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'That's My Own Origin Story': Bestselling Author Charlaine Harris On What To Expect From NBC's 'Midnight, Texas'

Of course, the first thing I wanted to know was where she got her idea for this eclectic town and its charming array of characters.

By Rachel CarringtonPublished 6 years ago 2 min read
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'Midnight, Texas' [Credit: NBC]

Ask any fan of True Blood, and they'll tell you who Charlaine Harris is — she's the #1 New York Times bestselling, powerhouse author behind the Sookie Stackhouse novels. And after introducing us to Bon Temps, Louisiana, she took fans into another town with the Midnight, Texas series, beginning with Midnight Crossroad in 2014.

On July 24th, that latter town will come to life on NBC when Midnight, Texas premieres.

As a fan myself — my DVR is already set — I had the opportunity to chat with Harris about the upcoming series as well as how Midnight, Texas came to be. Of course, the first thing I wanted to know was where she got her idea for this eclectic town and its charming array of characters. Here's what she had to say:

"That's my own origin story. When I was casting around for another idea to spark my interest — after the end of the Sookie Stackhouse series — I thought of the summers I spent in Texas as a child and how they made me feel, and I began to imagine an isolated town, and who would live there, and why ... and it all began to come together."

Since there are only three books in the series, I knew that NBC's show would have to expand the mythology to cover more ground, especially if it gets renewed. Harris's answer to this dilemma was just what I was looking for:

"The show will have a better chance of covering origin stories, if that's what [writer and executive producer] Monica [Owusu-Breen] chooses to do. There is such an ensemble group of characters telling the story in the books, some backgrounds have to be hinted rather than explained."

There's never enough room in a book to tell all of the story you want to tell — unless you want to have an 800-page tome. A television series can open the doors to the pasts of characters whom we might never get to really know in the books.

And according to Harris, the series is off to a good start. Having seen the first two episodes already, she says the show moves at a swift pace with excellent writing and acting. She also praised the camera work and direction, calling it "outstanding," and gave us a hint at the overall tone of the show without giving away any details:

"The unexpected just keeps on happening. It's quick-paced, visually interesting, and the characters are just fantastic."

As we all know, characters come and go on TV series sometimes, breaking fans' hearts in the process. We tend to get attached to our favorites — so, for my final question, I had to ask Charlaine, who (besides Manfred) was the one character she hoped didn't get eliminated from the series:

"Fiji is the heart and soul of the town, and I can't see the series without her. But I hope no one gets eliminated! I love them all."

We feel the same way, and can only hold our breaths as the first season gets underway on July 24th. Is it Midnight yet?

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About the Creator

Rachel Carrington

I'm an avid writer and reader. I've had over 53 novels published and over 2,000 articles. Here I review movies, TV series/episodes, books, and write about entertainment. www.rachelcarrington.com

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