Best-selling author Charlaine Harris, whose novels are the basis for the runaway HBO hit “True Blood,” will be the first speaker in the 2009-2010 South Arkansas Community College Lecture Series.
“A Southern Novelist Discusses Her Creative Process: An Evening With Charlaine Harris,” a free event open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. on Sept. 17 at the SouthArk Gym at 300 S. West Ave. in El Dorado.
Harris, of Magnolia, is a Mississippi native who has been writing mysteries for more than 20 years. She published the Harper Connelly series, the Aurora Teagarden series and the Lily Bard series. Those works were well-received.
But it was her novels about Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic barmaid in northern Louisiana, that skyrocketed her to fame over the last year. After the debut of “True Blood,” Harris’ Southern Vampire novels often occupied multiple spots on the New York Times’ best-seller list at the same time.
“True Blood” was nominated for a Golden Globe for best TV drama last year, and its star, Anna Paquin (who plays Stackhouse) won the Golden Globe for best dramatic actress.
The first book in Harris’ Southern Vampire series, “Dead Until Dark,” won the 2001 Anthony Award for best paperback mystery. She has gone on to publish eight more, translated into multiple languages. A 10th Southern Vampire novel is due next year.
Harris is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and the American Crime Writers League. She is on the board of Sisters in Crime, and alternates with Joan Hess as president of the Arkansas Mystery Writers Alliance.
For more information about this event, call (870) 864-7107.
