Q. What has Anne Rice written?
A. Novels and short stories, mostly.
Vampire Chronicles: Interview with the Vampire (1976)
The Vampire Lestat (1985)
Queen of the Damned (1988)
Tale of the Body Thief (1992)
Mayfair Chronicles: The Witching Hour (1990)
Lasher (1993)
Historical Novels: Cry to Heaven (1982)
Feast of all Saints (1979)
As Anne Rampling: Belinda (1986)
Exit to Eden (1985)
As A.N. Roquelaure: The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty (1983)
Beauty's Punishment (1984)
Beauty's Release (1985)
Other Novels: The Mummy or Ramses the Damned (1989)
Short Stories: The Master of Rampling Gate (Redbook 1984, Ultimate
Dracula 1991)
Freniere (New Gothic 1991)
Feast of All Saints (excerpt New Orleans Stories 1992)
The Art of Being a Vampire Reached its Peak in the Year
1895 (Playboy 1979)
Master's Thesis: Katherine and Jean (San Francisco State University, 1972)
Q. Is there going to be another Mayfair/Vampire/Mummy book?
A. Yes.
Taltos, the third book in the Mayfair Chronicles, is scheduled to be released this November. The novel continues the story of Rowan, Yuri, and the rest of the characters from Lasher. Anne is currently working on Morrigan, the fourth book in the Mayfair Chronicles.
Anne has signed a contract with her publishers for several additional books in the Vampire Chronicles. In what period of time, however, has not been disclosed. Apparently, three additional books, with the publication for the first set to coincide with the release of the Interview with the Vampire film.
A sequel to the Mummy has been planned for some time, but has been put on the back burner while she writes on the Mayfair and Vampire Chronicles.
Anne has reportedly finished Memnock, the Devil, and has begun a novel about a bitter ghost called Servant of the Bones.
Q. Where can I write to Anne Rice?
A. At her publisher:
Q. Where is the Witching Hour house?
A. Anne Rice's house is at the corner of First and Chestnut (1239 First Street) in New Orleans. This is the house described in the Mayfair Chronicles. At the present time, Anne Rice and her family continue to reside in the First Street house.
Anne Rice also owns a huge building, formerly St. Elizabeth's orphanage, on Napoleon Avenue in New Orleans. It is rumored that she and her family plan to live there once it is restored. In addition, the Vampire Lestat Fan Club newsletter reports that Anne Rice plans to host the annual Vampire Ball there in 1995.
The house that is pictured on the cover of Queen of the Damned is an artist's rendition of a house in San Francisco (the city where Anne Rice lived before she returned to New Orleans). The house in the picture with the light on is located at 712 Steiner Street in San Francisco, and the painting is drawn from Alamo Square.
Q. Is Tom Cruise *really* going to play Lestat?
A. Let me tell you something...
Here's a brief catalogue of the information concerning the Interview with the Vampire movie:
Crew:
Director ......... Neil Jordan
Written by ....... Anne Rice and Neil Jordan
Special effects .. Digital Domain (supervised by Rob Legato)
Producer ......... David Geffen
Studio ........... Warner Bros.
Parent Company ... Sony/Time Warner
Cast:
Louis ......... Brad Pitt
Lestat ........ Tom Cruise
Claudia ....... Kirsten Dunst
Armand ........ Antonio Banderas
Santiago ...... Stephen Rea
Interviewer ... Christian Slater
Tom Cruise has been cast as Lestat, much to the chagrin of the author, who
sold the rights to Geffen and has no involvement with the project at this
point. Anne Rice's first and second choices were Daniel Day-Lewis and Jeremy
Irons. A few of the many Lestats previously suggested in this newsgroup are:
Julien Sands, Sting, David Bowie, and Rutger Hauer.River Phoenix, who had been cast as Daniel, died in October. Christian Slater has since taken over Phoenix's role, and has said he will donate his salary to environmental charities in Phoenix's honor.
Caveat: The casting decisions have been discussed and rehashed to death.
Posting anything along the lines of "I think x should be Lestat"
will be flamed.
Suggestions for the soundtrack include: Concrete Blonde, Sting, Enya, Danny Elfman, period music, chamber music, and cajun music. In reality, however, the soundtrack is composed by George Fenton, described as "contemporary classical", who has composed the soundtracks for Memphis Belle, Final Analysis, and Shadowlands. Tower Records in New Orleans is planning a special Halloween midnight promotion for the release of the soundtrack, set for the first of November.Previews have been generally positive of Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst, as well as the tone and mood of the film. There is no definite word on Tom Cruise's performance. Filming has finished, and post-production is currently underway, preparing for a November release.
Susan "Lestat" Spaet has a copy of an early draft of the script. She has been good enough to post a synopsis of the script, detailing the differences between the script and the novel. This synopsis has been posted several times, and will, no doubt, be posted again. She has said repeatedly that she will not post, email, photocopy, or scan the script. Please do not ask her for a copy.
Q. What's up with the Exit to Eden movie?
A. Exit to Eden has been adapted to the screen, starring Dana Delaney and Rosie O'Donnell, amongst others. Far from being a straight-from-the-book adaptation, the movie features a bank heist and Keystone-esque coppers, as well as the S&M vacation island from the book. The movie is due out in October, and a few reviews have been posted to rec.arts.movies and to a.b.a-r. Opinions vary considerably.
Q. What other Anne Rice materials are there?
A. Kathryn Ramsland has published two oft-referred-to books concerning Anne Rice: a biography - Prism of the Night - and a reference guide to Rice's novels - The Vampire Companion. Reportedly, there will also be a similar guide to the Mayfair Chronicles - The Witches' Companion - published this fall.
There is an Anne Rice listserver. Send email to
While Ramsland's biography and companion are the only book-length
commentaries devoted entirely to Anne Rice, most contemporary studies of
vampires contain at least passing reference to her and her vampires. In
addition, there are dozens of magazine articles about Anne Rice. Among these,
the interview in the March 1993 issue of Playboy is highly recommended.
In addition, there is the Anne Rice's Vampire Lestat Fan Club. Membership
cost is a nominal $10/year. For an application (which asks, among other
things, your blood type), write to:
Q. What do I do if some of the above information is grossly inaccurate?
A. Hit the "r" key.
Send email to
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The 1994 ARVLFC Coven Party is tentatively planned for Saturday, October 29, in New Orleans.