Our leadership took seriously the pledge to help Charlaine reach new readers. The year 2007 was busy as we continued to design items such as bookmarks and bookplates to distribute to fans at conventions and signings. Charlatans acted as “commandoes” in bookstores, moving Charlaine’s books to more advantageous locations. Membership in the fan club steadily increased as new readers came to participate on the board and as Charlaine began to make more personal appearances. The board was buzzing with speculation as reports began to come of progress in the development of True Blood. We were especially pleased to learn late in the year that Charlaine was selected to be the guest of honor at the Malice Domestic Convention in April 2008. This was a great honor for her, and the fan club leadership decided to support Charlaine by having our next official gathering at Malice Domestic. The Charlatans were ready to take on Washington, D.C.

Another event that took place in 2007 would institute a new tradition for the fan club. Charlaine shared with the board that one of her most popular characters, Eric Northman, was inspired by a character she had seen in the movie The Thirteenth Warrior. She was surprised and delighted when actor Vladimir Kulich contacted her to let her know how pleased he was to have been her inspiration and that he was a great fan of her books. A germ of an idea formed, and I contacted Charlaine to ask if we could invite Mr. Kulich to become an honorary member of Charlaine’s Charlatans. On July 25, 2007, Vladimir Kulich was pleased to become our first Honorary Charlatan. Since that time we have recognized many others who have contributed in some significant way to Charlaine’s writing.

Excitement was somewhat dimmed by the writers’ strike in late 2007, which set back the expected premiere of True Blood from March to September 2008. There was a great deal of buzz already about the show, however, when the Charlatans came to Malice, where Charlaine was guest of honor. A very different venue from Romantic Times, Malice Domestic is a mystery writers’ convention and was a new experience for the Charlatans. The Charlatans were definitely a new experience for Malice! Few mystery writers have organized fan clubs, and we were a curiosity for the authors who attended. The Charlatans enjoyed meeting them and sharing our experiences as a group and our support for Charlaine. We were very proud of our author as she received this important recognition from her peers. I was particularly proud of our club during the recognition banquet at which Charlaine spoke. We were all dressed to the nines, and as Charlaine came to the podium, we held up small lighted ducks so that she could see our support in the dim light of the banquet hall. Charlaine later told us how much it meant to have us in attendance.