By Jamal Brown

Banner-News of Magnolia

MAGNOLIA—HBO hopes to grab viewers by the throat with its new series, “True Blood,” based on the Southern Vampires books of Magnolia writer Charlaine Harris.

“True Blood” premieres on the cable television network at 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7.

The combination of horror, mystery, suspense and romance will take over the time slot of HBO’s mob hit, “The Sopranos.”

“True Blood” draws its plot from Harris’ “Dead Until Dark.”

The one-hour premiere takes viewers to the backwoods of Bon Temps, La., where they meet Sookie Stackhouse, who is played by Anna Paquin. Sookie has the ability to read minds and works in a Louisiana bar as a waitress.

Sookie meets vampire Bill, played by Stephen Moyer, who walks into the bar one night. The two are quickly drawn to one another, and Sookie falls in love with him.

The series is set in the near future, after a synthetic blood product is created that allows vampires like Bill to emerge into the open as they no longer require humans for nutrition.

The series is created and produced by Alan Ball, who was the creator of the Emmy-Award winning HBO series “Six Feet Under.”

“I’ve seen the first two shows and I think they are wonderful, Alan really caught the spirit of the book. The casting is great. I love the way it looks and everything is good so far,” Harris said.

Harris had three offers for the film and television rights to her books. She decided to go with Ball because of his creativity.

One might say that the setting of Harris’ destiny was mere chance.

“Alan had a dentist appointment and he was reading one of my books to kill time. He enjoyed the book so much that he went back and bought the rest of them,” Harris said.

Harris has come a long way since her first publication, “Sweet and Deadly,” hit the stands 26 years ago. She began her career writing mysteries but switched to urban fantasy in order to appeal to a broader audience.

She said that she never thought she would be this successful. She credits persistence, hard work, and the ability to produce a good product as the main keys to her success.

“It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be successful,” Harris said.

Harris is finishing up part nine of the Sookie Stackhouse series. This publication is scheduled to be released in May 2009.

She leads a busy life in Magnolia. Between writing, taking care of household chores and spending time with her family, Harris says, “I don’t have a life.”

Harris and her husband, Hal Schulz, have two sons. One lives in Dallas and the other recently got out of the Army after being stationed in Alaska.

Their daughter will be a senior in high school this year. Despite Harris’ busy schedule, the family manages to find time to support their daughter, who plays both softball and volleyball.

Harris recently returned from a horror convention where she was the guest of honor.

“I’m not a horror writer so I was surprised when they invited me,” Harris said.

She usually attends three mystery conventions each year and several science fiction and fantasy conventions. She also does two-week tours during the release of her Sookie Stackhouse novels to bookstores.

As fate would have it, she has always been away from home on Mother’s Day when her books are released. However, Harris plans to stay home through the rollout of her ninth Sookie Stackhouse book because it coincides with her daughter’s high school graduation. In an effort to have more time for her family, Harris has turned down all engagements from January to May 2009.

The immediate future includes a trip to Hollywood for the premiere of “True Blood.” This will include a red carpet event, which Harris says, is outside her comfort zone.

“Every time I think of that I get nervous,” she said.

She hopes that once the series starts airing, she can get back to normal.

When it’s all said and done, Harris hopes to be remembered as someone who provided entertainment to her readers.

”It makes me happy when people write me and tell me that my stories give them relief from the stress of everyday life.”