Recap of lunch with Charlaine Harris

My birthday was last week, and my BFF took me to lunch with Charlaine Harris to celebrate! Just the three of us....and about 200 other people, lol :) Murder by the Book in Houston puts on a great event - the lunch was at the Briar Club and it was wonderful.

She did a Q&A session before she signed books. Yes, I'm a nerd and took notes, right there at the table. She was very funny and self-deprecating. She laughed a lot and took compliments from the audience very graciously.

• The original title for Dead Until Dark was Southern Fried Vampires but her publisher didn't like it. She says it took her two years to sell it - the only other UF at that time was Laurell K Hamilton, and publishers didn't know where to put these kinds of books. She'd been writing her mysteries (Lily Bard, I think she said) and said she decided to write a new series: She'd take her 10 Lily Bard readers with her, throw in some mystery to grab that audience, throw in some blood/gore to grab that audience, and throw in some sex to grab the rest!She's surprised that people are so wrapped up in Sookie's love life, she says the romance is not the main theme for her.

• After Dead Reckoning there are only two more books left. She's had the key scene in the last book written for 10 years.

• Sometimes real people do inspire her characters.

• Her favorite Sookie book to write? All Together Dead - She loved writing about the trip and the hotel.

• Her favorite (any) book to write? Ice Cold Grave from her Harper Connelly Series; she says she's done with this series. She doesn't believe in extending a series beyond where it should go.

• I asked (okay, I made my BFF ask) if there were any characters she regretted killing off - she said Claudine. She was in a "clear the decks" mood and killed off a lot of characters in that book - she still feels bad she killed off two pregnant women in one book. States the murders seemed like a good idea at the time :)

• Someone asked who Niall was talking about when he said "he's a good man" - Ms. Harris states she won't tell us (probably not, anyway), she likes to make her readers do some of the work.

• She loves her covers - states "It's not a chick in black leather with a gun or knife" Lisa Desimini is the artist.

• Where did she get the name Sookie? She says it's an old Southern name - her grandmother's best friend was named Sookie. (So is my cat, lol)

• Was she invited to Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin's wedding? No (she playfully acted indignant)

• She loves writing Pam - she's fun and sarcastic. States Kristen Bauer does a great job even if she does get the accent wrong - she's supposed to have a British accent, not a Southern accent. She says the actress looks like Pam and the character and writing are consistent.

What's coming up next? She's got an anthology coming out in August: Home Improvement, Undead Edition, with Patricia Briggs, James Grady, Heather Graham, Melissa Marr, and others:

She's also got The Sookie Stackhouse Companion coming out August 30. There's an original novella, interviews with Ms. Harris, Alan Ball, character interviews, a timeline, recipes, and a secret Eric/Bill conversation (<--I'm guessing that has a lot of hissing and "Sookeh is mine" in it, lol).



All in all it was a fabulous lunch - our table mates were super nice and I met another blogger who will be in NOLA for the ALA conference in August. We also sat next to the cutest couple - both in their 70s, I would guess, who were absolutely adorable. They didn't stay for the book signing, they just wanted to see Ms. Harris and hear her speak. BFF and I both said later we hoped our marriages would be like that when we were their age (awwww!!!).

Thank you BFF Hannah for the tickets and going with me; Thank you Hubs (for sending me off for a fun birthday weekend and bankrolling the crazy), and Thank you to my son and mother who watched my two Littlest Book Addicts so that I could go to Houston and have a wonderful grown-up (relatively speaking) weekend!

Taunt.

(Hannah, our SIL Brenda, and me at Charlaine Harris' book signing last October)

My sister-in-law and BFF, Hannah, whom I talk about occasionally here, is having a giveaway. Now, while she loves to read, she's not a book blogger. She's edgier and rantier and a whole lot more fun than I am. She's the one we tell the kids to ask when they have a "sex" question. Not "where do babies come from" type questions, more like "what's a lemon party" type questions. Why? 'Cause it's fun. (Disclaimer: we do NOT speak that way in front of the kids, but sometimes things are overheard that don't surface until the MOST inopportune time...like Thanksgiving dinner, for example)

Go say hi and enter her giveaway - There's books and swag, no hoops to jump through, no need to be a follower (although, trust me, you want to), just click here --->leave her a comment. That's it - easy peasy.

Eclipse in Real Life

I'm sooooo jealous my SIL went to Forks last week! (Well, she went to visit family up in that general vicinity and while she was up in that corner of the US she had to go to Forks!) I pestered her until she have me some Forks scoop and pics - here for your enjoyment:

So yeh, not bragging or anything, but I went to Forks, Washington.

Yes, my sole purpose for visiting is ‘coz I’m a Twilight-aholic.

And it was fucking awesome.

Not just ‘coz of the whole Twilight mania complete with tours, shops, signage and the like. The area (Forks, La Push, Port Angeles) is some of the most gorgeous countryside I have ever seen.

The [supposed to take] 2 hour trip turned into a 4 hour trip (one way!!). One reason is that everyone in that region drives about 10 miles UNDER the speed limit. UNDER PEOPLE. You pull that shit in Houston and you gonna get shot. In the face.

Second reason is ‘coz of all the damned wildlife. We almost crashed no less than 10 times. The brakes on that rental car gonna need some changing. Soon.

