Hopefully you’ve commented on all the giveaways around the web for A Taste of True Blood, so let’s take a little True Blood break with some more True Blood. We have another (hilarious and talented!) contributor to introduce you to.

Jonna Rubin‘s essay is all about Bill Compton’s transformation from hot leading man to who keeps inviting that guy to the party? Check out her answers to our questions below.

Who is your favorite True Blood character?

Eric. Oh, Eric. Eric! Can I say Eric again? Because yes, it’s Eric. I’m not even ashamed to admit that it’s mostly physical attraction that draws me in—Alexander Skarsgard is quite stunning, you know. Beyond that, though, of all of the characters, Eric has the most interesting history, certainly. A thousand years of life will do that to you, I guess.

I hear he’s a central character in season three, and makes an appearance in every episode (!!!). It’s about darn time. To say I’m excited is a vast understatement. I’m also hoping we see him naked again. (What?)

What episode or subplot has been your favorite so far?

It’s not vastly surprising that I really loved seeing Eric disrobe in “I Will Rise Up,” but that episode was also the beginning of a new type of Sookie/Eric relationship. Oddly, I’m not a huge Sookie fan, but I like the push/pull between Eric and Sookie and Bill. I also, as my essay reflects, really want to junk-punch Bill Compton, so any vampire that dwarfs or humiliates him in any capacity makes me interminably happy.

Have you read any of the Charlaine Harris series True Blood is based on? If so, did you read it before or after watching the show?

I’ve read them all—well, except for the latest, which is on my nightstand right now, ready to be devoured after I finish Suzanne Collins’ Catching Fire—and I started reading them right after season two. To be honest, I’d heard very little about them until the series, despite my lifelong interest in vampires. What little I’d heard was that they were campy and fun and not at all for serious vampire enthusiasts, and I sort of have to agree, at least on the former point. The books are almost cartoonish in their depiction of the characters—even the most brutal of brutes has a lighthearted aura about him—and sometimes I think Bram Stoker is rolling over in his grave to see how far afield the genre has gone. In contrast to the books, the series is much darker and more slick—and, I daresay, better.

However, my God, if the books aren’t such great fun. They’re like vampire candy, and I love them to bits. Charlaine Harris is a pulpy genius.

Recommend an essay, if you’d like to, in the book other than your own.

I really loved “Vampire Porn” by Daniel M. Kimmel. Not only is he a fellow New Englander (holla!), but I felt like he was talking to me, Jonna Rubin, with that essay. Until I read it, I hated the opening sequence. Hated it. I thought it was nonsensical and incongruous and ironically, I had made direct comparisons between Dexter‘s (which I thought was genius) and True Blood‘s (which I thought … wasn’t). Imagine my horror and surprise to see that they were done by the same team! And that there was a whole deconstruction of it! I thought it was brilliant and interesting, and gave me an entirely new appreciation for those freakish few minutes before things really get going.

What’s your other TV obsession, besides True Blood?

I love Dexter—the characters, the set, the writing, the whole thing. Friday Night Lights. Glee. Oh, I could go on, for honestly, television—watching it, and ripping it apart—is my favorite pastime. It’s not a highbrow pastime, but who’s judging? [Editor's note: No one here!]

Share one other thing about yourself to familiarize readers with you as a contributor.

Character is my thing, when it comes to television and books. I get so wrapped up in them, I really start to believe they’re actual people. It’s embarrassing, is what it is. I’m an adult. I’m someone’s mother. And there I am, week after week, biting my nails because Jesse St. James was mean to Rachel on Glee! And Coach Taylor lied to Tami!

Then, to make matters worse, I can’t help but analyze them. But WHY did Coach lie to Tami? And Jesse! You can’t tell me he doesn’t really love her! He’s WAY better for her than Finn, and everyone knows it. And yet!

And when it comes to the Hunger Games? I’m Team Peeta all the way, and I can discuss all the reasons why in such extreme detail, your eyes would glaze over by the end.

You see? It’s a sickness.

Where else can readers find you online?

Well, let’s see, I’m always on my blog, www.jonniker.com, writing about what little style I have on www.stylelushblog.com, and I’m always on Twitter, @jonniker.

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Thank you, Jonna! Take a peek at her essay, “Sookeh! Bee-ill! and the Downfall of William T. Compton” and order your copy of A Taste of True Blood today (if you win one of those giveaways, you can give the copy you buy to a friend. Win-win!).

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