Charlaine Harris

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Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris.JPG
BornCharlaine Harris
(1951-11-25) November 25, 1951 (age 71)
Tunica, Mississippi, U.S.
OccupationNovelist
Genre Mystery fiction/Southern Gothic
Notable works The Southern Vampire Mysteries/True Blood
Notable awards Lord Ruthven Award (2003 and 2018)
Inkpot Award (2010) [1]
Spouse
Hal Schulz
​
(m. 1978)​
[2]
Children3 [2]
Website
www.charlaineharris.com

Charlaine Harris Schulz (born November 25, 1951) is an American author who specializes in mysteries. [3] She is best known for her book series The Southern Vampire Mysteries , which was adapted as the TV series True Blood . The television show was a critical and financial success for HBO, running seven seasons, from 2008 through 2014. [4] A number of her books have been bestsellers and this series was translated into multiple languages and published across the globe.

Contents

Harris was born and raised in a small town in the Mississippi River Delta area of the United States. She now lives in Texas with her husband; they have three grown children and grandchildren. [3] She began writing from an early age, and changed from playwriting in college to writing and publishing mysteries, including several long series featuring recurring characters.

Life and career

Harris was born and grew up in Tunica, Mississippi, in the Mississippi Delta. In her early work she wrote poems about ghosts and teenage angst. She began writing plays while attending Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. Her most recent mysteries have been in the urban fantasy genre.

After publishing two stand-alone mysteries, Harris began the lighthearted Aurora Teagarden books with Real Murders, nominated as a Best Novel 1990 for the Agatha Awards. Harris wrote several books in the series before the mid-1990s, when she began branching out into other works. [4] She did not resume the series until 1999, with the exception of one short story in a Murder, She Wrote anthology titled "Murder, They Wrote".

In 1996, Harris published the first in the Shakespeare series, featuring cleaning lady detective Lily Bard, set in rural Arkansas. At the time, a New York Times interview with Harris noted that she "live[d] in small-town Arkansas". [4] The fifth book in the series, Shakespeare's Counselor, was published in fall 2001, followed by the short story "Dead Giveaway", published in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine in December 2001. Harris has said she is finished with that series.

Next Harris created The Southern Vampire Mysteries series, about a telepathic waitress named Sookie Stackhouse who works in a Northern Louisiana bar. [4] The first book, Dead Until Dark, won the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Mystery in 2001. Each book follows Sookie as she tries to solve mysteries involving vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. [4] The series has been published in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Spain, Greece, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Argentina, Poland, Serbia, Brazil, Great Britain, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Portugal, Iceland, Czech Republic, Romania, Estonia, and Israel. Harris wrote thirteen novels in the series; the last, Dead Ever After, was published in May 2013. [5] A supplemental book, After Dead, was published in October 2013. [6] The second novel, Living Dead in Dallas , won the 2003 Lord Ruthven Award for Fiction, [7] and the anthology The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories won the 2018 Ruthven Award for Fiction. [8]

October 2005 marked the debut of Harris's new series, entitled The Harper Connelly Mysteries, with the release of Grave Sight . The series is told by a young woman named Harper Connelly, who after being struck by lightning, is able to locate dead bodies and to see their last moments through the eyes of the deceased. [9] In October 2010, it was announced Harper Connelly's series had been optioned for a television series named Grave Sight.

2014 marked the debut of the Cemetery Girl series, a graphic novel series co-written with Christopher Golden and illustrated by Don Kramer. [10]

Professionally, Harris is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and the American Crime Writers League. [11] She is a member of the board of Sisters in Crime, and alternates with Joan Hess as president of the Arkansas Mystery Writers Alliance.

Personal life

In her personal life, Harris has long been married. She and her husband have three grown children and two grandchildren. [4] She is a former weightlifter and karate student, [12] she is also an avid reader and cinemaphile. Harris formerly resided in Magnolia, Arkansas, where she was the senior warden of St. James Episcopal Church, [4] [13] and as of 2017 lives in Texas. [14]

Bibliography

Aurora Teagarden series (1990–present)

1 Real Murders (1990) ISBN   0-8027-5769-3
2 A Bone to Pick (1992) ISBN   0-8027-1245-2
3 Three Bedrooms, One Corpse (1994) ISBN   0-684-19643-3
4 The Julius House (1995) ISBN   0-684-19640-9
5 Dead Over Heels (1996) ISBN   0-684-80429-8
6 "Deeply Dead" in Murder, They Wrote
7 A Fool and His Honey (1999) ISBN   0-312-20306-3
8 Last Scene Alive (2002) ISBN   0-312-26246-9
9 Poppy Done to Death (2003) ISBN   0-312-27764-4
10 All the Little Liars (2016) ISBN   1250090032
11 Sleep Like a Baby (2017) ISBN   978-1-250-09006-5

