The Truth Hurts – Charlaine Harris talks to SciFi Now
May 13, 2012 in Uncategorized
There are plenty of things I could say about the interview Charlaine has given to UK Mag, SciFi Now.
But I’m saying nothing, because superlatives really aren’t required.
Just read this shit, roll around in it for a bit, and AND SAVOUR THE DAMN MOMENT.
If Alan Ball had kept his mouth shut, no one would have ever known about it…I don’t even want to go into [how Bill died] because every time I think about it I get mad at Alan. We’ve had such a great relationship, and that’s the only time I’ve ever gotten peeved at him.”
If only Alan Ball had done (or not done) a lot of things. I’m willing to bet that’s not the only time she’s ever gotten peeved at him.
“I try and stay away from it because even though I like to hear what the readers think, it’s not going to change any decisions. I think the TV series has had an influence over how people want it to end, because some readers are really in love with the TV depiction, and that may not match the characters that I actually wrote.”
What? What the hell now? The tv depiction of certain characters doesn’t match the characters that she actually wrote? Surely not! Charlaine might not have been joking when she said she’s heading into hiding after the last book. Some people just aren’t reading the books she’s writing…indeed.
I reclaim our beloved books from you, Ball…but keep talking, Charlaine, because it’s music to my ears.
Thanks to luvtheviking for the scans.
OMG! This is so EPIC and music to my ears too! “If Alan Ball had kept his mouth shut” INDEED! He would have been better off ‘sticking to the spirit’ of the books then he would not be getting this backlash, backlash that he so richly deserves.
have to say this gives me a lot of satisfaction, its like an indirect diss for AB and his Bill fanfiction haha
and the funniest thing is that even though Ball tries to shove Bill down our throats on TB all the time, most people still don’t like him *laugh*
All I can say is “FINALLY” WTG Charlaine !!
OMG is right!!! At first I didn’t know the show was based on a book series. I read the books after I watched season 1. I was really surprised by book Eric. I went into it liking Bill and Sookie and came out of it loving Eric and Sookie. People complain about book readers being unhappy. Well I watched the show before I read the books, I wstarted out a Bill/Sookie fan and unhappy and disappointed doesn’t begin to describe what I feel for the show. I won’t get into it though.
At this point show Sookie and show Bill can both go off to Peru and buy an alpaca farm. They can go look at Incan ruins while their at it.
LOL! Love it. Send Bill off & take TB Snookie with him. Works for me!
Finally! And for some reasons I just love that she said this before S5 starts… but really, I just love that she said it and how she said it! Epic! Way to go CH and just keep on letting it all out
Thank God CH is finally blasting AB for the crap .. AB vision of the books sucks & he just center’s everything around Billy.. it’s Ridiculous/ absurb to have a 175 year old Vampire being so cunning that nothing get’s past him…. **shake head** i will never watch another AB production & i’m not watching s5 either.. i mean C’mon Tara is going to be a vampire progeny of someone?? WTF..
IATM, I choose not to watch season 5 either. I have been through enough trauma with the end of last season. I went into season 4 somewhat optimistic.
Excatly CK,
s5 is more AB bull shit IMO… & this stupid “Bromance” between Eric & Billy is simply Ludicrous.. i will only log on to SVB to read the comments about the episodes, but i wont give AB any more of my ratings on HBO.. i’m a disgruntled fan indeed … :-/
Also, I would have been okay with a Bill/Eric “bromance” if Bill hadn’t tried to kill Eric 3 plus times. I always found the clothing store seen between them funny. A Lala/Eric bromance would have been hilarious. They decided to go the medium/healer/witch (it seemed to change every few episodes) route with Lala’s story instead of the (what I thought was foreshadowed)vampire route.
So true – Eric/Lala was made of win. Another missed opportunity. Instead, they managed to make LaFayette boring. *smh*
Hearts Desire, Alex/Kristen/Neslan scene were golden. I’m still a little bitter that Lala didn’t get turned. His speech in season two made me want to see Vamp Lala. I agree with you that Lala’s storyline has suffered. They could do so much more with him. Nelsan is amazing. I know this isn’t a popular opinion, but Tara was one of my favorite characters in season one and then it seemed like they kept recycling the same storyline for her every season.
We all know how douchey it was of ABalls to reveal what Charlaine told him in private.
There is just no other way to put it. It was an asshole move. Unprofessional and imo, deliberate.
Putting all fan wars aside – Alan spilled the beans on a potentially MAJOR plot development that packed a huge emotional punch for the series as a whole.
Believe me when I say that the anger from this fan doesn’t stem from the fact that Bill didn’t die – but rather that ABalls took away the element of surprise and therefore the dramatic impact it would have had on the reader’s, like me. In a long standing book series where so many of the reader’s have a vested interest in the main characters the death of Bill would have been huge.
Even if ABalls decides to kill Bill off himself (which may have been his goal when he opened his big gaping maw) it just isn’t ever going to be the same. It wouldn’t be suprising, and frankly I could care less now.
It’s gratifying to hear Charlaine say publicly how peeved she was, though we knew that because who wouldn’t be? It was a shitty thing to do, and it wasn’t accidental, imo.
Poorly played ABalls, poorly played.
A-fucking-men to that! My feelings exactly Leif!
I don’t know Leif, if AB decides to kill Bill off I know I would be ecstatic and might even watch again! Well, probably not lol. I doubt there is anything he can do to make me interested again.
But yeah he’s a douche and good for CH for finally/publicly letting her fandom know how pissed she was. It must be nice to be nearing the end of her series and not have to be so politically correct anymore!
SVB I can just see you doing a happy dance!
["I was talking to him about that one-on-one, and he just turned around and said it at a press conference. When I heard it I went Oh no! Why did you do that?!"]
If she still doesn’t know why he did it…. I can tell her why:
He did it because he’s a manipulative bitch that used the media against you in order to force you to change your story and give a nod to his shitty male lead character…. Capice?
“We’ve HAD such a great relationship, and that’s the only time I’ve ever gotten peeved at him.”
Keep using the past tense Charlaine.
She proved to be professional while Mr Ball proved to be a total d***k with that move. He hoped to have some kind on influence on her writing? Like make Bill the lead character?
