Final shot: Charlaine Harris concludes Gunnie Rose series with THE LAST WIZARDS’ BALL
In the finale for the True Blood author’s historical dark fantasy series set in a magical Old West, the sisters must face their fates at the last Wizards’ Ball.
“I thought, ‘I wanna write a story about someone who shoots a lot of people.’ But still basically a good person—she’s not going to shoot you for the hell of it.”
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Charlaine Harris brings her critically-acclaimed Gunnie Rose series to an explosive end with the sixth and final installment THE LAST WIZARDS’ BALL (Saga Press). In these books, The Dark Tower meets True Blood in this gritty and wildly entertaining series.
Gunnie Rose is a woman fighting unimaginable odds to keep her people alive after the disintegration of America. This is a hit for fans of Outlander or Westworld from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series.
Set in an alternate version of 1930s America, the Gunnie Rose series mixes the wild west, magic, and Russian influence. Gunslingers help keep the peace in a no longer united country. These books follow a young gunslinger on deadly mission through a version of America where magic is an acknowledged but despised power.
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Interview quotes: Charlaine Harris talks about her Gunnie Rose series
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Lizbeth Rose’s sister Felicia attends the Grand Wizards’ Ball, and as one of the most powerful—and beautiful—death wizards in a generation, she is highly sought after as one of the belles of the ball. However, war and violence are on the rise in Europe as German and Japanese wizards are also courting Felicia…and some are refusing to take no for an answer.
As the façade of genteel wizard society turns deadly, Lizbeth must learn to not only protect her sister, but also navigate the arcane world that is pulling her sister and husband into a dangerous dance with death that could change the world as they know it.
In this murderous and magical family drama, sisters Lizbeth and Felicia must face their fates at the last Wizards’ Ball. This tale is perfect for anyone who loved the fantastical-mystery sweet spot Harris struck with her Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood books.
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Find all the books here: Charlaine Harris: Complete Gunnie Rose series
Charlaine Harris talks more about her Gunnie Rose series
Born and raised in the Mississippi River Delta area, bestselling author Charlaine Harris has been writing more than 40 years. She has written more than a few series, plus stand-alone novels, numerous short stories, novellas, and graphic novels (co-written with Christopher Golden). Her Sookie Stackhouse books are the basis of the HBO series True Blood.
In these quotes from her interviews, Charlaine talks about how she created the alternate world for the Gunnie Rose series; what inspired her to bring together all these different influences; how the complexity of the Gunnie Rose series impacts how she writes it; whether anyone inspired her strong women characters in the series; and what qualities make a great heroine.
In a conversation with author J.D. Blackrose, Harris talked about how she created the alternate world for the Gunnie Rose series:
“That was the fun part. The world that had to exist just to support Gunnie Rose had to be a very different United States from the one we now know. I did a lot of research for this series, more than I’ve ever done for any series I’ve written. I’m not saying all of it was deep—it was like, ‘What were women wearing in the ‘30s? Let me see.’
“And I’d find all these wonderful pattern pictures and I’d go, ‘Omigosh.’ But that was the fun part. Not many people had a refrigerator. And then you think, ‘How many people had an indoor bathroom?’ So it was quite a lot of spotty research.
“But it was almost irresistible to write about her. She started out in a short story for a charity anthology. Writing for a charity anthology, I just thought, ‘I can indulge myself and write something completely separate from anything I’ve ever done.’ And I thought, ‘I wanna write a story about someone who shoots a lot of people.’
“But still basically a good person—she’s not going to shoot you for the hell of it. I mean, if you trespass into her job, her job is defending whatever she is escorting. So, it’s your own fault.”
Talking with Grimdark Magazine, Harris shares about the series—and what inspired her to bring together all these different influences:
“It’s another venture in new territory for me. I guess the series is best defined as an Alternate History Western with a gunslinging heroine. She’s not bloodthirsty, but she’s upright and determined to do her job, which is protection. Lizbeth Rose is very young, and very independent. At first, I planned on no magic in her world, but I changed my mind as it evolved.
“I haven’t always been interested in westerns as a genre, but I did spend part of every summer in Texas as a child. The difference in the culture between central Texas and the Mississippi Delta (where I grew up) was very marked, and made a deep impression on me.
“I’ve always been intensely interested in the last of the Romanovs, and I realized it was possible to work the family into the history of fractured America. Russia had a great presence in the northern part of the Pacific coast many years before that, and it all made sense to me.”
Harris explained to the Kill Zone blog how the complexity of the Gunnie Rose series impacts how she writes it:
“I have to be aware of a lot of history when I’m changing it to suit my narrative. America is split into parts following the assassination of Roosevelt, the Spanish Flu, and the collapse of Wall Street. Lizbeth Rose, a gunslinger by trade, lives in Texoma, the poorest of the new countries.”
In a talk with B&N Reads, Harris shares whether anyone inspired her strong women characters in the series:
“Not anyone specific. I do tend to write women braver than myself. My mother and my daughter are constant inspirations in my life, and I have a group of friends who are amazing women.”
Harris shared with Goodreads what qualities make a great heroine:
“The most important thing for a heroine to have is inner strength. A sense of humor is a big plus. I have written women, like Lily Bard [Lily Bard Mysteries], who did not have a big sense of humor, and it was rough going. It’s always helpful to me if women have a sense of humor.”
Find the whole series here: Charlaine Harris: Complete Gunnie Rose series
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Charlaine Harris talks about her Gunnie Rose series, which is ending with THE LAST WIZARDS’ BALL. “I thought, ‘I wanna write a story about someone who shoots a lot of people.’ But still basically a good person—she’s not going to shoot you for the hell of it.”