Charlaine Harris talks about True Blood and her books at her first Canadian appearance in Toronto this July

Fans of the Southern Gothic experience, psychics, werewolves and very, very naked (non-sparkling) vampires will be excited to hear that Charlaine Harris, author of the Southern Vampire Mysteries series (also known as the Sookie Stackhouse series)—on which the hit show True Blood is based—is coming to Toronto in July. Harris will be promoting the 11th book in the series in her first ever Canadian appearance, at the Polaris science fiction and fantasy convention, where she’ll sign copies of her books, pose for photos with fans, and talk about the novels and True Blood during an audience question-and-answer session.

The news has spread quickly through Canadian fan sites like EricandSookielovers.com and Trueblood.net. “We’re very lucky to have her,” says Monique Murphy, a committee member of TCON, which organizes the Polaris convention. “Penguin contacted us last year and asked if we wanted Ms. Harris to appear at our show and we immediately said yes.” Unsurprisingly, fan girl Nicole Wainberg cheered when she heard the writer was coming to town. “I’m really excited to meet Charlaine Harris,” she said. “I’ve been a big fan of the show since the beginning, but just started reading her books since season two started. I love the fact that her characters are parallel between the show and the books.” Since True Blood is a successful TV show and Harris fans have cosplay and trekkie levels of enthusiasm, we figured this was news that both long-time fanatics and late adopters could sink their teeth into.

Polaris takes place from July 15 to 17.