Lily Bard (Shakespeare) series (1996–2001)

1 Shakespeare's Landlord (1996) ISBN   0-312-14415-6
2 Shakespeare's Champion (1997) ISBN   0-312-17005-X
3 Shakespeare's Christmas (1998) ISBN   0-312-19330-0
4 Shakespeare's Trollop (2000) ISBN   0-312-26228-0
5 Shakespeare's Counselor (2001) 0-312-27762-8
5.1 "Dead Giveaway" published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (December 2001)

Sookie Stackhouse series (2001–2014)

For more detailed information see The Southern Vampire Mysteries/True Blood.

#TitleAlso InPublication DateISBNComments
1 Dead Until Dark Sookie Stackhouse 8 Copy Boxed SetMay 2001 ISBN   0-441-00853-4
2 Living Dead in Dallas Sookie Stackhouse 8 Copy Boxed SetMar 2002 ISBN   0-441-00923-9
3 Club Dead Sookie Stackhouse 8 Copy Boxed SetMay 2003 ISBN   0-441-00923-9
4 Dead to the World Sookie Stackhouse 8 Copy Boxed SetMar 2004 ISBN   0-441-01167-5
4.1Fairy DustPowers of Detection

A Touch of Dead

The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories

4.2Dracula NightMany Bloody Returns

A Touch of Dead

The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories

4.3Dancers in the DarkNight's Edgenovella
5 Dead as a Doornail Sookie Stackhouse 8 Copy Boxed SetMay 2005 ISBN   0-441-01279-5
5.1One Word AnswerBite

A Touch of Dead

The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories

6 Definitely Dead Sookie Stackhouse 8 Copy Boxed SetMay 2006 ISBN   0-441-01400-3
6.1TackyMy Big, Fat Supernatural Wedding Dahlia short story [15]
7 All Together Dead Sookie Stackhouse 8 Copy Boxed SetMay 2007 ISBN   0-441-01494-1
7.1LuckyUnusual Suspects

Between the Dark and Daylight

A Touch of Dead

The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories

8 From Dead to Worse Sookie Stackhouse 8 Copy Boxed SetMay 2008 ISBN   0-441-01589-1
8.1Gift WrapWolfsbane and Mistletoe

A Touch of Dead

The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories

8.2Bacon Strange Brew makes an offhand reference to Jim Butcher's wizard, Harry Dresden;

a Dahlia short story [15]

9 Dead and Gone May 2009 ISBN   0-441-01715-0
9.1The Britlingens Go to HellMust Love Hellhounds [15]
9.2Dahlia UndergroundCrimes by Moonlighttakes place during All Together Dead;

a Dahlia short story [15]

10 Dead in the Family May 2010
10.1Two BlondesDeath's Excellent Vacation

The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories

10.2Small-Town Wedding The Sookie Stackhouse Companion' [16] '

The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories

novella
10.3A Very Vampire ChristmasGlamour MagazineDec 2010a Dahlia short story [15] [17]
11 Dead Reckoning May 2011
11.1Death by Dahlia Down These Strange Streets a Dahlia short story [15] [18]
12 Deadlocked May 2012
12.1If I Had a HammerHome Improvement: Undead Edition

The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories

12.2Playing PossumAn Apple for the Creature

The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories

13 Dead Ever After May 2013The final Sookie Stackhouse novel [5]
13.1The Blue HereafterGames Creatures Play

The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories

14After Dead: What Came NextTheWorld of Sookie StackhouseOctober 29, 2013 [6]
15Dead But Not Forgotten: Stories from the World of Sookie StackhouseNovember 25, 2014

Harper Connelly series (2005–2009)

  1. Grave Sight (2005) ISBN   0-425-20568-1
  2. Grave Surprise (2006) ISBN   0-425-21203-3
  3. An Ice Cold Grave (2007) ISBN   0-425-21729-9
  4. Grave Secret (2009) ISBN   0-441-01830-0; ISBN   978-0-441-01830-7