Elk. Deer. Ravens. Cougars (no, not that kind, even though it was in Twilight land, and expected, it was the real deal kind with jacked up tails).

The lakes and mountains were so peaceful that it felt claustrophobic. It was somehow suffocating to let go of the hustle and bustle. To relax into going UNDER the speed limit. To enjoy slowing down for the numerous forms of wildlife. To actually be quiet long enough to hear waterfalls cascading down the mountain cliffs.

Edward and Jacob visit my dirty thoughts frequently. Most times together.  Wait, so where was I?


Michael was so good and made sure that I stood still long enough to take a picture in front of everything. (fyi, Michael is my brother - her husband)

Forks:

There was a line forming to take pictures in front of the Forks sign but guess who was first? I’ll give you ONE guess.



Now, I didn’t take the Twilight Tour but I enjoyed perpetrating like I did.



Then I just had to get a shot with Bella’s truck.



La Push was beyond words. Breathtakingly storybook is as close as I can come.



The beach actually had people running about. AND people surfing. In wet suits of course ‘coz, again, in case I have not been clear, it was cold.



Look real close. See that moon?



This goes in the Alzheimer’s album to remind us when we’re 80 the places we’ve visited.



This I thought was Twilight inspired but, nope, been there for years.



The cutest thing in La Push though was the treaty line.

Port Angeles:



Bella Italia with my friend Amy. She was my running buddy back in the days of orange hair and red attitude.



The coast went on and on just as beautiful as this for miles it seemed.



The water was clear and crystal but a bit greenish (which lets you know it is COLD water my friends, don’t go in there!).



I can understand and appreciate why people live there, even knowing it never got over 53 degrees the entirety of our stay (in June) … I understand it. Serene, relaxed culture surrounded by some of the greenest lands in America.

All I can say at this point is neener-neener, I went to Twilight land and it was all I had hoped it would be!

And then I pestered Hannah with questions('cause I'm going next summer if it kills me!):

So, Forks was cold and overcast, even in June?
Well, cold to me. There were many people (locals) in shorts/t-shirts but the high temperature the day we visited was a whopping 53 degrees. The sky was overcast until we made it to La Push. And I don't mean just that one day ... our week-long visit was plagued with cloud cover.

Is the town as tiny as they say?
Tiny doesn't even cover it. When people joke about one stoplight towns, this is the town they are speaking of. Only one light and if you blinked, you would miss the town entirely. Which, to be fair, was more than La Push had. They got no stoplight at'all.

Were the townies friendly? Were there a lot of tourists?The locals were extremely friendly. Southern hospitality could take a lessons from these people. The shops were overflowing with tourists. Well, I assume they were tourists as they were all female and most under the age of 20 (complete with giggles over who is more "TeamEdward" or "Team Jacob"). The town is racking in bountiful Twilight profits and the locals were eager to show their appreciation.

What spots were obviously movie-related?
Most every spot had a dusting of Twilight paraphernalia of one sort of another. Heck, even the Chamber of Commerce has a Twilight poster in the door. Forks did have more movie related shops while La Push is more nonchalant about it but, I must say, when you have scenery as gorgeous as they do, you don't need any add on materials.

What were the shops like? Any places to eat?Shops and restaurants all closed at 6:00 so we were not able to stop and eat anywhere due to the time constraints. We did, however, eat at Bella Italia and it was delicious. There was a poster in the window signed by Stephanie Meyer when she visited in 2009. The staff mostly enjoyed the business and the tourists but you could tell some of the younger folks were, well, over it.

How far was it from Forks to LaPush?
Heading from Port Angeles to Forks, you actually drive past the road heading to La Push. When we headed it back it took approximately 1/2 hour. The path into La Push was a narrow one with beach stops named one, two and three along the way. We headed to the last one, number 3, and were able to drive right onto the beach. Driftwood was abound in all directions and the rock climbers (as the locals call them) were awe inspiring. The rock climbers were created by earth plates crashing together and forcing the rock straight into the air. Accessible by only by boat it is a place for young kids and, presumably, Natural Light cans.

You went to Port Angeles too – how was that ride?
Port Angeles almost sneaks up on you. You seem to be driving in a forever land of Douglas firs and BAM, you are in downtown Port Angeles. Again, small town but the air smelled like my dreams when Edward visits. Salty and tangy with a bite of wind chill.

Did you try to change the radio and touch Michael’s cold, cold hand and acknowledge that he’s a vampire?
Let me tell you a secret. Satellite devices do not do well in Port Angeles, Forks or La Push. The [almost] constant cloud cover leaves you without satellite radio, functioning cellphone or GPS. If not for my friend Amy, we would have never found the area (or our way back!).

Oh, wait…got a little carried away there! Was the restaurant nice – was it full of tourists or locals? Did Port Angeles acknowledge Twilight in any way?
Port Angeles did not have Twilight mania as did Forks but there were drips and drabs showing the connection. Port Angeles seemed to be more of a locals only joint. Although Port Angeles delivered delicious food and breathtaking water scenes, and while Forks is home to my Bella and her many adventures, La Push is the place that stole my heart. And not just 'coz I'm team Jacob.


Thanks for sharing, Hannah - it looks like you had a great time!!!