Keep dreaming Ball, keep dreaming of Bill as much as you want because let me tell you soemthing: it ain’t working.
Even in TB all Ball’s efforts to make Bill the fan favorite failed and excuse me while i’m here lmfao.
Revealing Bill’s destiny just to put CH in a negative light with the fans so he could become the true hero with TB it’s pretty pathetic and from someone who won an Oscar you should expect something more professional i suppose.
Sorry for the rant. :/
I’m not going to say anything…I’m just going to savor this. *ahhhhhhh*
Fucking brilliant Charlaine!
Well, sounds like AB has foot in mouth disease…as to the differences between the books & the series the series would have lost a great character in Lafayette if AB had followed the books. I love both the books & the series for what they are.
but most of the changes he has done are horrible, the only good things are lafayette, Jessica and maybe Godric… season 4 was such a big mess I still can’t believe how bad and cheesy it was and the whole king Bill idea that was just done to make Bill the centre of the show – sorry but Ball must have read the bill compton chronicles or something like this lol
I have to agree with Sneeky. We hear the “Lafayette is great” defense year after year as though that one changes makes up for a thousand inconsistent and unsustainable decisons that, taken together, have made the show a steaming pile of craptastic.
It’s like saying,”If Hurricane Katrina hadn’t hit, the French Quarter wouldn’t have gotten a thorough washing down. I love both hurricanes and the French Quarter for what they are.” A bit beside the point.
He would have killed Lafayette off just like in the book if Nelsan hadn’t been such an awesome actor. What’s the excuse with Bill…Stephen’s awesomeness? IDTS.
Both Alan Ball and D&D, the showrunners of GOT, have made comments that are variations on “I/We like [fill in actor's name(s)] so much that we want to keep thinking up things for them to do” in a show, and invariably it applies to characters the fans hate. Interesting blind spot.
I suspect showrunners become “overly fond” of some actors for reasons that have nothing to do with plotlines (cough cough Ros/Esme Bianco is an adult entertainer cough cough) but I’m a grassy knoll theorist at heart.
Also, they completely decimated Pam’s storyline in season 4. I think that was one of the worst things about season 4. One of the best things about book four was that Pam got a chance to shine and prove why Eric chose her to be his kid. Pam took charge in Eric’t absence. In the show they just showed her as vein and had her run around like a chicken with her head cut off the entire season. She didn’t really even do much in the witch war. She wasn’t even in one of the episodes. They even added the scene where Pam ripped the necklace off the dying vampire (nice touch **sarcasm**).They do use some stuff from the books but they give it to other characters or half the time find some way to mess it up. They do have storylines that start out with potential like the witch storyline in the show but by the end of the season it was just disappointing and a complete mess. I love Lala, Jess, and Godric too. I think the “rooftop” scene was probably the best scene of the series. However, that does not make up for all the stuff where they dropped the ball. I remeber the “slumber party/nasty couch/Bachlorette” scene. It’s almost a year later and I still almost can’t beleive just how bad that was. LOL Sorry for rambling.
Besides the addition of LaLa, the changes in Godric and Alex as Eric, there is not much good about the show due to the changing of the status quo and Alan’s own unique ability to change up his own already established mythology. There is a reason season 1 worked so well and that is because he pretty much followed the book to a ‘T’. I did not see anyone having a problem with it then or complaining either. Season 2 came around and that is some of the problems started to occur but it was still good. Season 3 really fell by the wayside because the plot holes and devices were becoming more apparent as the season unfolded. Season 4 has some good moments and then the downhill spiral started with it hitting every bump coming down and it crashed hard into the tree. To each their own Lori!
It is okay because CH has learned that lesson and will not let a series of hers be that misconstrued again. I am looking forward to watching Harper when it debuts. I will stick with my thought that the books are always better.
Agree with all of your comments here, and would just add that not only did AB f**k with the SVM plotlines but by S3 he was simply REPEATING the few things he contributed to S1 and S2—he just substituted different supes each season. As critic Todd Vanderwerff said, “Sookie and Bill keep ending up in boring rehashes of Harlequin romances.” Critic Mo Ryan said, “At a certain point, the kidnapping, hostage situation, or rescue of the week becomes a little tiring, not to mention repetitive….the show is often just a round-robin of ….power exchanges, but Ball seems uninterested in saying anything ABOUT power.”
I love Lala, BUT I wouldn’t sacrifice Book Eric & Sookie for True Blood Lala.
I’m with you there Lina! FWIW, I love Lala’s character too & am glad they kept him around, but he’s not nearly as entertaining as he was in S1 & S2. There are a lot of characters I like that unfortunately this show can’t seem to come up with interesting things for them to do. At that point – it’s a big fat fail in my book.
As we’ve suspected all along, CH has kept silent while AB was at the helm of TB and now, not coincidentally, she feels free to say more of what she has thought all along, and to a mag affiliated, I presume, with the channel that will be running her new show. Most TB fans accepted this quite a while ago, since only a delusional author could be envisioned as loving the wholesale gut-job that’s been done to the SVM by AB. If TB had been a failure, I have no doubt we would have seen a sharper critique from CH long before this, but biting the hand that feeds you is a surefire road to oblivion. CH has been rewarded for her patience with her second series and AB, the shark that he is, has moved on to feed on other material.
You do realize AB’s tenure as showrunner doesn’t end until the end of season 5? A new showrunner only comes into play beginning of a potential season 6. AB is still as we type running TB, actively overseeing the scripts and storylines, edits, re-shoots, casting, pr, the whole nine. Season 5 will have AB’s fingerprints all over it.
These are parting remarks, an appropriate send off. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, you old ballsack.
Yes, I do, Eartha, and I stand by my comment. The last two eps are being filmed and will be edited, cleared by HBO, and aired at the end of the summer, and of course the die was cast in terms of series direction when the eps were broken six months ago and AB approved the season’s story arc.
However, in the terms of Hollywood politics/business, which is the context of my comment, AB was gone the day he announced he was moving on. AB did not take the show to Paley Fest in January, has given almost no interviews since the announcement, and is not expected to attend at Comicon, being busy flogging his new shows.
