Author that inspired 'True Blood' excites Iowa City fans; coming to Cedar Rapids tonight

Danelle Callahan bounced in front of a mirror, checking her makeup and hair more than an hour before Charlaine Harris, author of the “Sookie Stackhouse” novels, took the stage last night at The Englert Theatre.

“Do I look like a day servant for the undead?” the North Liberty native asked, pulling back shocks of brown hair to expose made-up fang bites on her neck. “You have no idea how excited I am.”

Bram Stoker, the Irish novelist who wrote “Dracula,” might have nightmares seeing the fervor and fandom surrounding Harris, whose “The Southern Vampire Mysteries” books inspired the HBO series “True Blood.”

Harris, a native of the Mississippi Delta and the author of more than 30 books, spoke only briefly to the audience, giving them a taste of what's to come in the final three books of the series. She said to laughter that she wouldn't reveal who Sookie, her telepathic protagonist, would eventually fall in love with in her fictional Louisiana town.

Harris told the audience she frequently gets asked about her inspiration for the series – a question she will not answer. “Don't ask me where I get my inspiration from, or I will spit at you,” she said to laughter.

Amanda Alexander, 25, also of North Liberty, said the excitement surrounding Harris' vampires stems from the authenticity of the bloodsucking undead, which she said other contemporary vampire books, such as Stephenie Meyer's “Twilight” series, seem to lack.

“‘Twilight' is not good vampires,” Alexander said with a roll of her eyes. “I like vampires that I consider to be real vampires, which means they suck human blood.”

Harris' appearance was part of the “Out Loud! The Metro Library Network Author Series,” a program of the Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, and Marion Public Libraries supported by the Giacoletto Foundation, with media support from The Gazette.

After meeting her fans, Harris said she forever is shocked at how passionate they are.

“It's kind of surprising to be taken so seriously. You just don't ever expect people to listen,” she said.

Harris will wrap up her visit to Iowa at 7 tonight at Theatre Cedar Rapids, 102 Third St. SE. She is expected to discuss her creative writing process.

Judith Coleman, 29, of Jackson, Miss., was giddy after meeting Harris. The University of Iowa graduate student in English said Harris' books are much more complex than they might appear. Once she read the first book, she said she was hooked.

“If vampires really existed, I think this is exactly how it would be,” Coleman said.