Charlaine Harris Schulz is an American author who specializes in mysteries. She is best known for her book series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, which was adapted as the TV series True Blood. The television show was a critical and financial success for HBO, running seven seasons, from 2008 through 2014.

Harris was born and raised in a small town in the Mississippi River Delta area of the United States. She lives in Texas with her husband; they have three children. She began writing from an early age, initially focusing on playwriting in college before transitioning to writing and publishing mysteries. Her works include several long series featuring recurring characters.

Charlaine Harris has been a published writer for over forty years. Her first two books were standalones, followed by a long sabbatical during which she was raising her children. She later began the Aurora Teagarden series, mysteries featuring a short librarian, which were eventually adapted for Hallmark movies. The darker Lily Bard books came next, about a house cleaner with a dark past and considerable fighting skills. Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. This resulted in the bestseller DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie Stackhouse books, which were adapted into the "True Blood" series. Concurrently, Harris began the Harper Connelly books.