The King is dead, long live the new King, assuming Season 5 ratings don’t tank, Paquin gets her figure back after giving birth, and Alex isn’t cast in 50 Shades of Gray.
“AB is still as we type running TB, actively overseeing the scripts and storylines, edits, re-shoots, casting, pr, the whole nine. Season 5 will have AB’s fingerprints all over it ”
Urghhh, don’t remind me.
I am happy that Charlaine has come out and talked about her personal disappointment about the development of some of the series. CH has always said that she will go in one direction with the series and Alan Ball in a slightly different direction. I would be mad too if Alan Ball made such a huge reveal.
It will be interesting to see where each “author” will take their visions. While I have never been happy about Bill becoming a “King” or some of his other obvious powers for such a young vampire, in the long run, I don’t think Alan Ball will have Bill on top. It defies reasoning sometimes.
Shakes head. I am still not sure that Alan Ball is making or trying to make Bill Compton the hero of True Blood. Sure there have plenty of attempts on Alan Ball’s part to try to elevate the character but the plot development of the character in this series is just the opposite. Bill Compton on True Blood is more evil than he ever was in the book series. And he is plenty bad and stalkerish in the books.
The parallels that Alan Ball has drawn between Franklin Mott and even Russell Edgington and Bill Compton all point to one of the most devilish of vampires ever. Though there is a core group of individuals who are fans of the show, and refuse to read the books and declare that Bill is the best thing since sliced bread. We all know differently.
If Alan Ball’s plan is that Bill Compton will be redeemed and that Sookie will accept him in the long run then shakes head. But if the journey, is about each character finding redemption and rising above their worst selves including Sookie, Eric and Bill then I am on board. I think that Alan Ball has made a case for the effects of vampire blood on Sookie. Whether we are talking about the “bad blood” of Bill Compton or the “true blood” of Eric Northman.
As far as Tara becoming a vampire, that might be a bit premature to think also. We have had nothing definite to speak to this speculation. Alan Ball makes it seem this way but as we all know Alan Ball always leads us in one direction while diverting us from the true direction. One possibility is that Tara might end up being our “Bubba” from the books. Again an example of Alan taking a book character and tweeking it to fit his vision.
It should be interesting to say the least.
I will continue to watch because this story is not done. For the most part, I have separated the two forms of SVM.
I will reserve judgment when all is said and done. I think it might be too soon to make a judgment about the end of this series when we have conservatively speaking at least two more seasons 5 & 6.
I dont’ think AB ever claimed reasoning as a strong point.
One possibility is that Tara might end up being our “Bubba” from the books. Again an example of Alan taking a book character and tweeking it to fit his vision.
One person’s tweaking is another person’s indefensible gut job.
I must have missed this… when did AB spill the beans about Bill dying? I for some reason, missed that interview. But really, way to ruin the surprise.
Nevermind, read the interview. I’m apparently an idiot, and didn’t realize the scans were at the bottom to read. I didn’t realize she was talking about Dead and Gone, I thought it would be about the next book. Even though I’m an Eric lover, I don’t think I’d want bill to die.
Sadly I have had enough of Queen Bill and I would take any true death be it book or show. Having Bill look like the contents of an ashtray would be extremely satisfying….hey I am not perfect.
Long-time reader, first-time commenter…
Harris keeps repeating this joke about “going into hiding” after the last book is released because the last book is going to be epically bloody and Eric/Sookie lovers are going to be incredibly disappointed. Sam is going to be the last man standing, which is what Harris has been writing this whole time.
I felt awful, terrible for Eric in DL because I like his character so much at this point, but Sookie wants out of the dark vamp world. The last three books have been repeating that theme very subtly. By the end of DR, I was mostly convinced she was going to use the CD to free herself of Eric and in some roundabout way, she may have in DL.
At any rate, I think Harris is going take care of a lot of things that she had to hold off doing in the past either due to the show or from the publishers (bye-bye Billy, you traitor), which will upset people. We all have a vested interested by this point. However, they’re her books and she’s known for a while how she wanted the series to end and if she wants to kill off all the vampires with some silver-tainted TrueBlood as a dig to what the show & Ball did to the characters, then so be it. Ha.
You really think Sookie will end up with Sam? I think that would break my heart.
i dont think anything in DL moved Sook in the direction of Sam as her **new** boyfrirend.. i think the reason Sook said “it’s a delicate situation/ conversation” is because she is still in love with Eric & Sook knows as well as Eric how the C.D. was activated.. so it’s delicate to explain to Sam how she activated the C.D. through love.. but i didnt get Sook had a change of heart ( meaning feelings) by loving Sam enough to play GOD & change his fate…
I have since Dead as a Doornail, actually. Bill interrupting Sookie & Sam in the office was where I really started paying attention to it. Sookie has mentioned several times in the series that Sam has been in her sexual fantasies and she consistently reminded us of how great his body looks underneath his clothing… She clearly has an interest in him on some primal level.
When she’s talking about her life fantasies for everyone to Bill in DL, she doesn’t mention the vamps, but she does get completely hung up on what it is she wants for Sam.
Other characters have pointed out or were confused by Sookie & Sam’s close relationship–even Bill references it in DL when him and Eric want to Sam to introduce them to Jennalynn (who had a Sookie-chip on her shoulder because of Sam) and Sookie initially decides it would better to call Alcide then drag Sam into her ongoing mess.
I could go on for a while, but I don’t want to be confused as a Sam-lover. Like I said, I really like Eric, but I think Merlotte wins the Sookie lottery because he’s been playing a different game the whole series.
Actually Sookie does mention THE VAMP in her very OWN fantasy in that scene from the books:
“I had a fantasy that when we got to my house, Eric would be sitting on the back steps waiting for me. He would have ditched all his Nevada
company. He would be waiting to assure me that he had sent Freyda packing, that he’d told her how much he loved me, that he never wanted to leave me no matter how much power and wealth she offered him. He would be shooting a final bird at his maker, Appius Livius Ocella”
I don’t have the book with me at the moment so I couldn’t double-check. What stuck with me in that scene was her “I don’t know what I want for Sam”-thought.
Remind me: What else did she say about her fantasy for herself? Between her confusion for Sam and Bill trying to be cunning (and failing) by declaring he’d never make her a vamp, I may have missed what Sookie wanted for herself.