Graphic novels

  1. Grave Sight Part 1 (June 2011) ISBN   1-60690-229-6 , 978-1-60690-229-5
  2. Grave Sight Part 2 (November 2011) ISBN   1606902393 , 978-1606902394
  3. Grave Sight Part 3 (March 2012) ISBN   1606902695 , 978-1606902691

Cemetery Girl series (with Christopher Golden)

  1. Book One: The Pretenders (2014) ISBN   978-0-857-38908-4. [19]
  2. Book Two: Inheritance (2015) ISBN   978-0425256671
  3. Book Three: Haunted (2018)

Midnight, Texas Trilogy (2014–2016)

  1. Midnight Crossroad (May 2014)
  2. Day Shift (May 2015)
  3. Night Shift (May 2016)

Gunnie Rose series

  1. An Easy Death (2018)
  2. A Longer Fall (2020)
  3. The Russian Cage (2021)
  4. The Serpent in Heaven (2022)

Stand-alones

Anthologies and collections

Anthology or CollectionContentsPublication DateISBNComments
Murder, They Wrote"Deeply Dead"1997 ISBN   1-57297-194-0
Powers of Detection"Fairy Dust"Oct 2004
Night's Edge"Dancers in the Dark"Oct 2004 ISBN   0-373-77010-3
Bite"One Word Answer"Sep 2005
My Big, Fat Supernatural WeddingTackyOct 2006 ISBN   0-312-34360-4
Many Bloody Returns"Dracula Night"Sep 2007
Blood Lite"An Evening with Al Gore"Oct 2008 ISBN   1-4165-6783-6
Wolfsbane and Mistletoe"Gift Wrap"Oct 2008
Unusual Suspects"Lucky"Dec 2008 ISBN   0-441-01637-5
Strange Brew "Bacon"Jul 2009
Must Love Hellhounds"The Britlingens Go to Hell"Sep 2009
Sookie Stackhouse 8 Copy Boxed Set Dead Until Dark

Living Dead in Dallas

Club Dead

Dead to the World

Dead as a Doornail

Definitely Dead

All Together Dead

From Dead to Worse

Sep 2009
Between the Dark and Daylight"Lucky"Sep 2009 ISBN   9781606480595
A Touch of Dead "Fairy Dust"

"Dracula Night"

"One Word Answer"

"Lucky"

"Gift Wrap"

Oct 2009 ISBN   0-441-01197-7
Crimes by Moonlight"Dahlia Underground"Apr 2010 ISBN   9780425235638
Death's Excellent Vacation"Two Blondes"Aug 2010
Delta Blues"Crossroads Bargain"2010 ISBN   1935562061
Home Improvement: Undead Edition"If I Had a Hammer"Aug 2011
The Sookie Stackhouse Companion "Small-Town Wedding"Aug 2011
An Apple for the Creature"Playing Possum"Sep 2012
Down These Strange Streets "Death by Dahlia"Oct/Nov 2011
The World of Sookie Stackhouse"After Dead: What Came Next"Oct 2013An anthology with interviews, FAQ, recipes, and more
Games Creatures Play"The Blue Hereafter"Apr 2014
Inherit the Dead"Five"2014 ISBN   9781451684759
Urban Allies"Blood for Blood"2016
Matchup"Dig Here"2017 ISBN   9781501141591
The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories"Fairy Dust" (2004)

"Dracula Night" (2007)

"One Word Answer" (2005)

"Lucky" (2008)

"Gift Wrap" (2008)

"Two Blondes" (2010)

"Small-Town Wedding" (2011)

"If I Had a Hammer" (2011)

"Playing Possum" (2012)

"In the Blue Hereafter" (2014)

Nov 2017 ISBN   9780399587597 (hardcover), ISBN   9780399587603 (ebook)
Heroic Hearts"The Return of the Mage"2022

As editor

Adaptations

Television

The True Blood logo True Blood 2008 logo.svg
The True Blood logo

Her series of novels The Southern Vampire Mysteries was adapted into the show True Blood . The series lasted seven seasons and totaled 80 episodes. It was nominated for dozens of awards. True Blood aired on HBO. The show was also the most viewed show on HBO since The Sopranos.[ citation needed ]

In 2014, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries began adapting Harris' Aurora Teagarden novels into a series of television films, starring Candace Cameron Bure. [21]

Harris's series Midnight, Texas was developed as a TV series by NBC and began airing on their network in 2017. [22]

Video games

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sookie Stackhouse</span> Fictional character created by Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse is a fictional character and protagonist of The Southern Vampire Mysteries book series, written by Charlaine Harris. In HBO's television adaptation, True Blood, Sookie is portrayed by Anna Paquin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Northman</span> Fictional character

Eric Northman is a fictional character in The Southern Vampire Mysteries, a series of thirteen books written by New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris. He is a vampire, slightly over one thousand years old, and is first introduced in the first novel, Dead Until Dark and appears in all subsequent novels. Since the book series is told from the first person perspective of Sookie Stackhouse, what readers perceive of his character is influenced by what Sookie comprehends. HBO's television series True Blood is based on this book series and the character of Eric Northman is portrayed somewhat differently. A list of True Blood characters has a detailed description of Eric's character from the TV show.

