Eric’s character seems to resonate so very well with the female population, myself included. Where did his character come from? Is he your dream man or a product of the plot? Is Alexander Skarsgard what you imagined Eric to be like?

—MARIANNE MCCLEARY

Eric has surprised me over and over. When I began establishing him, I thought it would be fun to include a Viking as a counterpoint to Bill, my Civil War veteran. In many ways, Eric is Bill’s opposite, absolutely on purpose. Around that time, I happened to see a movie called The Thirteenth Warrior, based on a Michael Crichton book. I thought the actor Vladimir Kulich (a Czechoslovakian who plays Viking leader Buliwyf) was a great presence—commanding, regal, determined (and handsome). Although Eric is not completely based on Kulich’s portrayal of Buliwyf, the film character was certainly a factor in fine-tuning Eric. The process of character building is a mysterious one, not least to the writer. So, no; Alexander is not exactly what I imagined Eric to be like, but then, no one is.

Would you ever consider bringing someone from the Sookieverse into a different author’s books? Maybe Dresden Files . . . Amelia could be in the Witch Network for New Orleans. . . .

—KRISTINA MINCEY

Jim Butcher would have a few things to say about that, and so would his lawyer. As much fun as such a crossover sounds, not only would I have to agree with the other writer on how such a “visit” would be accomplished, but we’d have to figure out how to blend two different worlds in a seamless way and reconcile two separate publishers (in some cases, though Jim and I have the same publishing house), two separate agents, and two separate contracts. There’s a lot more to consider than the fun of it—which would be considerable.

Would you ever do a spin-off series based on any of the characters in your books?

—JOHN BONFIGLIO

I don’t have any plans for that right now, but I certainly don’t rule it out. I will not write the same story from another point of view, which is a related question I get frequently.

As a writer, is it hard to “not bring the work home”? Do you plot literary murders over breakfast? Take a pause to write down an idea while watching a movie? Miss sleep while wondering how to tie up a loose end?

—SILJE ARSETH