(As a note to the readers: I hope y'all will understand that there are certain things we have to keep under wraps to keep this running smoothly, and that's why there are some answers missing).

Basic Mickey Mouse roll call - can we get (only) your real first names? Or do you have a specific preference for using only the character names?
First off, thanks for the interview! As far as the name goes, I'm a fan of keeping it under wraps, if that's alright. I'm speaking just for myself, though. Some of us may be cool with it.

What's the age range of the people behind the tweets?
Well I'm in my twenties. And that's all I'll be saying about that.

How about locale? Are you all in the same area? or all over the country/world?
Not sure I'll be sharing that one either.

What caught your fancy about Charlaine Harris' books, and True Blood? Did any/all of you find the series through only the show?
I found the series through the show. To be honest, I hated the show at first. I had only watched a few minutes, I think around ep. 3, and a character had just been killed. Blech. It took a friend of mine forcing me to watch the whole season before I loved it. And I did love it. I read the first book, and instantly fell in love with how Ms. Harris writes characters. She's able to write people that we as readers really, truly care about.

What drew you to the characters you're portraying on Twitter, now? For those portraying characters only found in the show, did you have a certain favorite character from the published books, prior to the telly show?
I was drawn to Hoyt's heart. He's just a nice guy. Sure, he's not out there saving the world, but he works hard, and he loves his friends and family. He'd do anything for them. I decided early on that I wanted to play a background character (he was at the time), and just really focus on trying to do it properly.

Did any of you know each other prior to becoming the faces of True Blood on Twitter? If not, how did you come together in the current group?
Nope! Well I didn't, anyway. We've met up at a few different events now. A lot of us have become quite close.

So what walks of life do you all come from? Anyone that might surprise us?
Not sure I can answer that one.

For fans curious about starting a cohesive fan group, and being successful, what tips or tricks would you each offer?
Play off each other. If the group gels, you'll figure out each other's strengths and weaknesses. Our group has been really good at covering one another. For example, I can't be around all the time, so I know that @JessicaHamby spends some time speaking to Hoyt as if he were there, when he really isn't. It's just the cost of doing business. Things won't go perfectly all the time, and your group can either pick up the slack and carry on, or it can't. It's a really great ensemble cast we have here, and we really work well together -- just like the show.

What's the best and worst thing your group tried, that brought you to the place you're at, now?
I think that TB Twitter Thursday was a fantastic idea, so Bravo to Sookie on that one. It's really got people hyped! The worst thing we've probably done was the TB Twitter Thursday that I had a role in. I couldn't possibly explain to you how hairy that one was behind the scenes, but I can say that I wasn't as prepared as I should have been, and I think it showed. Hopefully I'll get another shot in the future...

Any of you fans of any of the other big literary vampires, or other things that go bump (very bumpy in some cases) in the night? How about the monsters of other media, like movies or television?
To be honest, I'm not a huge monster/vampire fan. That's what shocks me so much about the hold that True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse Series has on me -- that it's not really my genre at all. Ms. Harris and Mr. Ball really have created a world that is so appealing to people across all demographics, which is incredible considering it really is very much within the vampire/monstery-thing genre.

What about Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood prompted this level of interest & devotion from you all?
I was inexplicably hooked. As I mentioned earlier on, I'm a big fan of how Ms. Harris developed the characters to create this rich world that we're all so addicted to.

What do you think you'll do for the next several months, before we see a Season 3?
I think we'll go back to creating our own storylines. I was really excited for Season 2, as I had never tweeted while the show aired (I came in after Season 1). It turns out that playing this role on Twitter gets especially challenging during a season, as we're all sort of in limbo between episodes. If Hoyt is stuck in the house with his Momma at the end of an episode, it's pretty much locked that that's where he'll be staying all week until the next episode. I think we're all looking forward to the freedom that hiatus will bring. I'm sure there will be cliffhangers, but I'm also sure that none of us will sit in limbo for months. You'll see us come alive on our own pretty quick after the season finale. If you ask me, there's nowhere better to get your True Blood fix between seasons, and it's my opinion that we're better in the off-season, so stick around...