<i>The Southern Vampire Mysteries</i> Book series

The Southern Vampire Mysteries, also known as The True Blood Novels and The Sookie Stackhouse Novels, is a series of books written by bestselling author Charlaine Harris. The first installment, Dead Until Dark (2001), won the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Mystery in 2001 and later served as the source material for the HBO drama series True Blood (2008–2014). The book series has been retronymed the True Blood Series upon reprinting, to capitalize on the television adaptation.

Bill Compton (<i>The Southern Vampire Mysteries</i>) Fictional character

William Thomas "Bill" Compton is a fictional character from The Southern Vampire Mysteries series by author Charlaine Harris. He is a vampire and is introduced in the first novel in the series, Dead Until Dark, and has appeared in all of the novels since. In the fifth season of the television adaptation, Bill plays the role of the main antagonist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tara Thornton</span> Fictional character

Tara Mae Thornton is a fictional character in Charlaine Harris's The Southern Vampire Mysteries and their television adaptation, HBO's True Blood.

<i>Dead Until Dark</i> Novel by Charlaine Harris

Dead Until Dark, published in 2001, is the first novel in Charlaine Harris' series The Southern Vampire Mysteries. It was adapted into True Blood's first season.

<i>Living Dead in Dallas</i>

Living Dead in Dallas is the second book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries. This second novel follows the adventures of telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse of Bon Temps, Louisiana, as she is employed by Dallas vampires to use her telepathy to help find their lost companion. Sookie agrees to help investigate the whereabouts of the missing vampire on one condition: any humans found to be involved must be turned over to human law enforcement rather than subjected to vampire justice. In Dallas Sookie Stackhouse has her first encounter with the anti-vampire organization "The Fellowship of the Sun," as well as meeting and learning of the existence of werewolves.

<i>Dead to the World</i> (novel)

Dead to the World is the fourth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, released in 2004. In Dead to the World, Sookie aids vampires Eric and Pam in their struggle against a coven of witches seeking to take over control of their area, and takes care of Eric after the witches erase his memory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pamela Swynford De Beaufort</span> Fictional character

Pamela Ravenscroft, known as Pamela Swynford De Beaufort is a Fictional character from the television series True Blood by Alan Ball (screenwriter) based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries by author Charlaine Harris. Portrayed by Actress Kristin Bauer van Straten Pam is a vampire created by Eric Northman and the co-owner of Fangtasia, a vampire bar. Her age is not mentioned in True Blood. However, in the short story "Two Blondes," it is later revealed that she is approximately 160 years old.

<i>Definitely Dead</i>

Definitely Dead is the sixth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries.

<i>From Dead to Worse</i>

From Dead to Worse is the eighth book in Charlaine Harris's series The Southern Vampire Mysteries.

Alcide Herveaux is a fictional character from the Southern Vampire Mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse novels by author Charlaine Harris. He is a Were who owns a construction company in Jackson, Mississippi with his father. He is depicted as a tall man with green eyes, olive skin, and thick, tousled black hair.

Niall Brigant is a fictional character from The Southern Vampire Mysteries by author Charlaine Harris. He first appears in From Dead to Worse. He is Sookie and Jason Stackhouse's great-grandfather and Claude and Claudine's grandfather. He is tall and slim, extremely handsome with long pale gold hair. Sookie describes Niall as being a lovely creature and having some age to him.

<i>True Blood</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of the American television drama series True Blood premiered on September 7, 2008 and concluded on November 23, 2008. It consists of 12 episodes, each running approximately 55 minutes in length and was, for the most part, based on the novel Dead Until Dark, the first entry in The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris. The story takes place in the fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, two years after vampires have made their presence known to mankind, and follows telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse as she attempts to solve a series of murders that seem to be motivated by a hatred of vampires.

