Before Charlaine Harris became the Number 1 best-selling author of a Southern vampire mystery series, before the seven-figure book deal came through and before the HBO television show based on her novels took off, the unassuming wife and mother spent a decade writing away in her home on Loblolly Street in Orangeburg.

"We lived in Orangeburg for almost 10 years, from 1979 to 1989, or thereabouts," Harris said in an e-mail interview from her home in Magnolia, Ark. "I loved our church there, the Episcopal Church (of the Redeemer). We had some good friends and neighbors. ... For a while, we tried to keep in touch with other couples our age, but with kids and so many activities, that kind of faded away."

However, Harris said she had "just heard from Joy Barnes," a local Realtor who wrote to offer her congratulations on the recent success of Harris' latest vampire mystery, "Dead and Gone."

The ninth book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, "Dead and Gone," reached No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list in mid-May and is still firmly entrenched among the top 10.

"Life has already changed a lot. While 'Dead and Gone' was my first number one book, I'd had many other books on the NY Times list," she said. "Yes, my life has changed significantly. It's been fun watching the television show and meeting the cast and crew. I'll probably do a cameo on the show, if we can work out a date that suits both Alan (Alan Ball, producer) and myself. It's more fun going to the bank."

Barnes said she first heard about Harris' recent success during a National Public Radio interview with a filmmaker on the HBO adaptation of the vampire mystery series, "True Blood."

"Then, I read the New York Times online every day and I saw a big article on her," said Barnes, noting the seven-figure, three-book advance cited in the article. "She looks just like Charlaine -- she's still got beautiful red hair. ... It's real exciting that through the years, there has been a lot of talent through Orangeburg."

According to Barnes, she and Harris had a double connection in Orangeburg -- their husbands, George Barnes and Hal Schulz, worked together at Ethyl Corp., now Albemarle, and she was the family's real estate agent.

"I was their Realtor when they came in and when they left. They lived on Loblolly Street; they bought George and Dorothy Hemphill's house," Barnes said. "I knew she had written a book and was working on more when she was living in Orangeburg. She was working when she was here on at least one book and possibly more were published."

Harris' perseverance has paid off. In addition to reaching No. 1 on the NY Times best-seller list, the new television season of the HBO series "True Blood," based on the first of Harris' successful Sookie books "Dead Until Dark," is set to begin later this month and will focus on her second book in the series, "Living Dead in Dallas."

In addition to the popular Sookie vampire novels about a telepathic Louisiana waitress, Harris has also written mysteries about leading characters Aurora Teagarden, a Georgia librarian; Lily Bard (Shakespeare) and Harper Connelly.

Her first book, Harris said, was a "conventional mystery" titled "Sweet and Deadly." As for the response, the Tunica, Miss., native said, "I don't think there was much of a reaction."

"I'd always written. I got my start at getting published when I took a class at University of Missouri-St. Louis," she said. "The teacher of the class had just quit working for Houghton Mifflin, and she recommended the book I wrote in the class to an editor at HM. That editor bought the book."

A long-time lover of mysteries, Harris said she "wanted to try something new, so I decided to write a vampire novel. It turned out to be a lot of fun."

The late T&D columnist Joyce Milkie kept track of Harris' progress for several years.

In 1995, Milkie wrote, "Remember Hal and Charlaine (Harris) Schulz who lived in Orangeburg for some time? He was, at that time, a chemical engineer at Ethyl, I believe. Not absolutely sure of all my facts but hope I'm hitting a few correct notes.

"Anyway, Charlaine wrote her first mystery novel when she lived here, writing under the name, Charlaine Harris. She sure has moved on and up because she has at least two more books out, maybe more, and her work is listed in a catalog of mystery novels. Don't know where they are living now, but so glad to hear that her writing has caught on and she is now definitely a 'published' author! Congratulations."

Then, two years later, The T&D columnist provided an update.

"Many of you will remember Charlaine Harris," Milkie said in a 1997 column. "She wrote her first novel while she and her husband lived in Orangeburg. Last week, I got her latest book, "Shakespeare's Landlord," from the Orangeburg County Library. She writes mysteries, and her talent -- plotting, developing characters, etc. -- has definitely grown. This is a tough, well-written work about a sad woman, an amateur sleuth, but she is getting her act together. Charlaine did a neat job of characterization on this. I really enjoyed it. Charlaine now lives in Magnolia, Ark., has three kids -- and studies goju karate! Bet she'll use some details about that in one of her books."

As for the future, Harris said she's writing "Sookie Ten, right now. Then, I'll work on a novella, then a new book, then Sookie Eleven, most likely. I have my working schedule broadly mapped out for the next two years."

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T&D Government Writer Tucker Lyon can be reached by e-mail at tlyon@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5545. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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