him around, if they’re not getting back together at some point she should have killed him right there, that would have been a fair clousure… and then that Niall’s “The vampire is a good man and he really loves you” comment, he was certainly NOT talking about Eric, that comment was sort of a “hey I know your going in this direction right now but don’t discard this possibility, this is the man” I was so happy at that moment… But then I read the hideous “Book 10, Chapter 1″ infamy. I was so upset after reading that first chapter of Dead in the Family. I had so much hope after that cliffhanger of Dead and Gone, he almost died for her godammit, Eric has never put himself over Sookie, EVER, it was Bill the one who went in and out the fairy world to save her, it was Bill the one who said he’d be honored to die for her, but she barely names him in a whole chapter, in 13 pages she couldn’t find the time to think about him, and the one time she does is just to make a simple recap of all the casualties of the war, just another name… that was so frustrating!!!!
However my dear Samantha, your viewpoint makes a some sense (if I’d only make sense right now, I could see it) … we can only hope CH thinks the way you do, or we might have to ask you to rewrite the story -please?-
Now, would you share some of your theories about the so call “love” of Sookie for Eric and viceversa… I do have a few of my own that I would love to share with you.
Melissa
P.D.: you speak portughese?!!!! Awesome… I live right next to Brazil and don’t understand one word!!!
Since ‘Living Dead in Dallas’ I had a hunch that personality-wise Eric and Sookie is a better fit.
I found an interesting article at Ericnorthman.net that may answer your questions Melissa:
(edited and not in full) “…..Sookie frequently misinterprets Eric’s words, actions, and motives. One good example is from book eight:
“There is much you don’t know about Sookie,” Bill said. It was the first time he’d spoken since Madden had entered. “Know this: I will die for her. If you harm her, I’ll kill you.” Bill turned his dark eyes on Eric. “Can you say the same?”
Eric plainly wouldn’t, which put him behind in the “Who Loves Sookie More?” stakes. At the moment, that wasn’t so relevant. “You must also know this,” Eric said to Victor. “Even more pertinently, if anything happens to her, forces you can’t imagine will be set into motion.”
Eric knows full well what kind of danger Sookie would be in if he told Victor Madden that he – Sheriff of Area 5 – would die for this human woman. Sookie could be kidnapped or even killed if the Nevada vampires knew that she had this power over Eric. It’s also worth noting that Eric doesn’t say “no” to Bill’s question. He ignores it and speaks to Madden in terms of Sookie’s political importance – thereby protecting her. In fact, Bill actually endangers Sookie (and himself) in this scene by threatening Victor Madden.
Eric has already proved more than once that he will guard Sookie with his life. And even though he says one thing in book seven (“No,” Eric said simply. “Because it might have hit me in the heart, and I would die. But I would have dived in and tackled you to take you out of the arrow’s path if there had been time.”), his actions speak louder than his words. When no thought is involved, when he is going on instinct, he consistently, in every situation, protects Sookie with his own body.
Apart from Sam Merlotte, Eric is the only character in the series who is there whenever Sookie needs him. He protects her from a distance, he helps her, and he takes care of her. Even Bill, who genuinely seems to love Sookie, has a tendency to leave her when she needs him. One example is in book two, after the Fellowship attack. Bill runs off to kill some of them, while Eric stays with Sookie – after covering her body with his own.
Eric seems to have a sensitivity that Sookie either doesn’t notice or tends to ignore. When he is cursed in book four, Sookie thinks that this kinder, more gentle personality is something Eric doesn’t have when he’s his usual self. Yet he shows hints of it all through the books, from making her bed to his reassuring whisper, “Sookie, relax. I have you.” Sookie is probably the only human he has taken the time to care about in centuries, if ever, and she probably makes him feel some measure of human emotion again.
It is unclear if Charlaine Harris intends for Eric to be Sookie’s partner in the end. Strong cases can be made for that person being either Bill or Sam – especially the latter. But she has certainly made the Eric/Sookie relationship the one that evolves and gets deeper with each book…”