Southern (Vampire) Belle

Since she was conceived in the brain of mystery/modern paranormal novelist Charlaine Harris, Sookie Stackhouse has appeared in eleven Southern Vampire novels (the most recent, Dead Reckoning, has just been released) and has been the main character in HBO’s runaway hit True Blood, which caused none other than Snoop Dogg to release a single proclaiming his love for the fictional, curvy blonde. “I’m kind of a free-form writer, a seat-of-the-pants writer,” notes Harris. But still, she adds, “I did have an idea, very broadly, of where the story arc would end — probably by the second book, as I began to see things unfold. But it’s been easy to take my time getting there.”

When we last saw Sookie in Dead in the Family, she was dealing with the undead Alexei Romanov and Eric’s maker, Appius Livius Ocella, plus a telepathic second cousin and fallout from the fairy war. In this followup, expect to learn more about Sookie’s heritage, as well as a plot being hatched by her vampire friends to rid them of an unwanted overlord.

“Of course her adventures are going to continue,” notes Harris. “There’s a lot to resolve. I have two more books to write in the Sookie series, and there’s a lot to tie up and conclude.”

Meanwhile, you can see her at the Tattered Cover LoDo, 1628 16th Street, at 6:30 p.m. on May 11, when she’ll be signing Dead Reckoning. Pick up a free numbered ticket for a place in the signing line starting at 9 a.m. that day at any Tattered Cover location; you may have a maximum of two books signed at a time. Seating for the question-and-answer session with Harris is on a first-come, first-served basis; doors for that session open at 4:30 p.m. For more information, call 303-436-1070 or visit www.tatteredcover.com.
Wed., May 11, 6:30 p.m., 2011