The way I’m reading her fantasy is for Eric to be freed of all the bullsh*t in order to be with her, but that quote doesn’t say “…And then I’ll love and be with him until I eventually get old and die,” which is something that she’s been fighting with for a while now. Her fantasy is fairly short-sighted and almost incomplete in comparison to Jason & Michele having three boys.
(Again, I don’t have the book with me, so there may be more to that part and I’m just not remembering it.)
I’m sorry B –
but i just dont believe that Sam is the end game for Sook.. Sam is a dear friend but not her end game IMO.. i mean there was a reason in DL CH wrote that Gran didnt use the C.D. & watched Linda die with Cancer.. Gran didnt want to play GOD & change fate.. Sook did change Sam’s fate & it was pointed out in a past book that using the C.D. can have repercussions.. we may not know what the penalty will be, but knowing CH she always adds consequences to actions… on another note though, since DAG was the book that CH orginally wanted to kill Bill out & then kept him alive because of the t.v. series IMO Sook would have ended up with Eric anyway.. Eric claimed Sook as his women in DAG so i take that to mean CH is staying true to her orginal plan with the upcomming book ( DEA).. we just have to get through the battle of the two Royals & yada,yada,yada..
IATM–
I’m aware I’m in a small minority (probably why I waited so long to say anything) and that’s a-okay by me. We’re reading the same book through different eyes, that’s all. I completely agree that using the CD will have repercussions. The way I took it was that by using it on one love, she was going to lose someone else she loves–in this case, by not using it to free Eric, Sookie’s going to lose him. Meanwhile, Sookie spent most of DL mulling over what was an appropriate use for the CD and what those repercussions would be, but the moment she watches Sam die, there was no thinking involved; she used it immediately despite knowing that it may have been the only way to get Eric out of his current predicament.
I have two and a half hypotheses for why Gran didn’t use the CD:
1) She felt guilty of having it in the first place. Using it would mean admitting the belief in fae magic and more importantly, admitting her affair with Fintan, which Linda was the result of.
1a) Niall told Sookie that Linda’s cancer had to have been due to environment because her fae-dom should have otherwise protected her. If Fintan had also told Gran early on that her children would never be sick, she may have assumed that the CD wouldn’t have helped Linda anyway.
2) Remember, she only left the CD to Sookie in the first place because of her telepathy powers, which she assumed came from Fintan. She was already aware of Sookie’s “disability” by the time Linda was sick and felt that Sookie might need the CD more than anyone.
@ B –
i totaly understand your logic on why Gran choose to not use the C.D. on Linda.. but the Christian undertone in the books have me to believe that Grans rationale for not using the C.D. on Linda to “save” her from dying was because Gran didnt want to play GOD.. which is something that Sook did for a friend.. Linda was Grans daughter ( who was dying a painfull death).. Gran just let it occur..
so yes, a consequence for Sook using the C.D. on Sam could possibly be loosing Eric’s love.. because Eric is hurt .. but i think the consequence will be surrounded with Sam & Sookie.. Eric on the other hand could very well be pissed off & yes, could possibly seek a power position out of his mess because he doesnt want to be a consort.. yes, it was a selfless act what Sook did, but she also changed fate with what was suppose to happen.. so there will be consequences because there always are with CH.. there was even consequences with the breakage of the BB..
She couldn’t actually foresee a future for Sam beyond the bar being successful. I think this is because she knows that Sam harbors some feelings for her, but she doesn’t reciprocate. What would make Sam happy is not what would make Sookie happy.
I can’t see any of the suitors winning the Sookie lottery – since that implies its a contest, and Sookie is just the prize to be won. I think Eric will make good on his promises from DTTW, and chose the love that Sookie offers over power. I think that together they will find a way to their own HEA – for both of them.
B,I think there will be repercussions from using the CD in the next book. It is of my opinion that Sam was meant to die and that Sookie saving him with the CD (magical means) messed with fate. There has to be a price to pay for that and I am with Gran in not using it ever in that manner. I mean, really who wants that kind of power?
“I can’t see any of the suitors winning the Sookie lottery – since that implies its a contest, and Sookie is just the prize to be won.”
For the record, that’s not at all how I see the book; I was overly simplifying the suitor situation. The series is about Sookie and her life with the supernatural. (We just all happen to be pretty invested in her romantic endeavors.) That said, her life with the supes has been so, so grim lately and she’s become a hardened person. But then her birthday arrives and she has a wonderful day. Key: Day. She’s so happy to see all of her friends in all their new stages of life. Then it becomes evening and dark, and Eric returns and gives her bad news all over again.
Back to Merlotte… She’s been confused about Sam since the beginning due him being her boss. But due to her generosity in saving the bar and him in return making her 1/3 owner, they’re now equals. This is important because this the first time any of the suitors can be seen as her equal, which I think Sookie has been making a big deal about in other ways–she’s just a breather with special talents to the vamps, the Weres want her Shaman abilities, the faes eventually just wanted the CD. Everybody wants her to be doing stuff for them, except Sam. He’s tried to keep her out of trouble, while all the other groups keep trying to use her to fix their troubles. Even Eric expected her to use the CD to get him out of the Freyda mess, but Sam never asked Sookie for the money to bail out the bar.
PS: Ever since Eric’s “You’re killing me” when he couldn’t tell her why he wasn’t able to personally save her from the torturing faeries, I understood why everyone loved Eric so much. I just wish I didn’t see so many road signs saying that it’s not going to be!
I’m not sure if this will post in the right place, but I’ll try.
@B – I just don’t agree, no biggie. I don’t see Sam as anything more than Sookie’s friend – her bff, sure, but not more than that. And, although she is now part owner in the bar, she’s still not Sam’s equal – his 2/3 will always be bigger than her 1/3. He’s still her boss.
I just don’t see Sookie burying secret feelings for Sam, especially since we’re privy to her inner monologue. I think the idea that she’s secretly in love with Sam is predicated on the idea that Sookie lies to herself about how she feels – and I just don’t see any evidence of that in the books.
We shall see – in a whole freaking year. Yikes.
I’ve really enjoyed the discussions with everyone on the topic of Sam and the CD! Thanks for indulging me.