Which leads to...what do a bunch of Twitterites do for fun when not tweeting? what do you hate to do, that tweeting might provide escape from?
Work. I can say that our group contains quite possibly the hardest-working people I've ever seen. I don't think any of us are trying to avoid work (well... maybe...) but this definitely makes it more fun.

How do you all schedule your online activity? Are there charts and graphs involved?
It was tough for me at first. I didn't know anyone, and I didn't know how this whole thing worked. When would people show up? What if I wanted to run a big story arc? Could I contact the other players? This all worked itself out pretty quickly. I think a lot of us know each other's rough schedules and when they may/may not be around. I've been a bit more of a wildcard in the last few months, as I'm not always available (and I thank the whole group for their patience there).

How about the Twitterwall competition? Were you all surprised by the activity, and the fan support showed by the voters?
I had no idea what that thing was or how I got there. I am, however, incredibly flattered to have made it so high up! I mean... really? Gosh... Thanks, y'all!

How about the Challenge issued by KitchenBitch/Lafayette to the fan base? How did that go? Anything about it you'd change in retrospect?
I wasn't really involved in that one too much, but it sure was entertaining to watch...

Any favorite "Twitter moments" for any of you? A Tweet that just made you laugh like mad, or tear up, or want to strangle or stake someone?
When you complete a storyline, that's pretty great. You can sit there all night playing a story out, hoping it's going to end up sort of how you'd like it. There have also been some great interactions with the rest of the crowd. And there have been some disaster interactions with the crowd. I'm just happy when I can close the laptop at the end of the night feeling like I accomplished what I set out to do with the character for the evening.

Okay, lightning round:
Fave songs from each of you
Really? Okay... #41 by The Dave Matthews Band. Or maybe anything by The Fray (Hoyt and Jess have been working around a lot of Fray music on Twitter, so it holds a special place in my heart).

Fave food
My mother's Caesar Salad (my real Momma, not Maxine...) It's got enough garlic in it to kill a horse.

Hated food
Olives?

If you were a fruit, what would it be?
I really don't know how to answer that one... A Fortenberry? There ya go.

If you were on a deserted island, without wifi, what 3 items would you want with you?
-a satellite internet box
-my macbook
-an espresso machine

Anything else you'd like to throw out...that you'd like people to know about your group, or about you as individuals?
It's been great having the opportunity to play a character that I love with characters that I love, and I'm thrilled that people have stuck around to watch. Come drop in and say hi. Even if you don't know how to use the twitter box thing, you'll figure it out. We don't bite... uh.... much.

Read on to find out!

I'll try an' check in with y'all whenever I can, but in case I don't talk to ya before next weekend (the 11th or 12th), be safe, everyone!

P.S. - Happy Fourth of July, y'all!

First off, I want to say that although this particular tweet hit the stream happened about a week ago, I just found out about it yesterday, so my reaction is still relatively fresh.  The best thing to do, really, is probably to read @SookieBonTemps's reaction to this tweet, as she's given it a bit more thought than I have.  Then y'all can come back if you like.

If you want to read what I have to say, it's after the jump.

I just found out about this in the last 24 hours.  And like Sookie did, I'll tell you just how I've felt since:  Immediate anger > Dismissal > A little more anger > Confused?  We'll get back to that in a bit.

After thinking about this for a while, I've got three things that I want to say.

Number one:  Though I play my character for the entertainment of myself and of others, I'm normally not too concerned about public opinion when it comes to how I tell the story.  Just ask Charlaine Harris about that one.  Show me a character on a page, and I'll show you someone who disagrees with the way they were written.  That much will never change, and no self-respecting writer (of any medium) should let it get to them.  Truth be told, this one got to me, but not for the reason you might expect.  Read on.

Second:  As I just said, I can take criticism.  That wasn't criticism.  If this commenter had given any indication whatsoever as to why we're "not especially well done", then I feel it would qualify as criticism.  Now we have no idea what -- in their opinion -- we should all be doing to improve.  I'll tell you this: I've seen a lot of Bill/Eric debate from some pretty serious "Sookieverse" fans over the last few months, and for the most part, even the most rabid "shipper" (research that one in the yellow pages) will normally qualify a comment with "I like Eric better because"...

