Did you know that HBO’s hit series “True Blood” has deep ties to Mississippi? The show is based on “The Southern Vampire Mysteries” novels by Mississippi native Charlaine Harris.
Born in Tunica in 1951, Harris grew up in the South, the daughter of a farmer-turned-school principal and a librarian. After graduating from Rhodes College in Memphis, she worked as a journalist in Clarksdale and Greenville before publishing her first novel, “Sweet and Deadly,” in 1981.
Harris gained fame for two mystery series centered on strong Southern women, but in 2001 she reinvented herself with “Dead Until Dark,” the first book featuring Sookie Stackhouse — the hard-working, churchgoing heroine who finds herself tangled with vampires and often forced to kill to survive.
“I was getting a little bored with conventional mysteries and wanted to try something different,” Harris said. The vampire series soon soared to the New York Times Best Seller list, attracting multiple adaptation offers. Harris chose Atlanta native Alan Ball, Oscar winner and creator of HBO’s “Six Feet Under,” to bring her vision to the screen.
Ball confirmed that the show’s storyline will stay true to Harris’ Mississippi roots. Season 3 will take viewers to Jackson, where Sookie investigates the disappearance of her vampire boyfriend, Bill. Fans will see the Jackson nightclub Club Dead, a haven for vampires and shapeshifters, and meet Russell Edgington, the enigmatic vampire king of Mississippi.
While filming in Mississippi hasn’t been discussed, Ball promises to maintain the authentic Southern atmosphere that Harris captured in her novels. “I grew up in a small Georgia town,” he said. “We work hard to avoid the cartoon version of the South and keep the show true to its roots.”
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