Three Questions and a Cover — a short interview with one of my favorite authors, along with one of the author’s covers.
Charlaine Harris is the New York Times bestselling author of the Midnight, Texas series, the Aurora Teagarden series, the Sookie Stackhouse series, the Lily Bard series, the Harper Connelly series, the Cemetery Girl triology, and -most recently- the Gunnie Rose series. (whew!) You can get more information about all her books on her website, www.CharlaineHarris.com
1. You’ve written successful series in several different genres. Is there yet another genre that you’d like to tackle?
I’d love to write a really terrifying horror novel. “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson is so amazing. She’s my horror role model. But she could write anything.
2. How do you know it’s time to stop plotting/researching/fleshing out, and get down to the business of actually writing?
I do very little advance plotting and only a little research. I’m never sure what I’ll need to know ahead of time, so I do a lot of research on the fly. It’s always time to get to the heart of the matter and put words on paper. That’s when the fun starts.
3. What advice do you have for aspiring writers that may seem unconventional?
I’m pretty conventional. Put your butt in the chair and finish the book. Do NOT drop it and start something else. You will only be a true writer when you finish.