In the sixth installment of our interview with New York Times bestselling novelist Charlaine Harris, ScriptSuperhero.com finally delves into her two current and most popular creations, psychic waitress Sookie Stackhouse of TRUE BLOOD fame, and the corpse-locating Harper Connelly.

ScriptSuperhero.com: Sookie Stackhouse represents a marked turning point in your career. Prior to DEAD UNTIL DARK, you had not pushed the boundaries of the “amateur detective mystery” subgenre that much. What served as inspiration to begin mixing genres as you did with Sookie?

Charlaine Harris: This always sounds crass, but not only did I want to write something different, I wanted to appeal to a broader readership.

SS: Sookie is now older than Aurora Teagarden, in terms of the number of novels written about her world, yet you have often said you have several more stories to tell about her. What do you think makes Sookie a more durable character from a storytelling standpoint?

CH: There’s so much in Sookie’s world that’s different from our world, though she’s anchored in reality. I think the reader can easily accept the variety of strange things that happen to her and around her. When I was writing “cozy” mysteries, I had moments when I asked myself how many bodies a librarian could find in her life. I have to believe in the world, too; maybe that’s the difference.

SS: The most recent addition to your library of series characters is Harper Connelly, which represents a step back toward the traditional amateur detective mystery subgenre, while still maintaining a supernatural element, though with a lighter touch than is found in Sookie’s world. What served as inspiration for Harper?

CH: I became interested in lightning and lightning strike survivors. That was the seed of Harper and her world.

SS: The first three Harpers read like a very strongly tied-together trilogy, and later this year your fourth Harper novel is scheduled to be published. Do you feel like Harper has the potential to be as durable a character as Sookie, or do you feel a resolution to her story somewhere out there on the horizon?

CH: I think the fourth Harper book may well be the last. I like Harper a lot, and I like what she does, but I made a mistake in thinking a “travelling” series would be entertaining to write long-term.

SS: Although Harper is not related by blood to her “brother,” Tolliver, the emotional bond they shared was very close to a sibling bond. How has the decision to change that dynamic to a romantic one been received by readers and other audiences?

CH: Very well, actually. Or maybe the people who thought it was sickening just quit reading my books for good and never told me how they felt.

SS: There have been some recent rumblings on your Web site discussion boards of a new concept you’ve been considering, tentatively titled CEMETERY GIRL. At what stage is this project and do you see fitting it into your schedule at some point in the near future? Share with our readers the basic premise.

CH: No, I don’t want to talk about it. The more talk, the less action, in writing.