<i>Dead in the Family</i> 2010 gothic mystery novel by Charlaine Harris

Dead in the Family is a 2010 New York Times Bestselling Gothic mystery novel by Charlaine Harris and the tenth book in her The Southern Vampire Mysteries series. The novel was released on May 4, 2010 by Ace Books and follows Sookie as she deals with her increasingly more complicated romantic and personal relationships with the supernatural creatures around her.

<i>Dead Reckoning</i> (novel)

Dead Reckoning is a 2011 New York Times Bestselling gothic romance novel by Charlaine Harris and is the eleventh book in her Southern Vampire Mysteries series. The book was released on May 3, 2011 by Ace Books and deals with Sookie discovering more about her heritage and dealing with more supernatural difficulties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dahlia Lynley-Chivers</span> Fictional character created by Charlaine Harris

Dahlia is a fictional character from The Southern Vampire Mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse Series by author Charlaine Harris. However, she only appears briefly in the novels and the only time she appears on the same page as Sookie Stackhouse is in All Together Dead. Dahlia is the main character in a computer game and in a growing number of non-Sookie-related—though set in the same fictional universe—short stories.
She is a vampire and lives in the city of Rhodes, Iowa.

<i>Deadlocked</i> (novel)

Deadlocked is a 2012 urban fantasy novel by American author Charlaine Harris and is the twelfth and penultimate book in her The Southern Vampire Mysteries. The book was released on May 1, 2012 by Ace Books.

<i>Dead Ever After</i>

Dead Ever After is a fantasy novel by Charlaine Harris. It is the thirteenth novel in The Southern Vampire Mysteries series. On May 14, 2012, Charlaine Harris' Facebook administrator announced that Dead Ever After would be the final book of the series and it was released on May 7, 2013.

References

  1. ↑ Inkpot Award
  2. 1 2 Wright, Thea. "Biography of Charlaine Harris". Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  3. 1 2 Harris, Charlaine. "Charlaine Harris: oBiography". Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Deborah Solomon, "Questions for Charlene Harris: Once Bitten: The writer talks about her 10th vampire novel and the hit TV series it inspired," New York Times Magazine , May 2, 2010, p. 18.
  5. 1 2 "Charlaine Harris – the Official Site of the #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author". Archived from the original on 2016-03-19. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
  6. 1 2 "After Dead: What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse – Charlaine Harris".
  7. ↑ "sfadb: Lord Ruthven Awards 2003". www.sfadb.com. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  8. ↑ "sfadb: Lord Ruthven Awards 2018". www.sfadb.com. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  9. ↑ "Charlaine Harris, author of Sookie Stackhouse books, is born – Nov 25, 1951 – HISTORY.com". HISTORY.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  10. ↑ "Cemetery Girl: Book One - Books by Charlaine Harris - Penguin Group (USA)". Archived from the original on 2014-03-01. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  11. ↑ American Crime Writers League Archived September 28, 2016, at the Wayback Machine .
  12. ↑ "Charlaine Harris: Putting the Bite on Cozy Mysteries" Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine , retrieved on 2009-10-27.
  13. ↑ Shepard, Martha Hunter (Fall 2007). "Charlaine Harris: Dead-On Author". Rhodes Magazine. Rhodes College. Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
  14. ↑ "Charlaine Harris (1951–)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 a Southern Vampire story without the character of Sookie Stackhouse
  16. ↑ "September 11, 2010 Wall Post". Facebook.com . Retrieved 2012-01-27.
  17. ↑ "August 15, 2010, August 21, 2010, and November 16, 2010 Wall Posts". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
  18. ↑ "Bibliography – Sookie Stackhouse". Charlaine Harris. Archived from the original on 2012-01-30. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
  19. ↑ "Story Behind Cemetery Girl by Charlaine Harris". Upcoming4.me. 2014-01-02. Archived from the original on 2014-01-03. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
  20. ↑ "February 6, 2009". Charlaineharris.com. 2009-02-06. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
  21. ↑ "'True Blood' Author's 'Aurora Teagarden' Franchise Coming to Hallmark (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 8 July 2014.
  22. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (October 29, 2015). "'Midnight, Texas' Drama Based On 'True Blood' Author Books Set At NBC". Deadline.
  23. ↑ "Dying for Daylight". Dying for Daylight. 2010-12-22. Archived from the original on 2011-01-28. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
  24. ↑ "OMSG announces deal with Charlaine Harris, #1 NYT bestselling author". Archived from the original on 2017-08-26. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
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