Charlaine Harris, author of the wildly famous Sookie Stackhouse novels, was recently interviewed by Savvy Sugar. We get the scoop on what a typical day is like for her, and what inspires and motivates her.
On a normal day, she likes to be in her office by 8 a.m. Writing six pages takes her into the early afternoon, at which point she takes care of other things, then reads for a bit until around 4. Then it’s time to make dinner!
Have you ever wondered about the genesis of the characters and the series? Savvy Sugar asks, “How did it all start?”:
“I was writing my first book while I was taking a writing course at the University of Missouri St. Louis, the only year I lived in St. Louis. The teacher of the class was Shannon Ravenel, later top editor at Algonquin Press. Then, she had just quit work at Houghton Mifflin. She liked what I wrote for the class well enough to recommend me to an editor there. My career would not have supported me at all until the past 10 years; very fortunately, my husband was delighted to stake me until I began earning. I realize this is a luxury and that I was most fortunate.”
When asked what her motivation and inspiration is, Mrs. Harris answers frankly:
“I am motivated by a looming contract and the desire to get paid. Inspiration is a nebulous word; I write because I have ideas, and I have ideas because I’m a writer. I have to hope that people will want to share the story I want to tell.”
What does she have to say about her next book?
“I hope that readers who have followed me through the previous Sookie books will enjoy Dead Reckoning. I worked really hard on it, and I’m always nervous when a new book hits the shelves.”
If you’d like to hear her advice to writers, and see what she has to say about Sookie, read the full interview here.
It’s amazing how our favorite pop culture phenomenon came from such a humble spirit. We love Mrs. Harris’s imagination, and can’t wait to get our hands on book 11, Dead Reckoning! Can you believe it comes out this week?
Source: SavvySugar.com – In Her Shoes: Charlaine Harris, Vampire Author
(Photo credit: Sigrid Estrada)