And finally:  Though I won't name the commenter, they do tweet a "Mad Men" character the same way that we tweet "True Blood" characters.  No problems there -- "Mad Men" is a great show, and the "Mad Men" Twitter characters do a great job.  The kicker is that I have (personally) only ever seen one negative comment thrown at our "True Blood" Twitter characters -- And I'm writing about it right now.  That's funny to me, because if there were anyone else that I would expect to know how challenging and all-consuming this is, it would be another Twitter character -- a pioneering one, I might add.

So, several paragraphs later, this is where my confusion comes in.  I have absolutely no idea why this particular person would publicly make this particular comment.  At worst, it's horribly insensitive (especially considering their personal experience with the medium).  At best (as objectively as I can look at it anyway), it just seems really petty.  There's no way you don't end up looking bad when you throw mud for no reason.  So I ask our mystery commenter:

What could you possibly have been thinking when you tweeted this?  What purpose does it serve?

Seriously. Email me. (reCAPTCHA link)

In closing, I often jokingly refer to my character, @HoytFortenberry, as a doorstop -- He's been (up until now) a background character, and so I play him in the background of Twitter Bon Temps.  What really upsets me about this comment is that we've got really hard working foreground characters who really move this story along.  Go check out @KitchenBitch and @TaraMaeThornton -- Heck, we've got a whole list of people.  Then come back and tell me that we're "not especially well done".

I had a fantastic time on the 'Author Author' trip last weekend, an' I figured I'd share some of the pice I took with y'all. First though, lemme say a huge thank you to Dallas, @SookieBonTemps, @EricsTXGal, and @robiart - It was a real fun trip 'cause y'all are real fun people! Also, a huge thanks to all the fantastic people who took time to come an' say hi during the trip!

For any a y'all who didn't already know, we headed over to Shreveport to see Charlaine Harris at Shreveport's 'Author Author' event. We also drove around for 2 days of complete mayhem seeing all the True Blood sights we possibly could...

Be sure to check out the first episode of Talk Blood, featuring Dallas and @SookieBonTemps. They spent some time talkin' about the trip, and it's possible that some of us called in...

Wanna see more from this trip?  Check out Sookie's pics here, and Dallas's blog here.

We're all headin' out to see Charlaine Harris at Shreveport's "Author Author" festival this weekend, and it's lookin' like we're gonna have a blast!

Like Sookie mentioned on her blog, I'll probably do a bunch of tweeting OOC this weekend, as this is a trip that doesn't really fit into our little twitterverse -- but just maybe I'll keep the accent

*Ahem* So I guess for any a y'all who need a ride to Dallas tomorrow night, my truck leaves @MerlottesBar around 7pm (we can't ALL fly y'know)...

Now I know I don't generally write anythin' too important here, but far too much has happened tonight to keep it all rattlin' around in my head.

First off, I'm mad as all hell at Jason Stackhouse. Now, I've loved this guy like a brother for YEARS, but I just can't figure him out lately. After tellin' me the other night that he was through with those vampire-haters at the Fellowship of the Sun, he nearly runs me off the road tonight to tell me that he's been hangin 'round them all again. Plus, he's tellin' me he thinks the FotS is gonna be lookin for Jess around Bon Temps.

Great.

Now I don't know what to do. We've already kept @JessicaHamby hidin' in the shadows for the last few days because of all those 'MISSING' posters papered all over downtown Bon Temps (above), and now I've got half a mind that says that Jason may have been the one to let it slip that she's been around here. How else would they know?!

Girlfriend in peril? Check.
Suspicious of best friend? Check.

Plus, it doesn't look like I'm the only one having trouble around Bon Temps tonight. I'm not one to gossip, but i think somethin' may be up with Sookie and Eric... I'm sure it'll make it out of Bon Temps soon enough...

If anyone's got any suggestions, I'd sure love to hear 'em. I'm at my wits end trying to come up with new ways to keep my Jessica safe. God knows I'd do anything for that girl...

And Margaritas! And the way the floor looks at Merlotte's!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!