Sookie Stackhouse writer Charlaine Harris has reportedly signed up to write three more books in the Southern Vampire series starring Sookie Stackhouse.

So far, the series only goes up to book nine, Dead and Gone, which was published in May this year, with a tenth book, Dead in the Family, planned for May 2010. Actually, if you believe Wikipedia, most of the books were published in May, one each year!

But, reports SFScope.com, Ginjer Buchanan at Ace Books has bought rights to publish three more books in the series. Harris’ web site also states that A Touch of Dead, a compilation of previously published stories set in the Sookie Stackhouse universe, will be published in early October this year. The success of the series is being partially fuelled by the populaity of a HBO TV series based on it, True Blood.

According to her blog, Harris has been busy. In the most recent post, dated 10 August, she writes she has been working hard trying to bring Dead in the Family to a close:

“Lots of unexpected things happened, and I realized I have to cut a couple of characters I had big plans for, but I’ll save them for another book. It took me a while to realize what the theme of the book was, and when I realized it was about family – Eric’s, Sam’s, Sookie’s, Bill’s – suddenly everything became much easier. I’m taking my laptop to Los Angeles with me this week as I visit The City of Angels for a round of meetings. Wish me calm and peace.”

The author has a number of conferences coming up — Dragon Con, Bouchercon and then New Orleans’ Vampire Ball, followed by an event in Houston. “After that I’ll be home for a few months, and working hard,” she adds. “I have a Sookie novella to write for the Companion, and then I have to decide what to do next. I may have to start on Sookie 11, or I may have time to work on something else. It would be nice to have a different writing topic for a little while.”