Last thing, before I go back to lurking…
I went to the Harris signing on 5/5 in KY and I mentioned to her that I thought everyone (as in the crowd that evening) wasn’t giving much thought to Sam despite what I’ve been reading in the books. She gave me a huge smile, leaned forward and asked, “Don’t you like Sam? I do…” and nodded at me. That could pretty much mean anything, but it certainly didn’t make me change my opinion of him.
She likes Quinn A LOT too, but we know this chapter is pretty closed.
It’s Eric and after DL i don’t even think there’s a doubt about it. I’m convinced more than ever. All signs in the series point there while Sam is quite safe in the friend zone as he should be
After reading this book I’m 99% confident Sookie will HEA w/Eric, my only niggling doubt is the way Aurora Teagarden ended.
**************************SPOILERY******************************
Her HEA had been introduced early in the series (the first book), kind of drops out and she only ends up with him in the last book, if I remember correctly. Although to be fair, he was her obvious HEA to me from the start. I couldn’t figure out why she was with someone else for a good many books. In this way, it’s kind of like Sam, though Sam is along side her throughout the books one way or another. That’s the only thing that makes me nervous.
I have always been in the Eric and Sookie being together in the end camp and I truly hope that is how the series ends. However after reading your comments B, I can so see it ending with a Sam and Sookie happy ending. You made some really great points. I was all ready to wait for the next year to get our HEA, now I’m totally worried that’s not what we are going to end up with. Next year can’t get here fast enough.
I love that CH is taking this opportunity now to let loose some of her true feelings over the show. I understand that previously she was obligated to maintain the peace.
To Kathy – I too feel and hope that E/S will be together in the end, but used to have that teeny tiny twinge over the Aurora Teagarden books and the way they ended. I honestly do think that it will end with E/S though, especially after DL. As many others have pointed out – the fact that CH has thrown everything but the kitchen sink at E/S just makes me believe all the more that they are the HEA.
To B I understand everything you said regarding Sam and why you believe he will be the HEA, I just respectfully disagree. I believe that CH intentionally wrote an ambiguity there to keep many wondering. In other words, Sam is the red herring imo. CH is a master!:)
@Kathy
CH has spoken a lot lately, you’ve read, she would like to write a new book for Aurora Teagarden (if she has some free time), I think she was not happy how the story ended, I think it is a good thing. who knows.
I wouldn’t worry about Sookie sexual fantasies. Sookie has had sexual fantasies even with Claude and Dermot and that doesn’t mean she is in love with any of them.
And if we are going to speak of Math… a Constant is a FIXED value independent of physical measurement. And as a fixed value, it never, ever changes.
I’m not going to lie. I actually expected that Sookie used the CD for some grandiose or more interesting reason because I don’t give a damn about Sam.
But this is Sookie’s story and Sam has been a Constant in Sookie’s life since the beggining of the series. He has been his friend -the loyal dog- always caring for her safety while he can. He gave her a place to stay when she almost lost her house at the fire. And we can’t forget that Sam risked his life to protect and save her when he shifted as a Lion in the Were-War. I have always seen that they care for each other and they worry with their partners, not because of jelousy, but as the same way common friends usually do. Friendship, true friendship is a very strong bond that sometimes is more reliable, more strong and more stable than a love relationship…. and we all already know that.
So, that’s why I utterly understand why Sookie had to use the CD to save Sam. Sookie has lost almost all her significant people of her former “normal” life. And besides Jason, Sam is the only “family” that Sookie has. Because no matter how much Jason has changed, and no matter she has a new “fairy” family -in the most difficult moment when she could also loose Eric and doesn’t know what would happen with their relationship -to loose Sam would have been completely devastating for her.
No matter what happens between Eric and her, Sookie could not lose her only friend, the only Constant in her life.
But as I said above, a constant is a fixed value that NEVER changes…
And if for any reason CH would like to change this Constant NOW, I actually think is way too late to make it believable.
You make many good points here. I think most of us would be on board with whatever CH decides to do—not necessarily “happy,” but accepting, if she makes a convincing case for it. CH and AB have one thing in common: an absolute refusal to telegraph what the final twist and turn will be. Understandable, given that both TB and the SVM are “open” (unfinished) series, but not universal. George RR Martin, author of the books on which is based the most influential show on TV, Game of Thrones, has made clear that his world is dark—that he sees his saga ending in a pile of smoking ash. That bleak prediction hasn’t in any way dimmed the enthusiasm for the show or the series. Perhaps Martin’s fans are more sophisticated than are CH’s (as fans of both series, I suspect that is true), but GRRM is a savvy, savvy, guy with more years in the business than CH and AB combined.
To be fair, CH has not said that Eric and Sookie fans are going to be incredibly disappointed. She hasn’t said what ship is going to be let down. I always take it as the BLs, though she couldn’t have been preparing them for the bad news more than she did in Deadlocked. She flat out said she didn’t love Bill anymore, period.
And I’m sorry, no way does she decide in ONE BOOK that Sam is the one for her after all.
YEP. She NEVER said any of those things.
But she did say that “Eric and Sookie are the only two safe survivors of the series” and that ELs love to create drama to worry about
BEFORE Sookie uses the CD she thinks about it like this;
*Thanks, Grandfather Fintan, for the great gift. And while I was at it, Thanks, Sponsor Cataliades, for the telepathy. And
also while I was angry at people in my past—Thanks, Gran, for (a) having an affair with a fairy and (b) not using the cluviel dor while you had the
chance and, therefore, sticking me with it.*
AFTER Sookie uses the CD she thinks of it like this;
* I’d worried and worried and worried about the cluviel dor—which, I realized, I didn’t have to worry about, ever again.*
The CD imo, isn’t about Sam being the ONE, it’s about how Eric perceives it and handles the QOK/FDC situation subsequently. Sookie spent the entire book in utter agony at the thought of losing Eric, and used the CD on Sam in a spur of the moment decision to save his life. It was the RIGHT choice.
Sookie is relieved the CD is now gone, and so am I.
Eric and Sookie as HEA would be anything but easy, anything but simple, and everything but predictable.
This is paranormal fantasy; where the against-all-odds ending is more than possible.
