Charlaine Harris always honors us with a Q & A just after her latest Sookie Stackhouse novel is released. This year is no different. Deadlocked, which is book 12 in the Southern Vampire Mysteries, debuted this week and we thought it was fantastic, but we had a few questions for Ms. Harris, which she graciously answered for us before she embarked on her tour promoting the book.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

True-Blood.net: Even though Sookie was dealing with daily, even hourly, crises, the pace of this book feels deliberately slower. Why? Is it a sign that Sookie is maturing and opting to respond vs. react? A textual representation of the heat of summer?

Charlaine Harris: I’m tempted to say yes, but that would only partially be true. I tried to take my time writing this book because I wanted to be sure I was saying exactly what I meant. And it’s true that Sookie has become more deliberate in her responses.

Sookie’s friends and family are experiencing milestones all around her (relationships, weddings, births), and as a result, we see her becoming more introspective about her own future. After everything she’s been through in the past few years, can Sookie ever settle into a “normal” future similar to those around her?

Charlaine: That’s what she wants. I think “similar” is as close as she could get.

How long has Claude been plotting to overthrow Niall? (Love that Sookie felt “wrongness” about him from the beginning.)

Charlaine: Claude has never wished Niall well, but I don’t think he really planned to overthrow Niall because he didn’t think he’d have the opportunity. That’s why he’s been living in the human world. However, he has been strewing discord where he could.

Why did you decide to make Bill’s love for Sookie an open, even joke-worthy non-secret? That scene in Sookie’s yard where Eric predicts the conversation between himself, Pam, Bill, and Sookie was hilarious.

Charlaine: There’s no way that could escape any of the people involved in that scene, so it seemed funnier and more interesting to acknowledge it.

Palomino’s coloring – genius! How far in advance do you plan things like that to use in future plots?

Charlaine: Ahhh . . . not so much. Every now and then I adapt the plot of the current book to use something I wrote in the past. And to give me a fair shake, every now and then I plan like crazy.

Is the point of Sookie being a partner in Merlotte’s that she and Sam are no longer employee/employer? That she’s now pretty much on equal footing with him?

Charlaine: That’s certainly one of the outcomes.

Are you ready for fan reaction to Eric/Sookie/Sam? (We. Are. Giddy!)

Charlaine: Let me just point out that you haven’t read the last book yet. And I don’t think fan reaction will be universally positive no matter what I write.

What’s left to wrap up in Book 13? Amelia? Mr. Cataliades? Hunter? Sookie’s future?

Charlaine: There’s an incredible amount to wrap up. I don’t think I can even manage it all in one book, and some questions may have to remain unanswered.

What do you hope readers will take away from this novel when they’ve finished reading it?

Charlaine: I hope that readers will be interested in discovering the final resolution of Sookie’s long journey, what her fate and that of those around her will be. But aside from hoping that Deadlocked primes readers for the final Sookie, I hope they enjoy the book simply for the adventure it is. It stands on its own pretty well, and I am very happy with the way it turned out.

We were happy with it too, Charlaine. Once again, thank you for taking a moment with us and for creating the wonderful world of Sookie Stackhouse.