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How does the book break down? After each episode guide, you’ll find some or all of the following extras.

Night Caps: This section could also be entitled Oops, Did You Know, Tidbits, The Deets, or Etcetera. These are additional details that keep the party going after last call has been announced.

Relationship Crypt Falls: These are my shout-outs to the characters as they fumble through their relationships as friends, family, and lovers.

Paging Dr. Creepy: Whether it’s a gooey prosthetic device or, in one case, an astoundingly good sound effect, this is my vote for most spine-tingling, cringe-worthy moment of each show.

Location, Location, Location: This feature highlights where some of your favorite scenes were filmed.

Suzuki Sets the Scene: Suzuki Ingerslev is True Blood’s production designer, responsible for the lived-in look and feel of all locations used in the series. Each episode takes approximately 10 days to produce; Ingerslev and her team work around the clock to secure locations, build sets, and redress others for the next day’s shoot. This segment will showcase some of the considerations taken for many of the sets used in seasons 1 and 2.

Encore: Each show is named after a song. This feature gives you a little background information on the song, its performer(s), and to what effect it was used in the episode.

Within many of the episodes, I’ll include “Tribute” sidebars where I wax poetic on some of True Blood’s supporting characters, those who carry the storylines to the edges and beyond. These are the true torch bearers of the show’s most daring themes. It’s unabashed, full geek-on fandom.

What else can you expect? Exclusive interviews with Kristin Bauer (Pam Ravenscroft), Patricia Bethune (Jane Bodehouse), Charlaine Harris, Kevin Jackson (the sharp mind behind Bite: A Vampire Handbook), and Karen Walton (who wrote the international cult film Ginger Snaps); an overview of HBO’s brilliant viral marketing campaign; and in and out of character interviews with the Twitter True Blood players. I also have input from Alix Fox of Bizarre magazine on being an “Undead Talking Head” celebrity; Stacey May Fowles from Shameless magazine on the BDSM nature of Sookie and Bill’s relationship; Brian Juergens of CampBlood.org on the intersection between the queer and horror communities; Andy Swist about his incredible True Blood paper dolls; some of your favorite fan site admins; and much more!

Finally, a note about terminology. While there is no absolute consensus, many employ “vampire” when referring to both the mythical creatures of films, television, and novels as well as those who identify as “real vampires” — sanguinarian, psi, and psychic — and use the term “vampyre” in reference to a subculture of lifestylers (or social vampires) who identify with the vampyric genre. For the purposes of this book, I’ll observe these definitions.

So, how shall we proceed? Be sure to watch each episode before reading the guides. They won’t spoil anything to follow, but will contain major plot points up to that episode. If you have any feedback — and especially if you’d like to be considered for a future “Interview with a Sympathizer” for my site rebeccawilcott.com — drop me a note at becca@beccawilcott.com. Also stop by for weekly recaps during season 3.

Yours . . . truly,

Becca Wilcott

Immortal Love

The Lingering Appeal of Vampires Throughout the Entertainment Ages

“Throughout the whole vast shadowy world of ghosts and demons there is no figure so terrible, no figure so dreaded and abhorred, yet dight with such fearful fascination, as the vampire, who is himself neither ghost nor demon, but yet who partakes the dark natures and possesses the mysterious and terrible qualities of both.”

— Reverend Montague Summer, from The Vampire: His Kith and Kin (1928)

“It’s always been blood . . . blood is life . . . Why do you think we eat it? It’s what keeps you going. Makes you warm. Makes you hard. Makes you other than dead.”

— Spike, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Walking