Traditional romances (Marriage, children, growing old and dying- hello Sam) are predictable and forgettable.
No matter how this series ENDS; it’s Sookie, and Sookie and Eric together, and their journey throughout the books, that makes this series so unforgettable to me. Just sayin’.
Agreed !!
yes, she does say it again and again. But wouldn’t that be a sign of doubting him? I give her a lot of credit, she has grown up. She didn’t run away when eric was sucking blood from another girl, which is the reason why she had to gain some composure in the restroom. But it’s still so weird that she has to remind herself all the time. He does something that she’s not comfortable with, she gets mad. I’m not letting eric off the hook here. He’s been around for ages and I don’t think he’s accustomed to expressing his affections for a human so much as bill. Which is one thing that bugs me. Why didn’t he say anything about Niall’s visit? But Anyways, I understand what ur saying about Sam. It was just to hard to swallow the ending, I didn’t perceive it the same way as you did.
sorry, my comment was meant for another post.
Leif – THANK YOU!
I’ve just realized that I’ve chewed half of my nails away while reading this back-and-forth re: Sam. (By the way, NO fictional series should effect me so…alas!)
To expand on your statement, I recall a link (that I think was on this site) to an interview with CH at a mystery writers forum. When asked which character has changed the most since the beginning, CH stated that it was Eric. Something about him being a major D*ck at the beginning of the series.
Who is the only other character that has changed as much? Well, Sookie. Why have these two primary characters go through 12 books worth of growth and transition to suddenly have them go off in two different directions?
I realize I am an eternal optimist, but that just doesn’t make sense to me.
Loooooooovvvveeee this! Go Charlaine!! I love her comments about TB characters being very dissimular to her characters. Heh heh heh. I’m hoping when this disaster is finally off the air she’ll be even more open!
WOW, thank you so much for putting this up here SVB, because otherwise I probably wouldn’t have been able to read all this from where I live. Music to the ears indeed !
BTW, did you also notice the “I do, I actually think Pam could take most of them” which would concur with your earlier prediction about Pam, and you might be dead on AGAIN (I am truly in awe).
Don’t know who did “the plotted history” though (“The sexual tension leads to a shower scene that fans campaigned for AB to put in the show.He, of course, obliged”).
WHAT? WHERE? How did I miss that?
Honestly, I’ve just turned off my TV and probably won’t even bother to watch S5 anymore (Nah, who I am kidding, I’ll probably just tape it and fast-forward to the AS-bits).
I’m not going to say much that hasn’t already been said by my SVB sisters, but…Ditto SVB!! Thanks for sharing!! Love this!! WTG Charlaine!! *bounces*
On a different note, that Plotted History page sucked. I don’t think the person who prepared that page has actually read the entire series.
Words cannot express how much I love this interview.
Thanks SVB.
*applause*
What a nice ending of my day…thanks for this interview … I was always paranoid about her ‘going into hiding’ after the final book… but now I feel better after reading this..and I liked bitter-sweet (mostly sweet) comment …sounds like realistic ending
*applauds Charlaine* *hugs Charlaine*
I knew this would happen eventually. Glad it’s starting to happen now. I figured CH wouldn’t get to express her true feeling until after TB was done for good. There’s no way she could put so much of herself into a kind and considerate and kick-ass character like Sookie, and not be pissed at what TB/AB turned her into (I won’t even get into all the others they’ve fucked up). You go CH!
Loved this interview! Finally CH says what we have all been thinking! AB pretty much
) now. I follow the books and love them so much better. I have a few speculations but I will have to wait till after I read DL first. 
thanks for all the ideas, really has me thinking now!
Ruined the TB series for me. Only watch it for a few key players in it ( ahem Alex and Joe
Um WOW! Bravo, Charlaine!
Way to go CH
I didn’t think anything would top her “I don’t write Anna Paquin, I write Sookie Stackhouse” comment but this does.
YEA CHARLAINE!!!!
IKR! These are definitely some of my favorites so far on this subject. Right along with “things are evolving differently in my world” and “I know THE REAL STORY”.
[...] thanks to LuvTheViking for the scans and the Sookieverseblog for the head’s up! Rate this: Share [...]
I know this is off topic a bit, but I still can’t believe how the book ended. You can’t cheat death. After all, sam had it comming. It’s a big clue of who sookie will end up with in the end. It’s like she’s saying, “I can’t live without sam.” SO SAD. I’m glad I just checked it out from the library instead of buying it. *sigh* like SVB said, “you can’t always get what you want.”
Its not over yet Bookworm – buckle up because the last book will be a bumpy ride, but I am convinced we’ll get our HEA.
I hope you’re right. It seemed like sookie didn’t care much of where eric went, she was too busy with sam. I know eric has to show his love for sookie by sorting his arranged marriage by himself but still, it left my mind with a WTF moment of sookie’s choice. And considering the cluviel dor, “the wish had to be personal, to benefit the possessor or someone the possessor loved” pg. 59. It’s the little things that count, and this quote is equivalent to what sookie did in the end. I hope my theory is wrong.
and Mr.C also said her love for herself also counted. It’s not just romantic love,and Sam is her friend…and has been a constant in her life AS A FRIEND. I would have done that for ANY of my friends,I love them! But I’m not IN love with them. The poor girl says again and again and again how she is IN love with Eric and is distraught at even the thought of losing him,we see the story from sookies mind…she is not hiding her secret,burning love for Sam from herself people. We always know when Sookie is lying to herself or kidding herself because she realizes it too.
And had I been her,and had my best friend been lying there taking his last breath,you can bet Erics sweet ass I would have used it EXACTLY like that. Eric may or may not go off with Freyda,but at least he wouldn’t be truly dead like Sam was about to be. I mean…would ANYONE leave their friend there bleeding to death and NOT use everything in their power to save them??? This is a testament to Sookies character,this is why we love her. That she put aside everything (even her agony over all the QOK issues) to save someone. We’ve read it a million times over.
yes, she does say it again and again. But wouldn’t that be a sign of doubting him? I give her a lot of credit, she has grown up. She didn’t run away when eric was sucking blood from another girl, which is the reason why she had to gain some composure in the restroom. But it’s still so weird that she has to remind herself all the time. He does something that she’s not comfortable with, she sort of holds back. I’m not letting eric off the hook here. He’s been around for ages and I don’t think he’s accustomed to expressing his affections for a human so much as bill. Which is one thing that bugs me. Why didn’t he say anything about Niall’s visit? Anyways, yea I understand what ur saying about Sam. It was just to hard to swallow the ending, I didn’t see it in a different type of prospective.
This is the most satisfying post I’ve read anywhere in ages!
Man that felt good to read. I really hope when all is finished with the books and the tv series that CH really let’s rip on ball and calls him out on tearing apart her characters and the shit he has shoveled to her fans.
He needs to be told he is not the ‘genius’ he thinks he is. Far from it.
Oh Charlaine – that was brilliant! But I have to say my favourite is this re TB:
“I try and stay away from it because even though I like to hear what the readers think, it’s not going to change any decisions. I think the TV series has had an influence over how people want it to end, because some readers are really in love with the TV depiction, and that may not match the characters that I actually wrote.”
Word Charlaine…..
The Maker has spoken!
This interview is full of win. Full of it. It has win spewing out of it’s arse
)
I think this will quieten down a lot of the CH naysayers who think her lack of opinions on TB and AB equals her liking what he’s done. I’ve heard a lot of bookies diss Ms. Harris for not speaking out, but they just couldn’t/wouldn’t understand from a legal/PR POV she had to keep her crazy Charlaine smile on.
Well, we needn’t worry. Many of the Bill fans think WE are delusional, and CH is thrilled with the show.
…peeks around corner to be sure it’s safe to come out….
Great Post! I have enjoyed reading all the posts/opinions here for my daily fix. Ran screaming from another site over this post! SVB was fingered by name and I think the word used was delusional. TB News, not a friendly place if you don’t want to goosestep with the party line. Anyway, love the site and enjoy the converstations!
Hi Peecan. Saw your wonderful posts at The Nest. Hope you’ll stop by often.
Being hated by the BLs is just a badge of honor around here.
Goodtoseeya Peecan!
Enjoy your time here on Planet Earth, Peecan. You were briefly sucked into Billtunia’s evil orbit but somehow you escaped. You’re safe now.
hehe! Thanks. Won’t make that mistake again, didn’t realize that was the one called “The Nest”, a known hostile. Nest indeed!!!!!!!!!
Remember, nests are homes for bird brains.
Biological fact.
Haha. I really thought they’d be sick of that by now. I guess they really have nothing better to do over there, all five of them. They must struggle to find things to talk about after a while.
So they’re over there running me into the mud by name – but I’m the hate-monger.
Obviously things are getting down to the wire
They have a full-time job swooning over SM’s non-existent sex appeal, monitoring his non-existent career as a major-film actor, and batting back all logic, evidence, and opinion that TB has run itself off the rails, not just as an adaptation of the SVM but also as a free-standing show.
As their reward, they get to drum up “enthusiasm” for some of the most boring story lines on premium cable and pay HBO for the privilege.
Your in good company here, we are all ‘delusional rabids”. LOL.
Enjoyed your comments over at TB news!
my goodness, those guys from the nest and the vault,… TB news seem to be a very influential site, sometimes I think the TB writers who got already brainwashed by balls bill fanfiction go there and then think the crap they are posting is what the fans want to see, but its just like 5 or 6 people who are talking the same kind of sh*t.
Sneeky, if you are right and the writers go exclusively to the Vault and the Nest, rest assured the HBO interns don’t. They are well aware of the prevailing online opinion that the show has gone downhill, and report to the HBO brass. There’s no reason for them to worry, however—not at this point. The ratings were huge last year and until they see evidence to the contrary next month, all’s well in TB land, regardless of the Internet chatter.
It’s moot anyway, since the Lombardo regime at HBO is known for hands-off approaches to its shows up until the plug is pulled. Only some major cast change is going to move the show in a different direction.
I am so glad that Charlaine finally feels free to speak her mind a bit. What a relief!!
I also look forward to whatever else may come out farther down the line, but if this is all she ever says on the matter, I think it vindicates everybody who has ever wondered how the characters on TB could possibly have anything to do with the SVM!! Thank you for posting this!!!!!!!!!
That was so wonderful and what a relief. Happy dance going on here.
the only reason charlaine peeved at Alan becoz Allan pick Anna Paquin as Sookie….she imagine sookie much beautiful…..poor charlaine…..anna is beautiful in her way!….and then there comes another reason to mad at Allan…
Love this. Love this so much.
Yes!
Love that CH is letting this out and I hope she incorporates her original plan into the last book. True Blood is dead to me.
Food for thought:
Gone with the Wind
Scarlett (Sookie) is infatuated with Ashley Wilkes (Bill) the classic Southern gentleman. Rhett (Eric) enters the picture. Their relationship is tumultuous and by the time the Civil (Fairie) War is over; Scarlett (Sookie) has professed her love for Rhett (Eric) and wants only him.
General Hospital
Scottie (Bill) is married to Laura (Sookie)The night club owner Luke (Eric) falls in love with Laura. Luke rapes Laura. Despite having been raped by a drunken Luke, Laura would later fall in love with and marry Luke.
Starwars
Skywalker (Sam) is crushing on Leia (Sookie), who’s both drawn to and repelled by Han Solo (Eric). In the end, Luke is Leia’s brother and Han gets the girl.
Pride and Prejudice
Elizabeth (Sookie) dismisses Mr. Darcy (Eric), rightly so since he sees her a inferior. Elisabeth goes for Mr. Wickham (Bill). Then she finds out some unsettling news about Wickham’s past and finds herself liking Darcy more and more, especially as he reveal s his kinder side.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Angel (Bill) is the ultimate I don’t want to be a vampire and is Buffy’s (Sookie) first love .Spike (Eric)is a vampire’s vampire who threatens her life several times but rocks Buffy’s world. Reilly (Sam) was the protector boyfriend but in the end Buffy chooses Spike.
Just Sayin- it’s a formula and Sookie+Eric+ Bill does not = Sam and we already know Bill has been removed from the equation. I’d bet my SVM book collection the last Supe standing will be Eric.
Interesting idea. I’m not quite sure of the arc you are projecting onto the romantic triangle, but all theories bear examining closely.
In terms of GWTW, however, we know that Ashley was based on Ms. Mitchell’s first husband and Rhett Butler on her second, with whom she had the happier of her two relationships. Mitchell had been a flapper during the 1920s, pushing boundaries for behavior on the part of proper Southern women, and Mitchell herself quite probably served as the inspiration for her heroine, Scarlett. Mitchell was a journalist, she believed in women’s suffrage. With all of Rhett’s many faults, he did accept Scarlett as a “new” woman and adjust to a new post-war world order, things Ashley was unable to do. Here I think is where CH’s world and MM’s world meet; Bill wants the old-world version of a southern woman, while Eric is perfectly willing to accept Sook into the vampire/sup community as an equal. Rhett and Eric are less traditionally protective in many ways, but that doesn’t mean they care any less for their women, both of whom are willing to accept some loss of traditional gallantry in exchange for freedom and equality.
@A-pos I understand the romance formula you’ve illustrated, but I can’t quite understand how that means that CH is bound by the same formula.
Personally I don’t think she’s bound by any formula, except the one she’s set up herself.
IMHO, looking at the overarching structure of the series as a mathematical proof, the only possible result is Sookie-Eric. Anything else simply does not work.
I have no idea what that means Rosamunda, but I *really* like the way it sounds;)
LOL, I’m rubbish at maths, but I got that phrase from my cousin who is a mathematician and he always speaks of things in terms of formulas, he says that literally everything can be analized that way.
He’s always going on about how people think mathematics are rigid and unemotional when they’re so fluid and adaptable and yada yada yada… but anyway, he’s actually really good at predicting the outcomes of movies and books so I guess there’s something to it…
@Ancient Pythoness So true but a girl can hope
It’s going to be a long year.
I’m just going to sit here and grin.
yes, that comment about ‘i don’t write anna paquin’ was the one to let you know that she really doesn’t like the direction of the show.
the question had nothing to do with TB but she went out of her way to make the clear distinction.
of all her jabs, this one is the one that packs the most punch and makes me smile.
I’m so glad to read this. I saw the TB season 5 preview before GOT last night. I thought “what the hell is that?” That show just plain sucks and makes absolutely no sense most(more like all) the time. It makes me sad because if AB would have just followed the books (like GOT) it would have been awesome. It’s a shame that the characters as written by CH, have been changed so much that they are unrecognizeable to me. He has made Sookie into a blitherling idiot that moons over every man on the show. I could go on and on, but you get my point. Look, I do not know CH personally, but if I wrote Sookie Stackhouse, I would be livid at the direction AB has taken her characters. CH is a classy lady and I’m sure that this is about as “ugly” as we are going to see from her regarding TB and AB. I know that people say that the shows and the books should be taken as two separate things, but what does “based on” mean? I guess to AB it means take the basic premise and characters shake it all up and then regurgitate onto the screen. Okay, rant over.
A-fucking-MEN Charlaine!!
Way to go Charlaine, there’s the saucy/ tenacious spirit that’s been suppressed from your public statements
about the show and it’s director. I must admit that I was so peeved that I delayed ordering SVM book 12
( for the first time ever, all previously were Preorders). I was so very ashamed that I ordered TB DVD’s for
my sister who doesn’t have HBO. She actually said Bill was an example of a “real man” from a time of
chivalry , ” he’s every woman’s trophy” !!!). I refused to purchase any more and sent the books instead.
I’d always knew Mrs Charlaine would get publicly peeved eventually. How can I lose confidence in the
lady who wrote the ( living in ) Shakespeare series and introduced Aurora Teagarden. Thanks for posting
this SVM, I haven’t been following Ms Harris’s road trips for a while.
WildSeed,
Has your sister read the books you sent? If so has her opinion changed?
Hi C.K., she’s read only the 1′st two and mentioned that the TB version was more romantic
because of Bill. Overall she lost interest in both book and TB when MaryAnne and the
FUCKFEST took over.
“The TB version was more romantic because of Bill”
Which is a big reason CH says; “I think the TV series has had an influence over how people want it to end, because some readers are really in love with the TV depiction, and that may not match the characters that I actually wrote.”
…and CH is right. It’s the rose colored TB glasses that some people need to take off when reading the books.
CH’s ending IS the ONE that matters. And imo, the ONLY one that matters.
Damn straight.
I think one of the main reasons CH was annoyed with AB over the Bill death business was she knew she’d already said that she’d decided that Sook’s HEA appeared in the first three books of the SVM. Even the briefest THOUGHT that Bill might die would tend to disqualify Bill from the HEA—since the THOUGHT would NEVER have crossed CH’s mind, no matter how quickly she “abandoned” or “rejected” it, anymore that the thought of killing off Sookie would have crossed her mind. She quickly said that a novelist thinks of killing “all” of her characters off at one time or another, but obviously that would not apply either to Sook or Sook’s HEA.
That was a major spoiler, seems to me, but one not many folks seem to have picked up on.
Some fans like to claim that because she didn’t actually go through with it, and decided Bill “had more story to tell”, that this doesn’t matter.
But it’s not the fact that she didn’t go through with it. It’s the fact that she considered it in the first place.
Yes, exactly. You don’t consider killing off in Book 9 the character you decided in Book 3 is going to be the heroine’s HEA, not unless you have changed your original intention, something CH has never intimated. Bill can have all the additional story told anyone wants. He can’t be the HEA.
wouldnt the same rules apply to Sam’s charcter as well DH?? i mean technically CH killed Sam out in DL & resurrected his character with the C.D. usage.. she considered/ pondered on killing Billy in book 9.. she resurrected him as well with Judith.. Sam & Bill are doppels it appears.. i dont think either Bill or Sam could be Sook’s HEA.. but we shall see..
“That was a major spoiler, seems to me, but one not many folks seem to have picked up on.”
There are none so blind as those who will not see.
“I’m willing to bet that’s not the only time she’s ever gotten peeved at him.”
I’d be willing to bet this is one of those close shaves – she’s probably only been peeved AT HIM the once. At the things he’s done, the mess he’s made… Well, that’s different than being mad at HIM, so it’s 100% true without being the whole story. o.O;